PARAGON REVIEW

Issue 7

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE BUAV

This year sees the centenary of one Britain's oldest pressure groups, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, a fact commemorated by the recent publication of the book Campaigning against cruelty, by Emma Hopley. The archives of the organisation are now held in the BJL and have already attracted international interest. Hilary Marsh (Archivist) has recently completed a catalogue of the collection, as a result of which she is ideally placed to relate the story of the organisation and its surviving records.

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) was founded in 1898 by Miss Frances Power Cobbe (1822-1904). Concern for the welfare of animals was not a new phenomenon, the first wave of anti-vivisection feeling in England having commenced around the middle of the nineteenth century. It began as an animal protection movement primarily concerned with the prevention of cruel working class sports such as bull baiting and cockfighting, hence support came from the middle and upper classes who saw nothing wrong with their own blood sports.

The first anti-vivisection societies originated in 1875, the year in which a Royal Commission looked into the question of laboratory animals. Perhaps the best known of these societies was the Society for the Protection of Animals Liable to Vivisection which later became the Victoria Street Society (VSS) and then the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), which survives today. Miss Cobbe established the VSS and for eighteen years served as Honorary Secretary, succeeded by Stephen Coleridge (1854-1936) in 1897. It was here that disputes began. Coleridge argued that after some twenty years campaigning for the complete abolition of animal experiments they had failed to achieve any change in the nature of such experiments. He therefore proposed that a policy calling for the restriction of animal experiments should be advocated, working on the theory that success of this policy would eventually lead to total abolition. However, Miss Cobbe was outraged, returning from semi-retirement in rural Wales to leave NAVS, with a small group of the older members, to form the BUAV. The society was officially founded on 14 June 1898.

Frances Power Cobbe in 1894

The BUAV began initially in Bristol, yet through an extensive programme of tours, meetings and lectures they sought support throughout England and Wales. By the end of June 1898 the first branch, Wales, had been established claiming 253 members. The first half-yearly report also stated the intention to engage the services of a Medical Doctor, so they could meet medical opponents on their own ground when either the cruelty or the inadequacy of vivisection was disputed [DBV/3/1]. There seems no doubt that the momentum of the movement helped their word to spread quickly in the early years. The organisation was structured upon a regional basis and by 1899 had eight sections: Bristol and West of England (central); North of England; Welsh; Electoral Anti-Vivisection League (London); Liverpool; York; Bristol and Somerset Friends Committee; Macclesfield. There does not appear to have been a central structure at the outset of the Union. Perhaps the only national events of the 1890s were the publication of The Abolitionist, which first appeared on 15 April 1899, and the formulation of the Executive Committee, whose minutes are documented from 1899-1904, 1916-1929 and 1981-1982 at DBV/2/1, 2 and DBV(2)/2/1, 2. The Abolitionist continued as a monthly publication until December 1949 [DBV/23/1-43 and DBV(2)/20/1-25]. Campaigning work was undertaken by the branches in the form of the production and distribution of mass publications. Shops were opened for short periods of time displaying placards and staffed by ardent anti-vivisectionists. By 1903 there were 20 federated societies and a Parliamentary Association, formulated to speak on behalf of the abolition cause in the House of Commons. In August of this year the BUAV were invited to send a delegate to the second meeting of the International Congress of the World League for the Protection of Animals against Vivisection, held in Frankfurt. Propaganda work was undertaken in the form of correspondence through the newspapers and attacks upon universities with licenses to practice vivisection.

On the death of Miss Cobbe in 1904 her plan to move the headquarters of the BUAV to London finally came to fruition. The new premises not only served as headquarters for the Union but also as a centre for information. Beatrice Kidd, Organising Secretary since January 1904, took up residence at 32 Charing Cross, on hand to provide visitors with an array of publications advocating the work of the society. A number of such publications dating from 1873 can be found within the archive at DBV/25 and DBV(2)/21/1-14. Dr Walter Hadwen, initially Honorary Treasurer of the BUAV, succeeded Miss Cobbe as President. By 1906 there were 21 federated societies and the involvement of the Union with other abolitionist societies continued to grow. In March 1906 Dr Hadwen represented the BUAV at a meeting of the International Anti-Vivisection Council, which called for the adoption of one parliamentary bill for the abolition party. Although the BUAV were at this time advocating their own abolition bill to their supporters in the Houses of Parliament they co-operated with the joint proposals. In July 1909 an official representative was present at the fourth Triennial Congress of the World League of Opponents of Vivisection, an exclusively abolitionist body.

