Sir William Wilkinson 1932&Ndash;1996

Sir William Wilkinson

1932-1996

1996. WaderStudy GroupBulletin 81: 25-29.

Sir William Wilkinson was a conservationist of enormous note. Sucha tendencyto submissiveposture is a influence.His death earlierthis year has deprivedboth recipefor retaininga low-peck-orderposition in the British conservation,and ornithology,of a highly league of land and resource use interests. If nature respectedfigure. conservationis to gainthe acceptanceit deservesas a relevant concernfor the wholeof society, its Duringhis tenure as Chairmanof Britain'sstatutory practitionersall haveto behaveas if it reallymatters. nature conservationagency - the Nature Conservancy Conservationistsmust argue their interests and their Council(NCC) - hewas involved with several high profile cases with a firmness and conviction which stems issuesrelating to waderconservation. Perhaps the most from a visiblebelief in and commitmentto the things notableof these wasthe fightto preservethe globally they talk about. This is not to advocate imporbantpeatlands of Caithnessand Sutherlandin aggressivenessand exaggeration, but the playingof a norbhernScotland - the world'slargest continuous hard yet clean game for our side. extent of blanket bogand habitat for breedingDunlin, Greenshankand Golden Plover (amongst other peatland Thereare managementand trainingaspects to be birds:WSG Bulletin 49, Supplement:95-101). considered here, but these will count for little if the rightmessages do not comefrom the top. Andfor all Other wader conservation issues with which he was of thosewho affirm the imporbanceof nature directly involvedincluded resolving conflicts on the conservation,the challengewill be to turn opporbunity Somerset Levels- extensivelowland wet grasslands in and intention into achievement. south-western Englandthat had beenthreatened by agricultural intensificationand drainage in the mid Posterity willjudge all of us by deedsand not words." 1980s,as wellas opposing(although ultimately unsuccessfully)plans for the wholesaledestruction of Hisinspirational leadership of NCC,and his championing the estuarine Cardiff Bay in south Walesthrough the of parbnershipswith voluntary societies, created constructionof a barrageand lagoon. organisationalclimates within which just such commitment could flourish. Oneof hisfirst tasks whenappointed to leadNCC was to overseethe productionof the organisation'sfirst In tribute to Sir William,and for those many whowere Strategic Plan: Nature Conservationin Great Britain unableto attend,we reprint here the addressgiven at (1984). Thisconcluded with the words: hisMemorial Service at EtonCollege Chapel on 24 June by Marbin Mays-Smith. "Natureconservation has inthe past sometimes conductedits businesson too apologeticand timid a David Stroud & Mike Pienkowski

We are here today to say thank you where Denisbecame one of the great AfterSt. George'sChapel Choir for William Wilkinson - or Willie as he exponentsof that arcane game and School, William went to Mr. was knownto so many of you. It is, I where William, too, was to have his Peterson's house and then into think, entirelyright that this service moments of success. Whenever I College. He was popular,both as a shouldtake place at Etonand we are return to Eton to see old friends I am new boy in his OppidanHouse and in gratefulto the Provostand the Vice always impressedby the idealismand College and his retentive mind stored Provostfor arrangingfor us to use the feelingof highpurpose that awaythe productsof someinspired CollegeChapel today. inspiresthose who work here and teaching,particularly in his yearswith Williamwas luckyenough to be part RichardMartineau in the top classical William came to Eton when he was of this innerworld for over 25 years. division. William had by any three after his father Denis was Thissense of highpurpose, and the standards a most successful Eton appointedan AssistantMaster here. exampleof bothhis parents,were a career endingas Presidentof Pop, an The family livedfor many years in The profoundinfluence on himthroughout unusual honour for a Scholar, and Wall House lookingover 'the Wall' his life. alsowinning a majorscholarship to

