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[[File:Sinclair vet brass plate GCR 7921.jpg|thumb|right|264px|Original name plates for Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon) and Alf Wight (James Herriot) on display at the [[James Herriot]] museum in [[Thirsk]], [[UK]]]] |
[[File:Sinclair vet brass plate GCR 7921.jpg|thumb|right|264px|Original name plates for Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon) and Alf Wight (James Herriot) on display at the [[James Herriot]] museum in [[Thirsk]], [[UK]]]] |
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'''Donald Vaughan Sinclair''' (22 April 1911 – 28 June 1995) was a British veterinary surgeon who graduated from the [[Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies]] in 1933. He was made famous as the inspiration for the eccentric character |
'''Donald Vaughan Sinclair''' (22 April 1911 – 28 June 1995) was a British veterinary surgeon who graduated from the [[Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies]] in 1933. He was made famous as the inspiration for the eccentric character Siegfried Farnon, in the semi-autobiographical books of [[James Herriot]] (Alf Wight), adapted for film and television as ''[[All Creatures Great and Small (franchise)|All Creatures Great and Small]]''. |
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== Royal Air Force service == |
== Royal Air Force service == |
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[[File:Herriot Museum.jpg|The building which was the veterinary surgery of |
[[File:Herriot Museum.jpg|The building which was the veterinary surgery of Alf Wight and Brian and Donald Sinclair, 23 Kirkgate, [[Thirsk]]. It is now [[The World of James Herriot]] museum. (2009 photo)|thumb|right]] |
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In 1939, Sinclair bought a veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, [[Thirsk]], [[Yorkshire]]. In July 1940, he hired Alf Wight to run it while Sinclair was undertaking his war service in the Royal Air Force. |
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However, in order to join up, Sinclair had claimed to be younger than he actually was. It was quickly discovered that his reflexes were not fast enough for him to continue with pilot training. He could have been redeployed within the service, but the fact that he was a veterinary surgeon meant that he was considered more useful to the war effort by resuming his peacetime profession. The severe national food shortage meant that proper veterinary treatment of farm animals received a high priority |
In 1939, Sinclair bought a veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, [[Thirsk]], [[Yorkshire]]. In July 1940, Sinclair began war service in the Royal Air Force, and hired Alf Wight to run the practice. However, in order to join up, Sinclair had claimed to be younger than he actually was. It was quickly discovered that his reflexes were not fast enough for him to continue with pilot training. He could have been redeployed within the service, but the fact that he was a veterinary surgeon meant that he was considered to be more useful to the war effort by resuming his peacetime profession. The severe national food shortage meant that proper veterinary treatment of farm animals received a high priority and so, within four months of joining the RAF, Sinclair received a compulsory discharge and returned to Thirsk. |
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== Veterinary practice == |
== Veterinary practice == |
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Articles about Alf Wight shed more light on the start of the relationship between the two vets. When Sinclair was to leave for RAF training, he gave Wight all the |
Articles about Alf Wight shed more light on the start of the relationship between the two vets. When Sinclair was about to leave for RAF training, he gave Wight all the income of the practice, in return for looking after it during his absence.<ref name="auto">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qZozAgAAQBAJ&q=alf+wight+job+with+sinclair+in+thirsk+air+force&pg=PT88 |title=James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet |first=Graham |last=Lord |date=22 November 2012 |publisher=Headline |isbn=9780755364701 |accessdate=3 March 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> His brother, [[Brian Sinclair (veterinary surgeon)|Brian Sinclair]] (Tristan in the books), was not then qualified. |
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After Sinclair was discharged from the RAF |
After Sinclair was discharged from the RAF, he asked Wight to stay permanently with the practice, offering a salaried partnership, which Wight accepted.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OIAFAt-uEnwC&q=alf+wight+job+with+sinclair+in+thirsk+air+force&pg=PT154 |title=The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father |first=James |last=Wight |date=27 April 2011 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=9780307790927 |accessdate=3 March 2021 |via=Google Books}}</ref> |
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== Literary portrayal == |
== Literary portrayal == |
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The fictional |