By 1912 the BUAV boasted 49 branches, making it the largest anti-vivisection society in the world at this time. As they continued to grow The Abolitionist began to be sold on the street and temporary staff were hired at headquarters. In the 1920s Dr Hadwen visited the United States of America in search of support. By 1924 the Union had 91 branches, with two in Australia. Attempting to increase their support BUAV had a stall at the Ideal Life Exhibition of July 1921. Promotional activities also included participating in a demonstration for Animal Welfare Week in May 1928. The archive contains four black and white photographs of this event in Hampstead, London [DBV(2)/16/1].

The 1930s was a decade of change. In 1929 the society had become a corporation under the Companies Act of that year. Its Articles of Association are dated 22 November 1929 and are contained in the archive at DBV/1/1. This effectively meant that the BUAV was now a limited company, governed by company rules, and liable to taxation. This decade witnessed the advance of radiogram technology, with the BUAV participating in debates broadcast to the nation. A greater emphasis was placed upon London with a number of new branches opening and an increase in the number of propaganda shops. Vans were also used to spread the abolitionist message.

By 1940 the Union reached a peak of 154 branches, including six in Australia and one in New Zealand. The first edition of Junior Section News Sheet, a publication aimed at young supporters, appeared in April 1945 [DBV/23/106-123]. In 1950 it became the Youth Section News Sheet [DBV/23/124-136]. The Second World War appeared to foster greater ideas of co-operation within the animal welfare movement. The Conference of Anti-Vivisection Societies first met on 20 November 1942. Minutes of conference meetings and correspondence are contained in the archive at DBV/33/20, 21. Five societies were represented at the invitation of the BUAV Ôfor the purpose of discussing and making plans for a joint intensive campaign, after the war, to claim the total abolition of vivisection as a necessary step towards securing for animals their rightful place in the new world order, which it is generally believed will follow the peace'. By 1949 the Conference of Anti-Vivisection Societies was producing joint publications and had adopted the BUAV's own Bill for the Prohibition of Vivisection. Also in this year the BUAV's journal, The Abolitionist, was replaced by The Antivivisectionist [DBV/23/61-94]. The immediate post war period began to see a rise in public demonstrations as a medium to spread the anti-vivisection message, in particular these were held outside vivisection laboratories.

The promotion of the idea of pets being involved in experiments began to be used as a campaign tactic in 1952, attacking the whole trafficking trade of pets to vivi-section laboratories. Campaigns were launched attacking the use of animals in satellites and rockets as the space age began. Attempts were also made to focus upon the idea of healthy living as a rational alternative to vivisection, as witnessed in the 1959 campaign, Health without Cruelty. The BUAV became a founder member of the British Federation of Animal Welfare Societies in 1952, an organisation affiliated to the World Federation for the Protection of Animals. This steadily increasing co-operation between societies continued with the BUAV represented upon five bodies by 1955: Anti-Vivisection Societies' Conference; Anti-Vivisection Societies' Coordinating Committee; British Federation of Animal Welfare Societies; Animal Welfare Societies Conference; World Federation for the Protection of Animals. A joint committee was created with the RSPCA to produce a film highlighting the position of animals, All Living Things, completed in 1955. The BUAV resigned from the British Federation of Animal Welfare Societies in 1958, with a feeling that too many joint organisations within Great Britain were beginning to be counter productive. This was followed in 1959 by new links with the International Conference Against Vivisection in the United States. There are a number of files contained within the archive documenting BUAV's involvement with other animal rights organisations dating from 1909 to 1994 [DBV/22, 33 and DBV(2)/19, 28].

In 1960 the Conference of Anti-Vivisection Societies became the British Council of Anti-Vivisection Societies, and a Joint Consultative Council was formed between BUAV and NAVS. Links were maintained with the Conference of Animal Welfare Societies and the British Council of Anti-Vivisection Societies, with a new affiliation with the World Coalition Against Vivisection in 1966. The following year amalgamation negotiations between BUAV and NAVS were unable to reach agreement. The late 1960s saw a need for internal reconstruction of the Union. After the resignation of various members of the Executive Committee in 1968 a large number of branches loyal to the disaffected committee members left to join NAVS. This came at a time when calls for change could be heard within the anti-vivisection movement. As science had developed many new forms of research were being discovered, and it was considered that the traditional approach of Ôus' and Ôthem' was becoming outdated. There was too much emphasis upon 'anti' vivisection and not enough focus upon new research methods. The Dr Walter Hadwen Foundation was launched in January 1969 in order to raise money to fund those scientists employing alternative research techniques. In 1971 this became the Dr Hadwen Institute for Humane Research. A report and accounts for the period January 1967 to March 1972, a promotional pamphlet and leaflets are contained within the archive at DBV/34/2-4. The Abolitionist ceased production in 1969, replaced by a tabloid size newspaper, AV Times, which was published until about 1975 [DBV/24]. However by 1972 another journal, Animal Welfare, was being produced [DBV/23/44-60].