25 TrinityCollege, Cambridge. as was the census work that he Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. subsequentlycarried out in Turkeyfor In the schoolholidays the family went the IWRB when he identified a He developeda strongaffection for to Pill House, a cottageon the marsh formerlyunknown sub-species of hisTurkish staff and his relationship in the Gower Peninsula in South White fronted Goose. with the Turkish authorities and his Wales. It was, and, is a place of workers were excellent. outstandingnatural beauty. But to returnto Cambridge. He was a Encouragedby his father, William natural actor and threw himself, heart As well as countinggeese, he helped came to know and love the birds and and soul, into acting in the Trinity to found and was the first Chairman of flowers and hills and bays of that Pantomime'Puss in Red Riding the OrnithologicalSociety of the beautiful corner of Wales. Life was Boots'and in the Trinity Review. He Middle East. This was the first such spartanthough. For all of William's was proneto sing excerptsfrom these regionalorganisation and was childhoodtheir cottage had no performancesall of his life such as subsequentlya modelfor other electricity,was lit by oil lamps and the AA roadman'ssong and one of regionalsocieties in Africa and Asia warmed by open fires. The son of whichvirtually the only printableline and in other parts of the world. At its another Eton housemaster recalls was Tm a cavalry twill young man'. inauguralconference, he read a paper William'sfather feeding the boys at The obituariesquite rightlyreferred to whichhe had preparedwith Richard 5 a.m. (before they went wildfowling) William's fine, baritone voice. To Porter of the RSPB on 'Wetland on milk and rum both of which he those of us who heard it in the very conservationin Turkey' and he was says he has detested ever since. early morningsinging well-known oftento say that his interestin Many years later in a letter William Schubertsongs, not always to the conservation dates from the work that lookedback on starlitnights spent correct words, this did not seem an he did on this paper. sleepingon the Worm'sHead, in unmixedblessing but like so many of summer,by himself,and hearingthe the thingsthat William did, he took his He also did usefulwork helping night sounds of the birds all around singingseriously, took lessonsand ProfessorBean in his definitivestudy him, and recalled how much he was achieved a high standardof of archaeologicalsites in Turkey and movedto marvel. From those years competence. Later he was to be very indeedat one stage he thought in Wales he learned much and proudthat all of his childrenin their seriouslyof becomingan received much - it was a debt that he differentways were makers of music. archaeologist. was to repay manytimes in his life ahead. During his time at Cambridge he also But, unfortunately,his time in Turkey laid the foundationsof a lifelong was broughtabruptly to a close Then he went to Cambridge. At Eton interestin opera and fell seriouslybut becauseBorax policy towards their he had always perforcebeen unrequitedlyin love. Turkishsubsidiary developed in a way circumscribedby the fact that his whichWilliam could not accept. He father was a housemaster. But no But the giftwhich William developed was so stronglyopposed to what the suchinhibitions were now presentand most successfullyin his years at parent companywas doingthat he felt he launchedhimself into Cambridge Cambridgewas the gift of friendship. boundto resign. And so he found life with an exuberance that those of Good, serious,joyful friendships, himselfwith six weeks holidaybut no us who were luckyenough to be there which were to last for the rest of his job. with him remember with enormous life, as many of us here today can pleasuretinged with a sense of awe. testify. However,on his return he was lucky At the end of the fifth week of his first enoughto find a job fairly quicklyat term he gave a sumptuousdinner in One of the more soughtafter jobs Bran(its,a rapidlyexpanding Trinityto a groupof friendsand after available to graduates at that time merchant bank. But after a time he the port he announcedthat he had was a managementtraineeship with felt drawn back to the world of mining now spenthis entireyear's allowance Borax Consolidated and it was there and relyingon what provedto be from his father. that William went. Very soon he rather bad advice, he answered an startedto be responsiblefor aspects advertisement to be the new finance Williamdeveloped a reputationas a of the operationin Turkeywhere there director of Lonrho. As was to be the leading authorityon climbingout of was one of the world'slargest Boron case on other occasions in William's College. Many mornings,particularly depositsand in 1961 he went out to life, his first task was to sort out the in his first year, he was to be found at Istanbul as the head of Borax's organisation'sshaky finances and dawn with a small group of friends on operationthere. avert a cash crisis, and he soon found the Wash countingand shooting that he had taken on a fairly hair- wildfowl. With Julian Taylor he This was a periodof great and varied raisingappointment. It is hard to conductedone of the earliest major achievement. First and most imagineany two people more totally countsof geese in the United important,he had the outstanding differentthan William and Tiny Kingdom,working very closelywith good sense and good luckto marry Rowland. When the Board split George Atkinson-Willesof Slimbridge. Kate and togetherthey entertaineda William sided with the so-called The highlysuccessful expedition that steady stream of friendsin Istanbulin 'straighteight' directors,battle was he made to Spitzbergenin the their spectacularlysited flat which joinedand after a well-publicisedfight, summer vacation was a further overlooked the confluence of the Williamemerged defeated but with importantdevelopment of this activity,