The fictional Siegfried Farnon is outspoken, opinionated, bossy, quick to lose his temper, and also quick to calm down. He is good-hearted and an animal lover, fond of riding, and infuriated by any suspicion of cruelty to animals. A theme in Herriot's stories was Siegfried's criticism of James's flaws, such as forgetting appointments or leaving instruments behind after calls, only for the reader to find that Siegfried is guilty of the same things. Siegfried also is forgetful, frequently telling people things and then forgetting them within the same day, refusing to believe that when told. |
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After Wight's first book was published, Sinclair was offended by his portrayal and said, "Alfred, this book is a real test of our friendship". (He never called Wight "Alf", mirrored in the books by Siegfried always referring to Herriot as "James" rather than "Jim".) One of the things he was unhappy about was the name Siegfried, a German name with Wagnerian echoes which, in the 1930s, would have stirred thoughts of Nazis. "Sinclair was so peeved by Wight’s portrayal that at one point he threatened to sue him".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/all-creatures-great-and-small-who-was-the-real-james-herriot-1.4491897 |title=All Creatures Great and Small: Who was the real James Herriot |work=Irish Times/New York Times |access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref> Things calmed down and the pair continued to work together until they retired. |
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[[Robert Hardy]], who played the role of Siegfried Farnon in the BBC |
[[Robert Hardy]], who played the role of Siegfried Farnon in the [[BBC Television]] series, visited Sinclair before playing him, and developed the character based upon his observations. Hardy reminisced that Sinclair hated the way that Hardy played him, and that, Hardy claimed, Sinclair was wholly unaware of his own eccentricities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Edward the Seventh: Robert Hardy Featurette (2003) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-EsdkcJEA4 |publisher=ATV |access-date=17 August 2020 |location=23:00-23:58 |date=2003}}{{cbignore}}{{Dead Youtube links|date=February 2022}}</ref> They subsequently became friends, Sinclair forgiving Hardy. Hardy has said: "I always wished I'd known him before ... It would have helped me to perfect a much more interesting character."<ref name=nyt>{{cite news |title=Donald Sinclair, 84, Inspiration For Herriot's Veterinary Tales |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/08/obituaries/donald-sinclair-84-inspiration-for-herriot-s-veterinary-tales.html |last=Pace |first=Eric |work=The New York Times |date=8 July 1995 |access-date=13 March 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref> |
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Alf Wight's son Jim wrote in his book ''The Real James Herriot'' that Sinclair's character in the novels was considerably toned down, and that Sinclair was even more eccentric than the Herriot books portrayed.<ref> |
Alf Wight's son, Jim, wrote in his book, ''The Real James Herriot'', that Sinclair's character in the novels was considerably toned down, and that Sinclair was even more eccentric than the Herriot books portrayed.<ref name=vanMaren>{{cite web |last1=van Maren |first1=Jonathon |title=Remembering a bygone era: A conversation with James Herriot's son |date=13 June 2017 |url=https://thebridgehead.ca/2017/06/13/remembering-a-bygone-era-a-conversation-with-james-herriots-son/ |publisher=The Bridgehead |access-date=2023-12-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/all-creatures-great-and-small-who-was-the-real-james-herriot-1.4491897 |title=All Creatures Great and Small: Who was the real James Herriot |last=Vineyard |first=Jennifer |work=Irish Times |access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref> |
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In an interview in 2017, Jim Wight said that "One of the misconceptions [about Alf Wight] was that Sinclair ... was a tyrant and my father was a wimp. Because my father worked harder than Sinclair did, that is absolutely true ... But ... he supported Donald in many ways but he also earned more than Donald. He said to Donald, 'Look, I’m doing all the work. Everything that I do goes into my pocket and everything you do goes into yours.' That’s fair enough, isn’t it?"<ref |
In an interview in 2017, Jim Wight said that "One of the misconceptions [about Alf Wight] was that Sinclair ... was a tyrant and my father was a wimp. Because my father worked harder than Sinclair did, that is absolutely true ... But ... he supported Donald in many ways but he also earned more than Donald. He said to Donald, 'Look, I’m doing all the work. Everything that I do goes into my pocket and everything you do goes into yours.' That’s fair enough, isn’t it?"<ref name=vanMaren/> |
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== |
==Personal life and death== |
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Sinclair was married to Audrey (née Adamson), for 53 years, until her death in 1995. |
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| ⚫ | Sinclair |