The 1970s witnessed a change in approach from interest in general discussion of vivisection to concerted campaigns, helped by the national media. In 1975 experiments by the British chemicals giant ICI requiring beagles to smoke cigarettes were discovered and 'exposed' in the Sunday People. This form of campaigning proved far more effective at mobilising the populace, marking a turning point for the reformist movement. It also led to a more respectable image of anti-vivisectionists within the minds of the public, furthering co-operation with the scientific community in attempts to decrease the number of experiments. This decade also saw BUAV representatives sitting on the Committee for the Reform of Animal Experimentation. Members were drawn from both Houses of Parliament, animal welfare groups and the scientific and medical community, in an attempt to reform the law and administration of the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876. The BUAV continued to support the World Federation for the Protection of Animals. New joint campaigns were launched, such as the General Election Coordinating Committee for Animal Protection campaigns of 1979 and 1983, and its interim body the National Coordinating Committee for Animal Protection. A number of files containing correspondence, minutes, press coverage and propaganda material for these campaigns are held in the archives at DBV/11, 12.

The early 1980s again proved to be a time of internal change for BUAV. Calls for greater democracy and the introduction of proxy voting, enabling all members to become directly involved with the decision making of the Union were heard. As a result of this internal discord a large decrease in staff occurred along with a major overhaul of propaganda material. The result of this action was a significant increase in membership and a greater participation of Executive Committee members in the national media. Liberator, the new improved periodical was launched in 1981 [DBV/23/137-174]. By 1982 membership stood at 8,000. Another key area of change was decentralisation of the movement, with the branches urged to become more actively involved in campaigns and decrease their financial burden upon head office. In line with these changes reductions in staff numbers occurred at head office and in 1984 the offices of President and Vice President were abolished. There are a number of files documenting the activities of the branches from 1933 to 1983 at DBV/32 and DBV(2)/27. Membership records are rather more Spartan and detail general applications, 1929-1975, and those to the Executive Committee 1980-1981 [DBV/5 and DBV(2)/7].

Procession leaving South Hill Park, Hampstead, during Animal Welfare Week in May 1928

Club Row animal market, in the East End of London, was the focal point of a BUAV campaign to halt the trade in animals between 1981 and 1983. Animal Aid, BUAV, NAVS and the Scottish Anti-Vivisection Society (SAVS) co-operated under the banner of Mobilisation for Laboratory Animals in campaigning against the Government's proposals to replace the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876. This law was replaced by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill 1986, which was not considered to have afforded animals any more protection than the provisions of the 1876 legislation, providing the vivisectors with more protection from impunity. DBV/14 contains 24 files covering initial correspondence and minutes of the campaign. Administrative documents detail the demonstrations held in London as part of the Week of Action, 5-12 May 1984, and the Inspection Day held on 19 November 1985, along with press cuttings and campaign literature. Other demonstrations were held outside research organisations in London and Oxford during 1983 and 1985. Posters, leaflets and correspondence regarding these events can be found at DBV/19.

The 1980s also witnessed a tremendous increase in the level and variety of campaigns undertaken. The Royal College of Surgeons was attacked for the conditions in which their research monkey, Mone, was kept. As a result a 'Free Mone' national motorcade was organised for 9 January 1986 [DBV/10] and A Song for Mone was recorded [DBV/29/7]. The collection contains a number of legal records as BUAV became involved in court cases regarding alleged defamation of a number of companies housing animals for research purposes [DBV/7 and DBV(2)/9]. BUAV, NAVS and Animal Aid co-operated in World Day for Laboratory Animals demonstrations held in 1985 and 1986 [DBV(2)/16/3-15]. Following raids on animal laboratories a number of BUAV activists found themselves imprisoned over Christmas 1986. This resulted in a BUAV campaign for their release, titled Christmas Behind Bars [DBV(2)/11]. The Choose Cruelty Free campaign, launched in March 1988, was the biggest project yet undertaken by BUAV, calling for the avoidance of cosmetic and household products tested upon animals. It continues to the present day, and claims it will do so until all cosmetic testing on animals is abolished. The archive contains a number of items relating to this campaign including copies of the 'Approved cosmetic and household product guide', 1987-1996 [DBV/8 and DBV(2)/10]. The Health with Humanity campaign, launched in June of the same year, advocated a reduction in disease without recourse to drugs tested upon animals. It was based upon three statements: that drugs tested on animals have failed to benefit human health in the past and will remain unable to do so in the future; that drugs tested on animals do not have the same effect when administered to humans; and that animal experiments are increasingly unnecessary because of the development of alternative methods of research and treatment which do not rely on animals [DBV/13]. 1988 also witnessed a campaign against the Benetton Company's use of animals in cosmetic experiments. There are six files relating to this which mainly contain press cuttings [DBV(2)/15].

