Donald Watson (founder of England’s vegan movement)
If you think the rage for plant-based lifestyles is now becoming the norm, you have the humble gentleman above to thank. Born in 1910, Donald Watson was born in Yorkshire (the son of a headmaster in a mining community). He moved to Leicester and became a teacher. But is best remembered for spearheading the vegan movement back in the 1940s, creating what is now England’s Vegan Society (very much changed since his day).
Donald became a vegetarian age 14, after witnessing a pig being slaughtered on a relative’s farm. His sister and brother soon followed suit. His mother remarking that she felt ‘like a hen who had hatched a clutch of duck eggs!’
Also a pacifist, he was a conscientious objector during World War II. He and wife faced great opposition to their lifestyle, at a time when people though it was impossible to live on plants! He also practiced no-dig gardening (to avoid killing earthworms) when everyone else was still using spades and forks, to grow vegetables.
Later years of Donald and his wife
The couple had one daughter (she also became a teacher). Donald’s son-in law continued the tradition, turning his home into a veggie bed-and-breakfast. He said that Donald’s nickname was ‘poppy’ (after Popeye, as everyone thought he ate a lot of spinach!) He said that back in the day, people thought Donald and his wife were ‘cranky oddballs’. But today millions of people know different.
Donald and his wife were passionate about nature, and lived the later years of their lives in Cumbria. Where they enjoyed fell walking (he lived to the ripe old age of 95). He climbed Latrigg, just two days before he died.
There are now plaques in both Leicestershire and Yorkshire to commemorate him. Although he chose to live very simply, and had a simple funeral. He is buried in a small church cemetery on the outskirts of Keswick in Cumbria.
I was surrounded by interesting animals. They all ‘gave’ something; the farm horse pulled the plough, the lighter horse pulled the trap, the cows ‘gave’ milk, the hens ‘gave eggs’ and the cockerel was a useful ‘alarm clock’.
I didn’t realise at that time, that he had another function too. The sheep ‘gave’ wool. I could never understand what the the pigs ‘gave’. But they seemed such friendly creatures – always glad to see me. Donald Watson
What would Donald think today?
Probably not a lot. Donald was a quiet and humble man, and did not intend his society (founded in 1944) to be a mostly profit-driven huge organisation concerned with taking yearly income to brand supermarket vegan products. And would have been appalled at recent in-house wrangling of today’s Vegan Society.
The society also certifies foods with palm oil as ‘vegan-friendly (despite it’s use harming orangutans). Greenpeace says the so-called ’round table on sustainable palm oil’ is just a self-policed term by industry, and is as useful as a chocolate teapot. Some ‘certified palm oil plantations’ have been found burned to the ground, with orangutans and their babies in them.
You can’t campaign to save cows, but kill apes? The website states that ‘it’s not possible to boycott palm oil products’. Yes it is, you just make your own meals from real ingredients.
But now there are vested financial interests, as massive income is made from certifying brands that use palm oil. What do you think Donald’s thoughts would have been on this?
No doubt their hearts are in the right place. But an organisation that now rakes in almost £5 million in donations each year, could be doing something more – how about banning brands that use palm oil, for a start?
