Donald Sinclair (veterinary surgeon)

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 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.

Original name plates for Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon) and Alf Wight (James Herriot) on display at the James Herriot museum in Thirsk, UK

Royal Air Force service
23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, Yorkshire, now the World of James Herriot museum

In 1939, Sinclair bought a veterinary practice at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk, Yorkshire, and he hired Wight to run it in July 1940 while Sinclair was undertaking his war service in the Royal Air Force. However, Sinclair had deliberately misrepresented himself as being younger than he was in order to join up, and 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, and so within four months of joining the RAF he received a compulsory discharge and he returned to Thirsk.

Literary caricature

The fictional character Siegfried Farnon is portrayed as outspoken, opinionated, bossy, quick to lose his temper, and also quick to blow over. He is nonetheless basically good-hearted and an animal lover, fond of riding, and infuriated by any suspicion of deliberate cruelty to animals. One recurrent theme in Herriot's stories was Siegfried's criticism of James's flaws, such as forgetting appointments or leaving tools behind after calls, only for the reader to find that Siegfried is found guilty of the same things.

When 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".) Things calmed down, however, and the pair continued to work together until they retired. Wight's son stated in 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.

Robert Hardy, who played the role of Siegfried Farnon in the television series, went to visit Sinclair prior to playing him, and subsequently became friends with him. However, Hardy reminisced that Sinclair hated the way that Hardy played him, because, as Hardy claimed, Sinclair was wholly unaware of his own eccentricities.[1]

Death

Sinclair took his own life by an overdose of barbiturate[2] on 28 June 1995 at his home Southwoods Hall, near Thirsk, two weeks after the death of his wife Audrey (née Adamson), to whom he had been married for 53 years. His brother Brian (Tristan in the books) had died several years earlier, and his friend and partner Alf Wight only four months previously.

References
  1. "Edward the Seventh: Robert Hardy Featurette (2003)". 23:00-23:58: ATV. 2003. Retrieved 17 August 2020.CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. Wight, James (2001). The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father. Ballantine Books. p. 357. ISBN 978-0345434906.

Further reading
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