Donald Rooum (20 April 1928 – 31 August 2019) was an English

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

and writer. He had a long association with

Freedom Press Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house and bookseller in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1886, it is the largest anarchist publishing house in the country and the oldest of its kind in the English speaking world. It is bas ...

who have published seven volumes of his ''

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

'' cartoons. In 1963 he played a key role in exposing Harold Challenor, a corrupt police officer who tried to frame him.

Biography

Donald Rooum was born in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

. He registered as a

conscientious objector A conscientious objector (often shortened to conchie) is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, or religion. The term has also been extended to object ...

but was pressured by his family into doing two years

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...

, starting January 1947. A resettlement grant following his discharge allowed him to study commercial design at Bradford Regional Art School from 1949 to 1953. Sansom, Philip "Introduction" in ''Wildcat Anarchist Comics'' by Donald Rooum, London, Freedom Press, pp.2–12. Rooum's 1952 portrait by Frank Lisle, one of his lecturers of the time, is in Wakefield Gallery. From 1954 to 1966 Rooum worked as a layout artist and

typographer Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), an ...

in London advertising agencies, then as a lecturer in typographic design at the

London College of Printing The London College of Communication is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It specialises in media-related subjects including advertising, animation, film, graphic design, photography and sound arts. It has approximately ...

until 1983. He studied life sciences at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a British public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate students are based in the United Kingdom and principally study off- ...

from 1973 to 1979, and was awarded a first class degree in 1980. He was elected Member of the

Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societies ...

(incorporated into the

Society of Biology The Royal Society of Biology (RSB), previously called the Society of Biology, is a learned society and professional association in the United Kingdom created to advance the interests of biology in academia, industry, education, and research. Fo ...

in October 2009) and became a chartered biologist in 2004. Rooum lived with Irene Brown from 1954 to 1983 and they had four children: Josephine Anne (born 1956), Penelope Jane (born 1958 died 1960), Mathew Donald (born 1960) and Rebecca Jane (born 1962).

Activism

Rooum said that he first became interested in anarchism in 1944 when he visited

Speaker's Corner A Speakers' Corner is an area where open-air public speaking, debate, and discussion are allowed. The original and best known is in the northeast corner of Hyde Park in London, England. Historically there were a number of other areas design ...

in London while on a

Ministry of Food An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

scheme which used schoolboys to pick hops in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He subscribed to ''

War Commentary ''War Commentary'' was a British World War II era Antimilitarism, anti-militarist Anti-war movement, anti-war Anarchism, anarchist newspaper published fortnightly in London by Freedom Press from 1939 to 1945. The paper was launched as a successor ...

'', thus beginning a connection with

which continued for over sixty years. During that time he was a writer for and an editor of ''

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

'', the name to which ''War Commentary'' reverted after the end of the Second World War.Rooum, Donald
Freedom, Freedom Press and Freedom Bookshop
" in ''Information for Social Change'' Number 27, Summer 2008, pp.29–36 ISSN 1364-694X In 1949, Rooum began to raise his profile in activist circles, participating in the annual anarchist summer school. The working title of Frank Lisle's 1952 portrait was ''The Anarchist''.
".

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

Council. Accessed August 2013. Rooum became an outdoor speaker Market Street, Bradford, then at Speaker's Corner. He was a founding member of the

Malatesta Malatesta may refer to: People Given name * Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero *Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...

Club, an anarchist social club and venue that opened in London on

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

1954. Rooum and Irene Brown worked as volunteers there. In the long-running feud between

Vernon Richards Vernon Richards (born Vero Benvenuto Costantino Recchioni, 19 July 1915 – 10 December 2001) was an Anglo-Italian anarchist, editor, author, engineer, photographer, and companion of Marie-Louise Berneri. Richards' founding of the paper '' Spa ...

and ''Freedom'' on the one hand, and

Albert Meltzer Albert Isidore Meltzer (7 January 1920 – 7 May 1996) was an English anarcho-communist activist and writer. Early life Meltzer was born in Hackney, London, of Jewish ancestry, and educated at The Latymer School, Edmonton. He was attracted to ...

and '' Black Flag'' on the other, Rooum sided with Richards.

Thought

As to his theoretical position as an anarchist, Rooum stated: "The most influential source is

Max Stirner Johann Kaspar Schmidt (25 October 1806 – 26 June 1856), known professionally as Max Stirner, was a German post-Hegelian philosopher, dealing mainly with the Hegelian notion of social alienation and self-consciousness. Stirner is often seen a ...

. I am happy to be called a Stirnerite anarchist, provided 'Stirnerite' means one who agrees with Stirner's general drift, not one who agrees with Stirner's every word." ''

An Anarchist FAQ An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

'' reports that "From meeting anarchists in Glasgow during the Second World War, long-time anarchist activist and artist Donald Rooum likewise combined Stirner and anarcho-communism.".

