Abstract
This article examines aspects of the life and ideas of Jack Bucknall, an important member of Conrad Noel's Catholic Crusade, one of the most renowned Christian Socialist bodies of the twentieth century. This examination is set in the context of George Orwell's arguments in The Road to Wigan Pier about the prevalence of ‘cranks’ in the socialist movement. It is suggested that Orwell used this word to designate activists in Life Reform movements, a term borrowed from German social history. Bucknall was, in his adherence to anthroposophy and cosmovitalism, undoubtedly a Life Reform activist and the sort of person Orwell had in mind. A consideration of Bucknall's involvement with these movements and their ideas, leads to a suggestion that Orwell's judgements may have been ill-considered.
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