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| ⚫ | Sinclair killed himself with an overdose of [[barbiturate]]s<ref>{{cite book |last=Wight |first=James |title=The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father |url=https://archive.org/details/realjamesherriot00jame/page/357 |year=2001 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0345434906 |page=[https://archive.org/details/realjamesherriot00jame/page/357 357] }}</ref> on 28 June 1995 at his home Southwoods Hall, near [[Thirsk]], two weeks after the death of his wife. His brother [[Brian Sinclair (veterinary surgeon)|Brian]] (Tristan in the books) had died in 1988 and his friend and partner, Alf Wight, four months previous to Sinclair's suicide. |
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Sinclair was survived by a daughter, Jan, and a son, Alan.<ref>{{cite web |title=[Obituaries] Donald Sinclair, 84, Inspiration For Herriot's Veterinary Tales |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/08/obituaries/donald-sinclair-84-inspiration-for-herriot-s-veterinary-tales.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=12 March 2021}}</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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== Further reading == |
== Further reading == |
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* {{cite book |
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| last = Wight |
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| first = Jim |
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| title = The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father |
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| publisher = Ballantine Books |
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| year = 2001 |
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| location = New York |
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| isbn = 0-345-43490-0 |
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| url-access = registration |
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| url = https://archive.org/details/realjamesherriot00jame |
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}} |
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* {{cite news |
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| last = Pace |
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| first = Eric |
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| title = Donald Sinclair, 84, Inspiration For Herriot's Veterinary Tales |
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| work = [[The New York Times]] |
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| date = 1995-07-08 |
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| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/08/obituaries/donald-sinclair-84-inspiration-for-herriot-s-veterinary-tales.html |
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}} |
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* {{cite news |
* {{cite news |
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| last = Bell |
| last = Bell |
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[[Category:1911 births]] |
[[Category:1911 births]] |
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[[Category:1995 suicides]] |
[[Category:1995 suicides]] |
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[[Category:1995 deaths]] |
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[[Category:People from Thirsk]] |
[[Category:People from Thirsk]] |
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[[Category:Drug-related suicides in England]] |
[[Category:Drug-related suicides in England]] |
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[[Category:Barbiturates-related deaths]] |
[[Category:Barbiturates-related deaths]] |
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[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] |
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]] |
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[[Category:Military personnel from North Yorkshire]] |
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[[Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War II]] |
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[[Category:Royal Air Force airmen]] |
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Latest revision as of 20:18, 13 November 2024
Donald Vaughan Sinclair (22 April 1911 – 28 June 1995) was a British veterinary surgeon who graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in 1933. He was made famous as the inspiration for the eccentric character Siegfried Farnon, in the semi-autobiographical books of James Herriot (Alf Wight), adapted for film and television as All Creatures Great and Small.
Royal Air Force service
[edit]
In 1939, Sinclair bought a veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, Yorkshire. In July 1940, Sinclair began war service in the Royal Air Force, and hired Alf Wight to run the practice. However, in order to join up, Sinclair had claimed to be younger than he actually was. It was quickly discovered that his reflexes were not fast enough for him to continue with pilot training. He could have been redeployed within the service, but the fact that he was a veterinary surgeon meant that he was considered to be more useful to the war effort by resuming his peacetime profession. The severe national food shortage meant that proper veterinary treatment of farm animals received a high priority and so, within four months of joining the RAF, Sinclair received a compulsory discharge and returned to Thirsk.