Role in the Challenor affair

In 1963 Rooum exposed

police corruption Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abuse their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal police ...

during demonstrations against the London visit by King

Paul of Greece Paul ( el, Παύλος, ''Pávlos''; 14 December 1901 – 6 March 1964) was King of Greece from 1 April 1947 until his death in 1964. He was succeeded by his son, Constantine II. Paul was first cousin to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and ...

and Queen Frederika. There had been attempts to outlaw the demonstrations and draconian prison sentences were passed on demonstrators. The government was criticized in the press for the severity of the sentences and eventually there were embarrassing climb-downs. Some of the sentences were overturned on appeal and the Home Secretary, Henry Brooke, had to offer financial compensation. Rooum proved that an offensive weapon had been planted on him.Driver, Christopher, The Disarmers: A Study in Protest, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1964 On 11 July, he had joined a demonstration against the royal party at

Claridge's Claridge's is a 5-star hotel at the corner of Brook Street and Davies Street in Mayfair, London. It has long-standing connections with royalty that have led to it sometimes being referred to as an "annexe to Buckingham Palace". Claridge's Hote ...

hotel. He held up a banner reading, " Lambrakis RIP", referring to a Greek MP and peace activist who had been murdered. According to Rooum's account, the banner was confiscated by a police officer and read by four plain clothes men. Rooum asked, "Can I have my banner back?" He was approached by one of the officers: "This big one with the short-back-and-sides stepped forward. 'Can you have your ''what'' back?' "'My banner." "He smiled at me. 'You're fucking nicked, my old beauty,' he said, and gave me a terrific clout on the ear."Rooum, Donald, "I've dislodged a bit of brick", ''

Anarchy Anarchy is a society without a government. It may also refer to a society or group of people that entirely rejects a set hierarchy. ''Anarchy'' was first used in English in 1539, meaning "an absence of government". Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted ...

'', No.36, Vol.4. No.2, February 1964 At the police station, the officer, Detective Sergeant Harold Challenor, "took from his pocket a screwed-up newspaper, which he opened with a flourish. Inside was a piece of brick. His smile widened. 'There you are, my old beauty. Carrying an offensive weapon. You can get two years for that.'" Rooum was a member of the National Council of Civil Liberties and he had, by good fortune, read some material on

forensic science Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal ...

and so gave his clothes to his defence solicitor

Stanley Clinton Davis Stanley Clinton-Davis, Baron Clinton-Davis, PC (born Stanley Clinton Davis; 6 December 1928) is a British politician and former solicitor. A member of the Labour Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hackney Central from 1970 to 19 ...

for analysis. No brick dust was found in his pocket and Rooum convinced the magistrate that therefore no brick could have been there at the time of the alleged offence.James Morton (1993) ''Bent Coppers'' pp.118–9 There followed a public inquiry that criticised the police and led to the imprisonment of three officers. Rooum received £500 compensation (£9,655 at 2017 value) and other convictions were overturned. Challenor was deemed mentally unfit to plead and was committed to Netherne mental hospital. A subsequent enquiry found that he had probably begun developing

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. ...

for some months before the incident, but the lack of any successful prosecution against him was seen by some as evidence of further establishment corruption.Parliamentary question to

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

re Challenor by Arthur Lewis

/ref>

Cartoonist

In 1952,

Philip Sansom Philip Richard Sansom (19 September 1916 – 24 October 1999) was a British anarchist writer and activist. Sansom began working life as a commercial artist. During the Second World War he was a conscientious objector, and worked in farming for ...

invited Rooum to draw a regular

cartoon strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

for ''The Syndicalist'' and he contributed ''Scissor Bill''. The name derived from an

IWW The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...

name for a bosses' yes-man. From 1960, his cartoons started appearing in such outlets as ''

She She most commonly refers to: *She (pronoun), the third person singular, feminine, nominative case pronoun in modern English. She or S.H.E. may also refer to: Literature and films *'' She: A History of Adventure'', an 1887 novel by H. Rider Hagga ...

'', ''

The Daily Mirror ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', ''

Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satire, satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely r ...

'' and ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

''. Rooum has had a long relationship, with interruptions, with ''

Peace News ''Peace News'' (''PN'') is a pacifist magazine first published on 6 June 1936 to serve the peace movement in the United Kingdom. From later in 1936 to April 1961 it was the official paper of the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), and from 1990 to 2004 w ...

'', his first work appearing for them in 1962. Originals of his cartoons for ''Peace News'' up to 1971, together with some for ''The Spectator'', are stored at the

British Cartoon Archive The British Cartoon Archive (BCA) is a department of the University of Kent, at Canterbury in Kent, England, and holds the national collection of political and social-comment cartoons from British newspapers and magazines. Created in 1973, the ...