26 great credit. So much so that were designatedas of of his blindnessaccepted a wider Kleinwort Benson who had acted for SpecialScientific Interest responsibility.As Max Nicholsonsays the eightdirectors, immediately which has meant that in in the Foreword "But for Wilkinson it is offeredhim a directorshipin their almost all cases these SSSIs highlyquestionable whether the corporatefinance department. have been preservedfor difficulties could have been posterity- exceptof course surmounted".It was a source of great This begana periodof 12 yearsof when a politicallysensitive prideto Williamthat he was, as he great happinessand fulfilmentfor bypasshas to be built. put it, in a smallway associatedwith William. He found himselfvery much this majorwork of scholarship. at homein the City of that period. He InitiallyWilliam's contribution was was popularwith KleinwortBenson's usuallyfinancial. In the RSPB he Again, after his blindness,he clients and was welcomed on to the introducedgreater orderand control performeda very similarfunction as board of several of them. I know from to the finances and created the Chairmanof Plantlife,the rapidly experiencethat he was a valued frameworkwithin which the Society's expandingplant equivalent of the member of these boards. He became rapidgrowth could be managedand RSPB, and it was thanks to him that chairman of one of them, Thermal encouraged. its affairswere put on a soundfooting Syndicate,a job he really enjoyed But very soon his contributionbegan because it was a small enough Similarly,when he arrivedat the NCC to spread far furtherthan simplythe companyfor himto knowthe people his first major contributionwas to financial and business areas. As and be known by them. presentto Governmentan analysisof someone who worked closelywith the Council'sfinances, demonstrating Williamput it, his knowledgematched But at the same time that he was that it had insufficient resources for that of the professionalsover whom workingat Kleinwortshe was the work that it had been given to do. he presidedin manyfields, but his developinga secondand even more This persuadedGovernment to understandingof how to get things importantcareer. In 1970 on his providethe extra moneywhich was done far outstrippedtheirs which is returnfrom Turkey, he was invitedon needed. why they admired him so much. He to the Councilof the Royal Societyfor also had the outstandingquality of the Protectionof Birds(RSPB) and In 1987 he became involved with the total integritywhich meant that even the followingyear he became mostimportant work of Britishbird those who disagreedwith him never Treasurer. Throughoutthe 1970s and scholarshipof his era The Birdsof the doubtedthat his opinionswere based the 1980s he became an increasingly WesternPalearctic, a comprehensive on honestand dispassionatethought. centralfigure in the conservation and definitivenine volumestudy of world, first in the RSPB and then the birds found in the area bounded He had an enormousrange of friends subsequentlyas the Chairmanof the by the Canaries, the Arctic,the Urals and he often said that his most Nature ConservancyCouncil (NCC). and the Sahara Desert. Again, importantcontribution to the RSPB William's main task was to restore the was in the choice of his successor His twentyyear career at the financesof the project. Butwhen after his first spell as Treasurerin RSPB and the NCC StanleyCramp died, Williamin spite coincidedwith probablythe greatest advance in conservationin history. At the RSPB between 1972 and 1983, histwo periodsas Treasurer,the membership multipliedfive times from 67 000 to 350 000 (it is now nearly a million),the income multipliedby twelve times, and the Societywas able to increase the number of propertiesmanaged as reserves from 30 to 100.

