Box Fascist Movement Alan Payne February 2020
Historians write the narrative of their stories in chronological order to avoid prejudicing motives with later developments. We need to follow this same route in looking at the contentious subject of George Edward Northey's political views.
The newspaper picture above appeared in the Bath Chronicle and Herald of 20 June 1925. It was just below a photograph of a Salvation Army Garden Party and above the Co-operative Society Cricket Club Team photo. In other words, just another picture to fill the page. But the photo is a very distressing part of the history of Box and of the chairman of the Box movement, George Edward Northey.
The newspaper picture above appeared in the Bath Chronicle and Herald of 20 June 1925. It was just below a photograph of a Salvation Army Garden Party and above the Co-operative Society Cricket Club Team photo. In other words, just another picture to fill the page. But the photo is a very distressing part of the history of Box and of the chairman of the Box movement, George Edward Northey.
George Edward Northey, the Man
The Northey family were traditionally Conservative supporters and George Wilbraham founded the Conservative Club in 1880.[1] George Edward presumably followed his father’s political inclination but the photo of 1925 shows him and other Box notables in an entirely different light. We need to look further at the circumstances of the time or of the character of George Edward as a man.
There are several reports of George Edward's kindliness as a prison Governor in the early 1900s; a very modern administrator.[2] Contemporary reports refer to his sense of justice, and the firm, but kindly, ruling of the prison and the convicts under his charge. Although he could be stern enough to ill-conditioned prisoners, yet he was very discerning, and he often gave a word of encouragement to those whom he saw were doing their best.
One prisoner at Exeter Gaol, Aubrey Newton, sentenced for bigamy wrote, The Governor, after a while, took a different course with me and changed from a harsh and unreasonable official to a sympathetic and courtly gentleman. I got to like him and, further, to respect him. How can a man of sensitivity as well as duty in 1904 have come to support the Fascist cause in 1925?
Politics in 1925
At the start of 1925 Hitler was a nobody, not yet the leader of the nascent Nazi Party. He had just been released from prison where he had written Mein Kampf and was entering a period in his life which he called The Quiet Years from 1926 to 1929. Fascism was more closely associated with the nationalism which had inspired the re-unification of Italy and the Italian National Fascist Party which ruled the Kingdom of Italy after 1922 following Mussolini's March on Rome that year. In Britain Oswald Moseley (later the leader of the British Union of Fascists) was between political ideologies. He became one of the youngest Members of Parliament in 1918 as a Conservative, switched to be an Independent and briefly left parliament in 1924. When he returned in 1926, he stood as a Labour Candidate in Birmingham.
Fascism in Britain was evolving, however, partly through a corrupted historical view of Tudor Britain which aimed to create a unified culture and ancestry based on strong leadership and support of the British Empire through economic protectionism and hostility to the communist Soviet Union. It was a heady mixture of historical determinism through what we nowadays call False News. General Blakeney, President of the British Fascists, had been touring the country in the mid-1920s espousing the work of Mussolini and explaining how the Communists sought the downfall of the British Empire as the great bulwark of peace and ordered government.[3] Box was not alone in being targeted. General Blakeney had previously spoken in Cheltenham about the emissaries of Moscow permeating our trades unions ... setting forth a plan of campaign for the destruction of the British Empire ... Communism's diabolical war against religion, Christianity and morality.[4] The attitude of fascists against Jewish people was well-known and addressed by General Blakeney, who had nothing to say against Jews who had long been settled in this country but against the Jews who were swarming in from Central Europe (who) were notorious revolutionaries. Others joined in the denouncements against 272,000 aliens in November 1924 when 80,000 British soldiers from the Great War were still unemployed.
The chairman of the Bath Branch of Fascists was able to claim in March 1925 that British Fascists are getting stronger all over the country. Units are forming everywhere, ready to do their best to assist the worker and to relieve unemployment.[5] With the advent of youth culture, there was an insidious attempt by supporters of General Blakeney to infiltrate education through schoolteachers: We, as British Fascists, respect and admire the teachers of English schools … we tender them the protection of the British Fascists of all England.
The Northey family were traditionally Conservative supporters and George Wilbraham founded the Conservative Club in 1880.[1] George Edward presumably followed his father’s political inclination but the photo of 1925 shows him and other Box notables in an entirely different light. We need to look further at the circumstances of the time or of the character of George Edward as a man.
There are several reports of George Edward's kindliness as a prison Governor in the early 1900s; a very modern administrator.[2] Contemporary reports refer to his sense of justice, and the firm, but kindly, ruling of the prison and the convicts under his charge. Although he could be stern enough to ill-conditioned prisoners, yet he was very discerning, and he often gave a word of encouragement to those whom he saw were doing their best.
One prisoner at Exeter Gaol, Aubrey Newton, sentenced for bigamy wrote, The Governor, after a while, took a different course with me and changed from a harsh and unreasonable official to a sympathetic and courtly gentleman. I got to like him and, further, to respect him. How can a man of sensitivity as well as duty in 1904 have come to support the Fascist cause in 1925?
Politics in 1925
At the start of 1925 Hitler was a nobody, not yet the leader of the nascent Nazi Party. He had just been released from prison where he had written Mein Kampf and was entering a period in his life which he called The Quiet Years from 1926 to 1929. Fascism was more closely associated with the nationalism which had inspired the re-unification of Italy and the Italian National Fascist Party which ruled the Kingdom of Italy after 1922 following Mussolini's March on Rome that year. In Britain Oswald Moseley (later the leader of the British Union of Fascists) was between political ideologies. He became one of the youngest Members of Parliament in 1918 as a Conservative, switched to be an Independent and briefly left parliament in 1924. When he returned in 1926, he stood as a Labour Candidate in Birmingham.
Fascism in Britain was evolving, however, partly through a corrupted historical view of Tudor Britain which aimed to create a unified culture and ancestry based on strong leadership and support of the British Empire through economic protectionism and hostility to the communist Soviet Union. It was a heady mixture of historical determinism through what we nowadays call False News. General Blakeney, President of the British Fascists, had been touring the country in the mid-1920s espousing the work of Mussolini and explaining how the Communists sought the downfall of the British Empire as the great bulwark of peace and ordered government.[3] Box was not alone in being targeted. General Blakeney had previously spoken in Cheltenham about the emissaries of Moscow permeating our trades unions ... setting forth a plan of campaign for the destruction of the British Empire ... Communism's diabolical war against religion, Christianity and morality.[4] The attitude of fascists against Jewish people was well-known and addressed by General Blakeney, who had nothing to say against Jews who had long been settled in this country but against the Jews who were swarming in from Central Europe (who) were notorious revolutionaries. Others joined in the denouncements against 272,000 aliens in November 1924 when 80,000 British soldiers from the Great War were still unemployed.
The chairman of the Bath Branch of Fascists was able to claim in March 1925 that British Fascists are getting stronger all over the country. Units are forming everywhere, ready to do their best to assist the worker and to relieve unemployment.[5] With the advent of youth culture, there was an insidious attempt by supporters of General Blakeney to infiltrate education through schoolteachers: We, as British Fascists, respect and admire the teachers of English schools … we tender them the protection of the British Fascists of all England.
Rise of Communism in Britain
One of the main reasons for the outbreak of Fascism was the rise of Communist and Bolshevik views in Britain which reached a climax in the General Strike of May 1926. A series of disastrous decisions by the government and private employers hastened a collapse in living standards for many working class employees. The main sectors involved were the miners and iron-and-steel industries where, to combat a collapse in prices, employers reduced wages by nearly a third and increased the length of the working day.
This did not directly affect living standards in Box but locals were affected by the cost of imports after the pound had been tied to the gold standard in 1925 and higher interest rates had been imposed to support the exchange rate. These changes came on top of the depression in the stone industry in the village after the First World War.
The real issue was probably the lack of solutions to a problem which forced people to take sides. The Communist Party of Great Britain stole a march on the Fascist movement when it was formed in 1920 and worked in conjunction with the National Unemployed Workers Movement of 1921. These two organised movements were considered to pose real threats to the British Establishment after the events which created the Russian Revolution a few years earlier. Events caused people to have to decide where to put their allegiance. This dilemma becomes more obvious if we pose the question to ourselves: Would you prefer Britain to become a Communist or Fascist country? The answer for most of us is: Neither, the question doesn't offer acceptable alternatives!
One of the main reasons for the outbreak of Fascism was the rise of Communist and Bolshevik views in Britain which reached a climax in the General Strike of May 1926. A series of disastrous decisions by the government and private employers hastened a collapse in living standards for many working class employees. The main sectors involved were the miners and iron-and-steel industries where, to combat a collapse in prices, employers reduced wages by nearly a third and increased the length of the working day.
This did not directly affect living standards in Box but locals were affected by the cost of imports after the pound had been tied to the gold standard in 1925 and higher interest rates had been imposed to support the exchange rate. These changes came on top of the depression in the stone industry in the village after the First World War.
The real issue was probably the lack of solutions to a problem which forced people to take sides. The Communist Party of Great Britain stole a march on the Fascist movement when it was formed in 1920 and worked in conjunction with the National Unemployed Workers Movement of 1921. These two organised movements were considered to pose real threats to the British Establishment after the events which created the Russian Revolution a few years earlier. Events caused people to have to decide where to put their allegiance. This dilemma becomes more obvious if we pose the question to ourselves: Would you prefer Britain to become a Communist or Fascist country? The answer for most of us is: Neither, the question doesn't offer acceptable alternatives!
Fascist Meeting in Box
Some closure of the First World War in Box was achieved with the building and dedication of the War Memorial in 1920. It was a time of transition - Rev Sweetapple suddenly offered to resign the living at Box Church in February 1923 because of the condition of the vicarage and Augustus Perren died on 29 October that year after serving as church organist for 54 years.[6]
In 1924 suggestions were made for any lads thinking of seeking a career in another land ... (should consider) the splendid opportunities offered by the Australian Government to boys of between the ages of 15 and 18. Any lads of spirit who see little before them in England would do well to consider such an offer.[7] The vicar offered to help Box boys wanting assistance with this.
The new vicar, Rev George Foster, wrote extensively about the Fascist meeting held on 13 June 1925 at Rudloe Park. General Blakeney was the chief speaker who inspired his audience with enthusiasm for this movement for the protection of civilisation. Many who were present have told me how deeply they were stirred by all that they heard of the evils of Communism.[8] George Edward Northey accepted the post of Officer Commanding British Fascists in Box and Ditteridge with Mr F Scott as local Organising Secretary and Recruiter.
As we can see from the headline picture, many people were involved in Box Fascist Movement, not least Rev George Foster. He wrote about the importance of Box School in February 1927: one of the best inculcators of law, order and loyalty to God and the King, and one of the surest bulwarks against anarchy and Bolshevism.[9]
Some closure of the First World War in Box was achieved with the building and dedication of the War Memorial in 1920. It was a time of transition - Rev Sweetapple suddenly offered to resign the living at Box Church in February 1923 because of the condition of the vicarage and Augustus Perren died on 29 October that year after serving as church organist for 54 years.[6]
In 1924 suggestions were made for any lads thinking of seeking a career in another land ... (should consider) the splendid opportunities offered by the Australian Government to boys of between the ages of 15 and 18. Any lads of spirit who see little before them in England would do well to consider such an offer.[7] The vicar offered to help Box boys wanting assistance with this.
The new vicar, Rev George Foster, wrote extensively about the Fascist meeting held on 13 June 1925 at Rudloe Park. General Blakeney was the chief speaker who inspired his audience with enthusiasm for this movement for the protection of civilisation. Many who were present have told me how deeply they were stirred by all that they heard of the evils of Communism.[8] George Edward Northey accepted the post of Officer Commanding British Fascists in Box and Ditteridge with Mr F Scott as local Organising Secretary and Recruiter.
As we can see from the headline picture, many people were involved in Box Fascist Movement, not least Rev George Foster. He wrote about the importance of Box School in February 1927: one of the best inculcators of law, order and loyalty to God and the King, and one of the surest bulwarks against anarchy and Bolshevism.[9]
Local Mystery October 1925
A strange conspiratorial event happened in Box in October 1925 when three masked men attacked an innocent bystander, Tom Coles, who lived in the Devizes Road and worked as an agricultural labourer at Hatt Farm.[9] Just as Tom turned into the Drilley the men got out of a Daimler car and knocked him off his bicycle. They left him unconscious with a note on his body saying: We are sorry. We had the wrong man. We had to do it. He fought like a madman. Will the finder take him home and he will be greatly rewarded?
The newspaper suggested that the attack could have been connected with fascism in Box, in view of the prominence which has been given to the activities of the Fascists in Box District. They claimed: Suggested Attempt to Kidnap Leader or Opponent (of the Fascists) although this was denied by the police.
Box was not alone in succumbing to the rhetoric of the Fascist movement. At Trowbridge, a survivor of the Russian Revolution was the guest speaker at the Town Hall.[10] Miss Valentine was able to expound upon her personal knowledge of Communism, Socialism and Bolshevism, including their propagation of immorality and the determination to Keep England for the English. Other meetings were held at Cheltenham, Hinton Charterhouse, Westbury, Melksham, Rode and Warminster.[11]
A strange conspiratorial event happened in Box in October 1925 when three masked men attacked an innocent bystander, Tom Coles, who lived in the Devizes Road and worked as an agricultural labourer at Hatt Farm.[9] Just as Tom turned into the Drilley the men got out of a Daimler car and knocked him off his bicycle. They left him unconscious with a note on his body saying: We are sorry. We had the wrong man. We had to do it. He fought like a madman. Will the finder take him home and he will be greatly rewarded?
The newspaper suggested that the attack could have been connected with fascism in Box, in view of the prominence which has been given to the activities of the Fascists in Box District. They claimed: Suggested Attempt to Kidnap Leader or Opponent (of the Fascists) although this was denied by the police.
Box was not alone in succumbing to the rhetoric of the Fascist movement. At Trowbridge, a survivor of the Russian Revolution was the guest speaker at the Town Hall.[10] Miss Valentine was able to expound upon her personal knowledge of Communism, Socialism and Bolshevism, including their propagation of immorality and the determination to Keep England for the English. Other meetings were held at Cheltenham, Hinton Charterhouse, Westbury, Melksham, Rode and Warminster.[11]
Conclusion
There is no reference to George Edward Northey supporting Fascist ideas in his later years. There were many people in Box in the inter-war years who foresaw the dangers of Fascism and stood out against it. Clearly that did not apply to George Edward and his judgement has to be called into question. His naivety in seeking wealth in New Zealand as an eighteen-year-old man (when he lost a fortune) remained with him throughout his life. He never managed to administer the family estate fully and his dalliance with Fascism is another example of poor judgement and seeking short-term solutions for long-standing difficult economic and social issues. He sought to remedy the naivety of his youth by authoritarian strength in his mature years. Neither of the stances was to his credit. His role remains a blot on his character. Perhaps his true character is counter-balanced by his interim years when he was described as a kindly prison governor.
George Edward was not alone and the same criticism applies to all the people in Box who supported the movement. The philosophy of Fascism was still prevalent in the area up to the Second World War and in 1936 an argument in Bath resulted in a member of the British Union of Fascists being fined for obscenity.[12] As late as 1940 there were continuing cases of Bath people assisting the enemy by supporting Hitler and the Nazi Party.[13] By then, of course, George Edward had died.
There is no reference to George Edward Northey supporting Fascist ideas in his later years. There were many people in Box in the inter-war years who foresaw the dangers of Fascism and stood out against it. Clearly that did not apply to George Edward and his judgement has to be called into question. His naivety in seeking wealth in New Zealand as an eighteen-year-old man (when he lost a fortune) remained with him throughout his life. He never managed to administer the family estate fully and his dalliance with Fascism is another example of poor judgement and seeking short-term solutions for long-standing difficult economic and social issues. He sought to remedy the naivety of his youth by authoritarian strength in his mature years. Neither of the stances was to his credit. His role remains a blot on his character. Perhaps his true character is counter-balanced by his interim years when he was described as a kindly prison governor.
George Edward was not alone and the same criticism applies to all the people in Box who supported the movement. The philosophy of Fascism was still prevalent in the area up to the Second World War and in 1936 an argument in Bath resulted in a member of the British Union of Fascists being fined for obscenity.[12] As late as 1940 there were continuing cases of Bath people assisting the enemy by supporting Hitler and the Nazi Party.[13] By then, of course, George Edward had died.
References
[1] The Bath Chronicle, 11 November 1880
[2] Devon and Exeter Gazette, 26 January 1904
[3] Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 27 February 1925
[4] The Gloucestershire Echo, 17 December 1924
[5] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 7 March 1925
[6] Parish Magazine, February 1923 and December 1923
[7] Parish Magazine, January 1924
[8] Parish Magazine, June 1925
[9] Bath Chronicle and Herald, 31 October 1925
[10] The Wiltshire Times, 3 October 1925
[11] The Cheltenham Echo, 17 December 1924, The Wiltshire Times, 17 May 1924, 7 June 1924 and 21 June 1924
[12] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 26 September 1936
[13] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 15 June 1940 and 6 July 1940
[1] The Bath Chronicle, 11 November 1880
[2] Devon and Exeter Gazette, 26 January 1904
[3] Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 27 February 1925
[4] The Gloucestershire Echo, 17 December 1924
[5] Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, 7 March 1925
[6] Parish Magazine, February 1923 and December 1923
[7] Parish Magazine, January 1924
[8] Parish Magazine, June 1925
[9] Bath Chronicle and Herald, 31 October 1925
[10] The Wiltshire Times, 3 October 1925
[11] The Cheltenham Echo, 17 December 1924, The Wiltshire Times, 17 May 1924, 7 June 1924 and 21 June 1924
[12] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 26 September 1936
[13] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 15 June 1940 and 6 July 1940