Blue plaque in Mexborough honours Vegan Society co-founder Donald Wood

Mexborough and District Heritage Society honoured Donald Watson, who co-founded The Vegan Society in November 1944 and was the first person to use the word ‘vegan’ in print.

The plaque was unveiled by his nephew Dr Tim Cook at Pastures Primary School in Doncaster Road, Mexborough, which was Donald’s primary school. When Donald was a pupil it was called Doncaster Road School.

Afterwards he attended Mexborough Secondary School, now Mexborough Business Centre in College Road, where a reception was held after the ceremony.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by Deputy Civic Mayor Coun Paul Wray and chair of The Vegan Society board of trustees Menna Jones, as well Donald’s son-in-law, nieces and a nephew.

Donald, who led a healthy lifestyle that included hill walking in his 90s, said shortly before he died at the age of 95 in 2005: “It is not every day a movement is born which in its general application could revolutionise mankind.”

He also said: “I seem to be taking on the world virtually single-handed, with no recognised qualifications other than a conviction that, with all the conceit I can muster, I am right, and they're all wrong!

“It's a dangerous state of mind, but one which, sooner or later, one can't dispel, and one has to go that way.”

He became a vegetarian at 14 after being horrified at the slaughter of a pig on his uncle’s farm and then rejected milk-related products as he decided their production was unethical.

He later lived in Leicester and Cumbria and became a woodwork teacher.

Vegan Society spokeswoman Samantha Calvert said: ““Veganism has never been more popular than it is today and all vegans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Donald Watson and the pioneering early members.”