The 1980s further saw an increase in the use of the media, culminating in a cinema advertisement for the Choose Cruelty Free campaign in 1991, which depicted a human face reflecting that of an animal after it had been used in laboratory experiments. The 1980s also witnessed a greater involvement in education along with training for staff members and attempts to educate the wider public. In 1982 attempts were made to open the discussion on the issue of dissection in schools. Bus tours to schools in the South East of England began in 1990 which not only involved talks by BUAV staff but also the distribution of education packs and trips around the specially adapted bus, in an attempt to provide school children with as much information as possible about the experiments which animals were subjected to in British laboratories. Correspondence, maps and itinerary for the visits are documented at DBV/20/3-6 and DBV(2)/17/4-30. Training weekends were organised for BUAV Contacts in 1989 and 1990. The collection contains administrative details of these events and copies of the workshop co-ordinators papers [DBV/20/12-37]. Training days for BUAV staff were also organised between 1988 and 1990. Material relating to these events can be found at DBV/20/39-50. Liberator was replaced by Campaign Report, produced four times a year, in 1991. The archive contains an almost complete sequence of this publication from 1991 to 1996 [DBV/23/95-105 and DBV(2)/20/26-31].

The original drawing of Vanity the rabbit

The animal welfare movement in Great Britain was the first in the world to involve itself directly in the political arena rather than simply opting for occasional involvement with a particular piece of legislation relating to animals. This was first seen in the General Election Coordinating Committee for Animal Protection campaigns of 1979 and 1983 [DBV/11, 12]. The first campaign was successful in gaining the establishment of a Standing Council on Animal Welfare, and the acceptance by political parties that animal welfare was the concern of Government and should not be left to Private Members, as in the past. Perhaps another indication of the level of BUAV involvement in politics came in 1990 with the appointment of a full-time political researcher. The Manifesto for animals was launched by BUAV, Compassion in World Farming and Lynx in 1991. This document, a copy of which can be found at DBV/33/14, set out the most pressing political priorities in their areas of greatest concern: animal experimentation, intensive farming and the fur trade. The proposals included outlawing the most controversial experiments, LD50 and the Draize Test, and developing a strategy for the promotion, development and use of research methods not involving animals. An end to the practice of cruel systems, such as battery farming and the establishment of strong regulatory mechanisms to prevent abuse were outlined. To kerb the fur trade an end was called to the cruel and indiscriminate trapping of wild animals for their fur and prohibitions on the factory farming of such animals for their skins.

The European Cosmetics campaign, launched in 1991, called for the adoption of European law to outlaw the use of animals in experiments. This was a particular response to the European directive on cosmetics, 76/768. There are a number of files relating to press conferences, reports and publications of the campaign at DBV/9 and DBV(2)/13. Paradise Lost, the campaign to end the international trade in primates for research was launched in June 1992. It called for a ban on the import of wild caught and captive breed primates to Great Britain, at the time one of the world's largest importers of primates. This could be made possible under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act 1976. Campaign literature and press releases can be found at DBV/15 and DBV(2)/14. Involvement in Europe also occurred with the campaign against animal patenting, in particular the patenting of the Oncomouse by Harvard scientists in 1993 [DBV/18]. This mouse had been specifically engineered to develop cancer. The campaign, lead by BUAV and Compassion in World Farming, challenged the belief by the European Patent Office (EPO) that the exploitation of the 'invention' was not contrary to morality, something expressly prohibited under the European Patent Convention. In a wider context the campaign challenged the criteria with which the EPO assessed whether something was contrary to morality.

Campaigning in the 1990s has also seen the emergence of varied supporters. BUAV's campaigns, including those against airlines for transporting primates and those calling for an end to cosmetic testing in the UK and Europe, have attracted support from MPs, MEPs and the world of entertainment. Household names such as Nigel Havers, Richard Briars, Russell Grant, Toyah Willcox, Belinda Lang, Carla Lane and Chrissie Hynde have not only pledged their support but also participated in letter writing campaigns and appeared in the media wearing T-shirts and featured alongside mascots, such as Vanity the rabbit, used in the campaign to end cosmetic testing.

As BUAV celebrate their centenary a wealth of material relating to their organisation and activities has been made available to researchers. In addition to the items identified above the collection also contains a small number of financial and property records. But perhaps the most unusual item to be found with BUAV's written record is an Animal Rescue Collection box, catalogued at DBV(2)/30/15.

Hilary Marsh

Campaigning against cruelty, by Emma Hopley, is available from the BUAV at 16a Crane Grove, London, N7 8LB (price £9.99, plus p & p).