To best achieve this end, Baden-Powell knew that his Scoutmasters must be trained in all aspects of Scouting. B-P, a British Army general and hero of the Siege of Mafeking, knew that the more training a military officer received, the better prepared he would be. In fact, Baden-Powell, while in the service of Her Majesty the Queen, penned several Army training manuals (and, of course, his Guide to Scouting, a publication designed to teach Scouting skills to Army personnel, had been grabbed by the boys of England to use in their make-shift Scout patrols).

As early as 1908, when Scouting for Boys was published in six bi-weekly parts, B-P was attempting to train his fledgling Scoutmasters. Each issue of the popular little publication contained many "Hints for Instructors" on subjects as diverse as tracking, natural history, personal hygiene, and citizenship. But B-P knew if Scouting were to really fulfill its promise, something more would be needed. The Chief Scout spoke to Scouters throughout Great Britain, encouraging them to hold leader training classes locally. London hosted the first Scoutmasters’ Training Camp in 1910, with another in Yorkshire, Northern England, the following year. Also in 1911, was a London-based training—three lectures a week for three weeks—with thirty-two Scouters completing the sessions. The final part of this training was a camp at Kendall Hall, Elstree, from February 4th-7th.

Being an old Army man, B-P knew that often the best training came in the field, and so, in 1913, he began to formulate a plan for an outdoor training course for Scout Officers (the less formal title "Scouter" was not officially adopted until ten years later). At the time, B-P stated that the first step would be to decide, "What are the essential points of a Scoutmaster to know, and set out to teach these." The Chief Scout firmly believed that, "The essentials are what we find laid down in Scouting for Boys. . . . (My) idea would be to take that book as the programme of work, dividing it off into the number of days available, and then going through it as practically as circumstances will allow." Baden-Powell was a firm believer in two major portions of the Boy Scout program right from its inception: the patrol method and the outdoor emphasis. So, not surprisingly, these two factors were set to become a prime facet of his leader training plans. B-P wrote, "I should be inclined to pitch the camp as it should be done for a Scout camp—patrol tent on its own ground in a wide circle round the central (Scoutmaster’s) tent. The Scoutmasters should, of course, be in patrols for the course, under their own patrol leaders and so learn patrol discipline."

During 1913 B-P outlined his training scheme in detail. He envisioned a course in which Scoutmasters would be in patrols, with each one taking a turn serving as patrol leader. The following year, Imperial Headquarters published this as a series of articles entitled "Scouting for Scoutmasters" in The Headquarters Gazette, the official Scout publication of the day. Scoutmasters were able take tests on the content, which were then graded by a panel at the Headquarters. Successful participants earned the Chief Scout’s Certificate.

Formal Scout Officer training was put on hold until after the end of World War I. With the end of hostilities, B-P knew it was time to find his outdoor training site. The Chief Scout’s personal secretary, E. K. Wade, in her book, 27 Years with Baden-Powell, writes, "Training for Scoutmasters had begun on a small scale before the war; now, thanks to a Scottish Scout Commissioner, Mr. W. de Bois Maclaren, Gilwell Park, with a large house and grounds on the borders of Epping Forest, was given to the movement , and though at the time practically every Scoutmaster was away on service, the place was prepared, the syllabus of training drawn up, and a resident ‘Camp Chief’ installed, ready for the influx of trainees."

Maclaren purchased the run-down estate for £7,000 (about $11,000 with today’s exchange rates) and gave an additional £3,000 for improvements to the house.

Captain Gidney was appointed Camp Chief in May, 1919, and two months later, on July 26th, Gilwell Park was formally opened as a Boy Scout campground and Scout Officer training center. In a letter, Baden-Powell wrote, "the Gilwell Park opening was. . .a success. We had, fortunately, a beautiful day for it. There was a fine show of Scouts and about 100 guests." Also during the ceremony, B-P presented Maclaren the Silver Wolf.

Two days before the opening ceremony, Imperial Headquarters announced that the first Scoutmasters’ training course would be held at Gilwell from September 8th through 19th. Tents, ground sheets, and cooking utensils would be provided as the attendees would sleep and cook by patrols. A five shilling fee would be charged, with each patrol splitting the cost of food. The official uniform, including shorts, would be the order of the day.

The first Wood Badge course began on September 8th, 1919. Although Baden-Powell had outlined the coursework, he did not lead it. Instead, the much younger Camp Chief, Captain Francis Gidney, headed the course. B-P visited the eighteen participants and their instructors on two occasions and also led a lecture and tracking demonstration.

Some of the participants were enrolled in the Boy Scout course, while the others were in the Cub course. The first Wood Badge course consisted of: