National Fascisti
National Fascisti | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Lt. Col. Henry Rippon-Seymour |
| Founded | 1924 |
| Dissolved | 1928 |
| Split from | British Fascists |
| Ideology | British fascism British nationalism National conservatism Social conservatism Anti-capitalism Anti-communism Antisemitism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Colors | RedWhiteBlue |
The National Fascisti(NF), renamedBritish National Fascists(BNF) in July 1926, were a splinter group from theBritish Fascistiformed in 1924. In the early days of the British Fascisti the movement lacked any real policy or direction and so this group split away with the intention of pursuing a more definite path towards afasciststate.[1]The group had 60 members at its creation, and around 500 at its height.[2]
Formation[edit]
The National Fascisti's leader was Lieutenant Colonel Henry Rippon-Seymour. Members of the National Fascisti were dressed inblack shirtsin imitation ofBenito Mussoliniand his followers and received some military drilling, although membership was much too small for them to pose any real threat. Despite their frustrations at the lack of policy from the British Fascisti their own ideas were fairly banal, with vague calls for a government of experts being about as far as they went.[3]Stronglyanti-communist,they argued that their aim was to "smash theredsandpinks".[4]Antisemitism,which at that point was absent from British Fascisti policy, also played a role in the new group.[5]They also called for "racial purity" and the consolidation of theBritish Empire.[6]
Development[edit]
The group liked to pull stunts to get attention and in 1925 they hijacked a lorry carrying copies of the left-wing newspaper theDaily Heraldwhich they proceeded to crash.[7]The action briefly got them in the headlines as did a meeting atHyde Park, Londonwhere 1000 people attended and finished the day in a pitch battle withCommunist Party of Great Britainsupporters.[8]The group also ranbo xingandfencingclubs to train members although ultimately their stridentmilitarism,which included marching with drawn swords, drew them more derision than support.[9]
Like theBritish Fascists(BF) they contacted the Home Secretary in the run-up to the1926 General Striketo offer their services to theOrganisation for the Maintenance of Supplies.Rippon-Seymour refused to follow the lead of BF chairmanR. B. D. Blakeneyin breaking from fascism and so his offer was turned down flat by the government.[10]As individuals National Fascisti members were however allowed to enter theSpecial Constabularyduring the strike, which many did.[11]
Disappearance[edit]
Cracks began to show in the group, notably around December 1926 when Rippon-Seymour pulled a sword and an unlicensed gun onCroydonbranch leader Charles Eyres after Eyres has accused the leader of defrauding the party out of funds and of dictatorial leadership.[8]Eyres had brought a gang of cudgel-wielding supporters fromKensingtonto confront Rippon-Seymour whilst the leader's use of the Colt revolver, which actually belonged to "Victor Barker", saw him convicted of both possession of an illegal firearm and common assault at theOld Bailey.[12]
In 1927 a leading member wasValerie Arkell-Smith,a transvestite who spent many years masquerading as 'Sir Victor Barker', 'Colonel lvor Barker' and 'Captain Barker. The National Fascisti members did not know she was actually a woman and treated her as a man; Arkell-Smith became secretary to Rippon-Seymour as well as training members in the bo xing and fencing clubs.[13]
A series of internal struggles saw them change their name to the British National Fascists on 19 July 1926, under the leadership of Rippon-Seymour.[1][2]Meanwhile, leading members such as Colonel Ralph Bingham drifted from the group to become active instead in theOrganisation for the Maintenance of Supplies.[14]Such a small group could not withstand internal wrangling and the movement faded from the scene fairly quickly after this.
Significance[edit]
Despite their general failure the National Fascisti remain significant for being the first group in British politics to attempt to develop fascism as a specifically Britishideology.[15]They also helped to launch the political careers ofWilliam JoyceandArnold Leese,who had helped to instigate the split from the British Fascisti and who would go on to greater significance: Joyce became a notorious Nazi collaborator under the codename of "Lord Haw-Haw",while Leese would go on to establish his ownImperial Fascist League.[9]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abBenewick 1969,p. 36.
- ^abMacklin 2020.
- ^Benewick 1969,p. 37.
- ^Pugh 2006,p. 53.
- ^Griffiths 1983,p. 88.
- ^J.A. Cole,Lord Haw-Haw: The Full Story of William Joyce,Faber & Faber, 1987, p. 31
- ^Benewick 1969,p. 38.
- ^abThurlow 1987,p. 54.
- ^abDorril 2007,p. 199.
- ^Pugh 2006,p. 66.
- ^Pugh 2006,p. 99.
- ^Pugh 2006,p. 69.
- ^Pugh 2006,p. 54.
- ^Dorril 2007,p. 184.
- ^Benewick 1969,p. 31.
Bibliography[edit]
- Benewick, Robert (1969).Political Violence & Public Order: A Study of British Fascism.Allen Lane.ISBN978-0713900859.
- Dorril, Stephen (2007).Blackshirt: Sir Oswald Mosley and British Fascism.Penguin Books.ISBN978-0-14-025821-9.
- Griffiths, Richard(1983).Fellow Travellers of the Right: British Enthusiasts for Nazi Germany, 1933-9.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-285116-1.
- Macklin, Graham (2020).Failed Führers: A History of Britain's Extreme Right.Routledge.ISBN978-1-317-44880-8.
- Pugh, Martin(2006).Hurrah For The Blackshirts!: Fascists and Fascism in Britain Between the Wars.Random House.ISBN978-1-4481-6287-1.
- Thurlow, Richard C.(1987).Fascism in Britain: A History, 1918–1985.Blackwell.ISBN978-0-631-13618-7.