Veterinary practice
[edit]Articles about Alf Wight shed more light on the start of the relationship between the two vets. When Sinclair was about to leave for RAF training, he gave Wight all the income of the practice, in return for looking after it during his absence.[1] His brother, Brian Sinclair (Tristan in the books), was not then qualified.
After Sinclair was discharged from the RAF, he asked Wight to stay permanently with the practice, offering a salaried partnership, which Wight accepted.[2]
Literary portrayal
[edit]The fictional Siegfried Farnon is outspoken, opinionated, bossy, quick to lose his temper, and also quick to calm down. He is good-hearted and an animal lover, fond of riding, and infuriated by any suspicion of cruelty to animals. A theme in Herriot's stories was Siegfried's criticism of James's flaws, such as forgetting appointments or leaving instruments behind after calls, only for the reader to find that Siegfried is guilty of the same things. Siegfried also is forgetful, frequently telling people things and then forgetting them within the same day, refusing to believe that when told.
After Wight's first book was published, Sinclair was offended by his portrayal and said, "Alfred, this book is a real test of our friendship". (He never called Wight "Alf", mirrored in the books by Siegfried always referring to Herriot as "James" rather than "Jim".) One of the things he was unhappy about was the name Siegfried, a German name with Wagnerian echoes which, in the 1930s, would have stirred thoughts of Nazis. "Sinclair was so peeved by Wight’s portrayal that at one point he threatened to sue him".[3] Things calmed down and the pair continued to work together until they retired.
Robert Hardy, who played the role of Siegfried Farnon in the BBC Television series, visited Sinclair before playing him, and developed the character based upon his observations. Hardy reminisced that Sinclair hated the way that Hardy played him, and that, Hardy claimed, Sinclair was wholly unaware of his own eccentricities.[4] They subsequently became friends, Sinclair forgiving Hardy. Hardy has said: "I always wished I'd known him before ... It would have helped me to perfect a much more interesting character."[5]
Alf Wight's son, Jim, wrote in his book, The Real James Herriot, that Sinclair's character in the novels was considerably toned down, and that Sinclair was even more eccentric than the Herriot books portrayed.[6][7]
In an interview in 2017, Jim Wight said that "One of the misconceptions [about Alf Wight] was that Sinclair ... was a tyrant and my father was a wimp. Because my father worked harder than Sinclair did, that is absolutely true ... But ... he supported Donald in many ways but he also earned more than Donald. He said to Donald, 'Look, I’m doing all the work. Everything that I do goes into my pocket and everything you do goes into yours.' That’s fair enough, isn’t it?"[6]
Personal life and death
[edit]Sinclair was married to Audrey (née Adamson), for 53 years, until her death in 1995.
Sinclair killed himself with an overdose of barbiturates[8] on 28 June 1995 at his home Southwoods Hall, near Thirsk, two weeks after the death of his wife. His brother Brian (Tristan in the books) had died in 1988 and his friend and partner, Alf Wight, four months previous to Sinclair's suicide.
References
[edit]- ^ Lord, Graham (22 November 2012). James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet. Headline. ISBN 9780755364701. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ Wight, James (27 April 2011). The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780307790927. Retrieved 3 March 2021 – via Google Books.
- ^ "All Creatures Great and Small: Who was the real James Herriot". Irish Times/New York Times. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ "Edward the Seventh: Robert Hardy Featurette (2003)". 23:00-23:58: ATV. 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)[dead YouTube link] - ^ Pace, Eric (8 July 1995). "Donald Sinclair, 84, Inspiration For Herriot's Veterinary Tales". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
- ^ a b van Maren, Jonathon (13 June 2017). "Remembering a bygone era: A conversation with James Herriot's son". The Bridgehead. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
- ^ Vineyard, Jennifer. "All Creatures Great and Small: Who was the real James Herriot". Irish Times. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ^ Wight, James (2001). The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. Ballantine Books. p. 357. ISBN 978-0345434906.
Further reading
[edit]- Bell, Gavin (10 January 2004). "Make way sheep, we're Herriot fans". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013.