The 1981 Wildlife and CountrysideAct gave the NCC greatpowers and responsibilities,and in the seven years underWilliam's leadershipit was able to make enormousprogress in preservingour wildlife heritage. Duringhis time there no less than 4 000 sites

Sir Williamon a visitto the hightops of the Cairngormsin searchof DotterelCharadrius morinellus. Photoby Des Thompson.

27 1976. He also played a key role in But they were soonto discoverthat There was, I believe,some anxietyat persuadinglan Presttin 1975 to leave there was a great deal more to his choiceof a pair of binocularsas academic life and take over as Chief William. In the RSPB he had always the leavingpresent from the NCC for Executive of the RSPB which was a done his best to get to know all levels a man who was virtuallyblind but I milestonein the developmentof the of staff and to go on field visitswith can assurethose of you who are here professionalismof that organisation. them and with members of Council; todaythat Williambrought these and, as youwould expect with binocularson the last holidaywe had BecauseWilliam was so widely William,they were usuallyvery festive togetherin Turkey and he was not respectedand had sucha panoplyof occasions. simplydeeply attached to them but friends,he was a powerfulinfluence in had the skillto put them to good use. achievingco-operation and, where In the same way at the NCC, he made necessary, reconciliationbetween the it hisbusiness to visitevery outpost Williamwas a distinguishedman and, various conservation bodies and the and very soon throughoutthe in the words of Robert Louis peoplewith whomthey had to deal. organisationthe realisationgrew as to Stevenson,he certainlygained the what manner of man their Chairman respectof intelligentmen. But many When he came to the NCC its was. of his oldest and closest friends were relationshipswith otherbodies could neitheras intelligentnor as scarcelyhave been worse and there Williamwas a peaceableman and distinguishedin the world as he was even in one case talk of litigation. preferredquiet negotiationand himself was to become. However,in WilliamWaldegrave, his persuasion. Butwhen the Forestry Minister, Lord Barber the head of the Commissionsupported by the He was assiduousin keepingup with CountrysideCommission, Angus ScottishOffice planned to plant thesefriends and cameto theirhelp Stirlingat the National Trust, and lan extensiveareas of Sitka Sprucewhich loyallywhenever it was needed. For Presttat the RSPB, Williamhad truly wouldhave threatenedthe fragile example,a gamekeeperin Scotland kindredspirits and their close ecologyof the Caithnessand whomWilliam had knownfor 25 years friendshipand communityof purpose Sutherlandflows, "the last genuine was prosecutedby the policefor were an importantfactor in the wilderness area in the United poisoninga Golden Eagle and asked achievementsof his years of officeat Kingdom",he knew he had no choice Williamfor help. Williamwrote him a the NCC. butto fightand the subsequentvictory characterreference and engagingly gave enormous satisfactionto made it clear that he was writingas a All his life Williampassionately everybodyat the NCC. privateindividual and not as a Council enjoyedshooting and as a shooter Member of the RSPB or a former (whichis what I believethose who Lookingback, people speak of the Chairman of the NCC. The shoot are called in the conservation warmth- and indeedthey use the gamekeeperwas acquittedand the world)he acquiredan extracredibility word 'love'-which Williaminspired at lovelything is that I understandthat in his dealings with those outsidethe all levels in the NCC. One Council he has come the wholeway down conservation movement. He was a member told me that he had never from Scotland and is with us here member of the Council of the Game seenthe likeof it in any comparable today. Conservancyand when he joinedthe organisationin his life. NCC he invited the Chairman of the And then, of course, there was the Conservancy,on to the NCC and this The emotional attachment between cruel blow of his blindness. For obviousco-operation endorsed the Williamand the staffwas a potent someonelike Williamwith his passion growingacceptance that shootingand factor in making him fight so hard to for outdoor life and birds and shootershave a vital roleto play in avoidthe break-upof the NCC. (His butterflies and flowers to have the developmentof conservation. main argument was, of course, that sufferedsuch a seriousloss of sight as a scientificallybased organisation, was cruel enough but to have lost, at As William put it, "We must ensure the NCC needed the critical mass, the same time, all sense of direction that the concern of the few becomes and the clout, which a Scottish or a made the handicapof blindness the commitmentof the many." and Welsh or an Englishorganisation on doublydifficult to cope with. this drawingtogether of organisations its own could not command). and peoplewas one of William's KahlilGibran's The Prophetcontains greatest contributionsto conservation. This affectionwas only heightened a well-knownpassage on marriage when Williamwas struckdown by his which talks about the desirabilityof He was also a true leader. When he blindness and as far as I know there "spacesin yourtogetherness". In a arrived at the NCC, staff morale was was never any pressurein the moment all William and Kate's at an extremelylow ebb and they organisationfor William to stand "spaces"in their marriagewere viewedwith some surprisethe down. Very muchthe opposite.The destroyedas Williamcould do very appointmentof a merchantbanker to standingovation he receivedwhen he littlewithout assistance. And yet, in head this vital conservationbody. Of presentedthe Council'sFinal Report the last eight years, in spite of the courseit helpedwhen he obtainedthe in 1990 was a demonstration of the deep sadnessthat oftenweighed substantialextra fundin•lfrom the depthof the affectionin whichhe was down on him, he retained his Government. Merchant bankers do held in the NCC - and indeed commitment to the work he believed have their uses. throughoutthe conservationworld.

