Wilfred Risdon facts for kids
Wilfred Risdon (born 28 January 1896 – died 11 March 1967) was a British person who helped organize trade unions. He was also one of the first people to join the British Union of Fascists and a strong supporter of antivivisection, which means he was against animal testing. His life included working in coal mines, helping trade unions, serving in the First World War with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and being active in politics and animal welfare.
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Early Life and Work (1896–1920)
Wilfred Risdon was born in Bath, Somerset, England, on 28 January 1896. He was the youngest of ten children. His father was a shoemaker, and his mother also worked with shoes. Wilfred was said to be a very religious Christian when he was young, which likely influenced his later life.
After finishing school around age 14, he worked in bookbinding for a short time. Soon after, he started working in one of the local coal mines in Somerset. This work was very hard for a young boy. Many miners from Somerset moved to South Wales for better jobs, and Wilfred joined them.
In Wales, he became involved in trade unions. These groups help workers get better pay and conditions. He wanted to get a scholarship from the South Wales Miners' Federation to study at the Central Labour College. Another person, Aneurin Bevan, got the scholarship instead.
Wilfred served in the First World War as a sergeant in the army. He suffered from shell shock, which affected his heart for the rest of his life. After the war, he decided to become a political organizer, working with trade unionists who believed in socialism.
Getting Involved in Politics (1921–1939)
Around 1921, Wilfred moved to Weymouth, Dorset. He started working as a political organizer for the Labour Party. In 1924, he was chosen to run for election in South Dorset. This area usually voted for the Conservative Party, and Wilfred lost the election.
He continued his organizing work in England. He also started to connect with people in Birmingham. It was there that he met Oswald Mosley, who would become his boss and mentor. Mosley was a politician who was trying to win support for the Labour Party in Birmingham.
By 1929, Wilfred was living in Birmingham and was a main organizer for the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in the Midlands. Mosley, who was becoming unhappy with the Labour government, started to create his own ideas for how the country should be run. These ideas were called the Mosley Memorandum.
When his ideas were rejected, Mosley decided to start a new political party. The New Party was officially started on 1 March 1931. Wilfred Risdon was one of its founding members. His first big job for the New Party was to help Allan Young run for election in Ashton-under-Lyne. Young didn't win, and the Labour supporters were very angry.
Wilfred was then sent to Newcastle to set up local groups for the New Party in the North-East of England. Mosley also started a group of "stewards" (who later became known as "Blackshirts") to help keep order at meetings, as there was often violence.
The New Party didn't do well in the 1931 election. None of its candidates won. This made Mosley rethink his approach. He visited Italy in 1932 to learn about fascism from Benito Mussolini. When he returned, Mosley wrote a book called The Greater Britain, explaining his new political ideas.
In October 1932, Mosley launched a new political movement called the British Union of Fascists (BUF). Wilfred Risdon was a founder member of this group. Many of the first members wore black shirts.
Wilfred moved to London in February 1933 to become Mosley's first Director of Propaganda. This meant he was in charge of organizing Mosley's public meetings. He also visited Italy with other BUF members to see a fascist exhibition.
After a big meeting in London in 1934, where the Blackshirt stewards were accused of using too much force, Wilfred was replaced as Director of Propaganda. He then moved to Manchester to lead a successful campaign to recruit new members in North-West England.
Wilfred wrote regularly for the BUF's newspapers, like The Blackshirt. He refused to wear the police-style uniform that some members wore. In 1936, the government made it illegal to wear political uniforms because of violence at events like the Battle of Cable Street.
Towards the end of 1936, Wilfred was promoted to Assistant Director General (Electoral) because he was very good at organizing elections. He even wrote a book called A Guide to Constituency Organisation. He also wrote a pamphlet for trade unionists, explaining the benefits of the "corporate state" idea, which the British Union supported.
In July 1939, Wilfred left the British Union. He started a new job organizing a survey about people's opinions on vivisection (animal testing) for an organization called the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society (LPAVS).
Fighting for Animals (1939–1967)
Wilfred had been in his new job for less than a year when he was arrested on 23 May 1940. This was during World War II, and the government arrested many people who had been involved with the British Union of Fascists, including Mosley, because they were seen as a potential threat. Wilfred was taken to Brixton Prison.
He was allowed to appeal his arrest. On 11 July, his appeal was heard, and it was decided that he was not a threat. He was released from prison around 9 August. He quickly returned to his job at the LPAVS and became Assistant Secretary by February 1941.
During the war, he made an important contribution to animal welfare. He designed a way to change an existing Anderson shelter (a type of air raid shelter) so that it could protect pets during air raids.
By January 1942, Wilfred was the Secretary of the LPAVS. He also started working with Lord Hugh Dowding, a famous military leader who cared deeply about animal welfare.
In 1956, the LPAVS joined with a larger group called the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS). Wilfred became the Secretary of this combined organization. He also helped set up the Lawson Tait Trust in 1961, which honored a Scottish surgeon who was against vivisection. Wilfred was the Secretary of this trust too.
In 1962, he sent an essay called Vivisection is Fundamentally Evil to a committee in the United States House of Representatives. One of his most daring public relations moves happened in 1964 when he arranged for the NAVS headquarters to move to 51 Harley Street. This street is known for its many doctors' offices, so it was a bold statement to have an anti-vivisection group there.
While working there, Wilfred wrote a book about the life of Lawson Tait, which was published in early 1967. Lord Dowding wrote the introduction, calling it "Mr. Risdon's remarkable book."
Wilfred Risdon died from a heart attack at his home on Harley Street on 11 March 1967. His hard work greatly helped the cause of anti-vivisection in Britain. A book about his life, Black Shirt and Smoking Beagles, was published in 2013 by his grand nephew.
Private Life
Wilfred Risdon was a very busy writer, not just for the British Union but also for the LPAVS and NAVS. He sometimes used the pen name W. Arr. He also enjoyed reviewing books, was a skilled carpenter, loved gardening, and was a talented artist, according to his stepson and grandson.
Wilfred met Margaret Ellen Geen (born 10 March 1895 – died 22 March 1981) in Birmingham. They both shared an interest in socialism. Margaret was from Cardiff, Wales, and already had two children, Sheila and Brian, from her previous marriage. She had moved to Birmingham to train as a midwife.
Wilfred and Margaret got married in Leeds in March 1935. Although Margaret was living in Leeds, Wilfred stayed in Manchester until February 1936. Then, he bought a house in north-west London for his family. After Wilfred's death, Margaret moved to Reading, Berkshire, and she passed away in a hospice near Henley-on-Thames.
Images for kids
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Wilfred Risdon at British Union headquarters, London, England, 1937