. In 1974, Sansom invited Rooum to provide a cartoon for a monthly magazine he was working on, ''

''. Rooum created a character of the same name. ''

'' ceased publication in 1975 but in 1980, when Sansom was again working on ''Freedom'', he persuaded Rooum and the editorial collective to revive the Wildcat comic strip, which featured in every edition until ''Freedom'' ceased printing in 2014. In 2016, PM Press of California published ''Wildcat Anarchist Comics'', a collection of Donald Rooum's cartoons coloured by Jayne Clementson, with some autobiographical material, and ''What is Anarchism 2nd edition'', an expanded version of the Freedom Press ''What is Anarchism'' 1992. Rooum has drawn the ''Sprite'' strip for '' The Skeptic'' magazine since 1987. He has illustrated several books, including ''Don't you believe it!'' by John Radford. An exhibition of Rooum's work was held at

Conway Hall The Conway Hall Ethical Society, formerly the South Place Ethical Society, based in London at Conway Hall, is thought to be the oldest surviving freethought organisation in the world and is the only remaining ethical society in the United King ...

in 2008. ''Wildcat'', a short film by Adam Louis-Jacob (2018) has an animated, coloured Wildcat walking past some of Rooum's black and white strip cartoons for ''Freedom'', drawing attention to the speech balloons.

Bibliography

As author and cartoonist

*''Wildcat Anarchist Comics'', 1985, London, Freedom Press, *"Gandalf's Garden" in: ''Outrageous Tales from the Old Testament'' ed: Tony Bennett, 1987, London,

Knockabout Comics Knockabout Comics is a UK publisher and distributor of underground and alternative books and comics. They have a long-standing relationship with underground comix pioneer Gilbert Shelton. History The company was founded in 1975 by Tony and Caro ...

, *''Wildcat Strikes Again'', 1989, London, Freedom Press, *''Wildcat: ABC of Bosses'',1991, London, Freedom Press, *''Health Service Wildcat'', 1994, London, Freedom Press, *''Twenty Year Millennium Wildcat: Anarchist Comics'' 1999, London, Freedom Press, *''Wildcat: Anarchists Against Bombs'', 2003, London, Freedom Press, *''Wildcat Keeps Going'', 2011, London, Freedom Press, *''Wildcat Anarchist Comics'', 2016, Oakland CA, PM Press, *''What is Anarchism? 2nd edition'', 2016, Oakland CA, PM Press,

As writer

*"Sir

Cyril Burt Sir Cyril Lodowic Burt, FBA (3 March 1883 – 10 October 1971) was an English educational psychologist and geneticist who also made contributions to statistics. He is known for his studies on the heritability of IQ. Shortly after he died, his s ...

and

typography Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, point sizes, line lengths, line-spacing ( leading), and ...

: a re-evaluation" James Hartley and Donald Rooum 1983 ''

British Journal of Psychology The ''British Journal of Psychology'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed psychology journal. It was established in 1904 and is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the British Psychological Society. The editor-in-chief is Stefan R. Schweinberger ( ...

'' 74, 203–212 *"

Karl von Frisch Karl Ritter von Frisch, (20 November 1886 – 12 June 1982) was a German-Austrian ethologist who received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, along with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Konrad Lorenz. His work centered on investigations of ...

and the 'Spot Codes' for marking insects". 1989, ''Bee World'' 70:120–126 *''What Is Anarchism?: An Introduction'', edited by

, London, Freedom Press, *Introduction to '' Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution'' (4th Edition) by

Peter Kropotkin Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (; russian: link=no, Пётр Алексе́евич Кропо́ткин ; 9 December 1842 – 8 February 1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activis ...

London, Freedom Press, 2009

As illustrator

*''Classics of Humour'' (Dickens, Charles; O'Brien, Flann; Saki; Thurber, James; Twain, Mark; Waugh, Evelyn; Wilde, Oscar, Wodehouse, P G, et al., authors); O'Mara, Michael (ed), Donald Rooum (Illustrator) 1976 Book Club Associates ASIN B0010S72HK, 1976 Constable and Company *''English Lessons One'' Michael Hapgood (author), Donald Rooum (illustrator); 1981 Heinemann Educational Books *''The innocent Anthropologist'' by Nigel Barley (author), Donald Rooum (illustrator); 1983 British Museum Publications !SBN 0714180548 *''Don't You Believe It!: Some Things Everyone Knows That Actually Ain't So'' by John Radford (Author), Donald Rooum (Illustrator), London 2007, Stepney Green Press, *''Citizenship Cartoons'' (2003) by Alastair Gunn (Author), Donald Rooum (Author) Classroom Resources

As editor

*''"Freedom": A Hundred Years'', October 1886 – October 1986 London, Freedom Press, 1986 *''March to Death: Drawings By John Olday'', London, Freedom Press, 1995 *''What is Anarchism? 2nd edition'' 2016, Oakland CA, PM Press,

Notes

References

* ''The Challenor Case'' by Mary Grigg; Harmondsworth 1965 Penguin Books * ''The Jester and the Court'' by Edward Robey; London 1976 William Kimber & Co. Ltd * ''Tanky Challenor, SAS and the Met'' by Harold Challoner with Edward Draper, London 1990, Leo Cooper

External links

Cartoons placed online by the British Cartoon Archive

''Donald Rooum, pt1: Author, Cartoonist + Anarchist''
– episode of podcast ''The Final Straw'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rooum, Donald 1928 births 2019 deaths Alumni of the Open University Artists from Bradford British comic strip cartoonists Egoist anarchists English anarchists English cartoonists Individualist anarchists People associated with Conway Hall Ethical Society