28 Sir Williamon one of his frequentfield tripsto visitNCC staff. Photo by Martin Tither. still had to be done and his lively recollectionsand his learning. And he He weighedthings carefully and fairly, concern for the interests and the was generousfinancially too, all his and then he made up his mindand problemsof the peoplehe worked life in the almost recklessway he did somethingabout it -fearlessly, with, battles were fought, much was gave to the causes he believed in and obstinatelyand, on a number of achieved and we, his friends, in entertaininghis friends. importantoccasions, to the serious continuedto delightin his company. detrimentof his own personalinterest. The word"gentleman'" appears again For this we have to thank, firstly,his and again in Kate's letters;his good But this inner seriousness was not own character and his courage. But manners,his respectand just intellectual. It was also what, for even more, we have to thank Kate. I considerationfor otherpeople and want of a better word, I would call know I will be speakingfor everybody their problemsand pointsof view and religious. It was not just that he was a here when I say how muchwe have interests. "The best mannered old committedChristian, quietly but admiredthe way she kept Williamin Etonian I've ever met" said the 23- nonethelessseriously for that. He good heart most of the time, for the year old son of one of his greatest believedin certainthings with a deep patienceand the gentlenessand the friendsafter havingspent two hours intensity;the truth, standards of cheerfulnessand the love she gave with him waitingfor his father to behaviour,his family and friends and, himwhich made so muchpossible in return. of course, conservation of birds and these last eight years which could so plantsand wild places. easily have been lost. He also had a deliciouslydirty mind and a smile that lit up his whole face. He was an idealistand he had the gift Finally,I will try to draw togetherfor Whenever William was there, it was a of gently transmittingthis idealism to you some of the manythings for time for chucklingand laughter and othersand in the wordsof the prayer which we valued and loved William so enjoyment. Even in his times of great 'taking our hearts and settingthem on well. sorrow,this gift persistedand for it we fire." While in a tactical sense his all give thanks today. tenure at the NCC may have ended in First and foremost, it was his defeat, in the wider perspective,the enormoussense of fun. He was a joy But as well as this there was a deep whole cause in which he believed so to be with; the entertainer in him seriousness to him. His endless stronglyhas been immeasurably made him naturallythe centre of any pacingsto and fro which gave his advanced by his life and example. groupand the sourceof inspirationfor friends 'Wimbledon neck' and so it. One remembers the endless store surprisedhis future mother-in-law And so we give thanks for William of appositequotations, enunciated when he came, very properly,to ask today;for all he has meant to each withparticular relish as any well- for Kate's hand, were a manifestation one of us and for all he has achieved trained singer shouldand somehow of the intensityof the feelings to make this world a better place. the ones one remembers best have to contained inside him. do with Opera and the pleasuresof Martin Mays-Smith alcohol. He had a generosityof mind This was partlyan intellectual in sharinghis enjoymentsand his intensity. He had a very good mind.