BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

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Komi
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BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

#1

Post by Komi » 20 Apr 2021, 17:06

Oswald Mosley and several of his close associates were imprisoned during WW2, and it seems that British Union of Fascists policy was strongly anti-war (or at least anti-war against Germany). However I do know of a couple BUF members who served in the British armed forces for at least part of WW2. Does anyone know of any others, or can anyone elaborate on the service of the guys below?

Jeffrey Hamm: Joined the Royal Armoured Corps in 1941 but was discharged in 1944. I don't know details of where he served or why exactly he was discharged.
Victor Burgess: Served for a short time in the Army before being discharged for spreading subversive literature. I don't know details of where he served or when.

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Steve
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Re: BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

#2

Post by Steve » 23 Apr 2021, 00:00

While the upper echelon of the BUF was interned the rank and file if eligible were conscripted into the forces. People tend to assume that everyone in the BUF was a German sympathiser but this was not the case many seem to have held strong English nationalist views. An interesting book on the BUF is “Hurrah For The Blackshirts” by Martin Pugh 2005. It is a long time since I read the book but one funny anecdote I recall is that of a BUF member who sailed over to Dunkirk to help in the rescue and upon returning was interned. Mosley seems to have had a very comfortable internment perhaps due to his wife’s connection to Churchill’s wife.


Komi
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Re: BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

#3

Post by Komi » 23 Apr 2021, 00:13

Steve wrote:
23 Apr 2021, 00:00
While the upper echelon of the BUF was interned the rank and file if eligible were conscripted into the forces. People tend to assume that everyone in the BUF was a German sympathiser but this was not the case many seem to have held strong English nationalist views. An interesting book on the BUF is “Hurrah For The Blackshirts” by Martin Pugh 2005. It is a long time since I read the book but one funny anecdote I recall is that of a BUF member who sailed over to Dunkirk to help in the rescue and upon returning was interned. Mosley seems to have had a very comfortable internment perhaps due to his wife’s connection to Churchill’s wife.
I'll check out that book. You're definitely right as far as rank-and-file BUF members having various reasons for joining the movement, not all of them necessarily pro-Germany. I was just curious to learn more about cases of individual BUF members who did serve, to see what their records were like, how many could actually be identified as subversive vs. just guys doing their duty.

Sid Guttridge
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Re: BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

#4

Post by Sid Guttridge » 23 Apr 2021, 04:04

Hi Komi,

I seem to recall an old thread here or on Feldgrau concerning a BUF member of the RAF was killed in one of the first bomber sorties over Germany in 1939.

I think this is the bloke mentioned on a BUF propaganda site: https://www.oswaldmosley.com/george-brocking/

Kenneth Day was a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists - a 'blackshirt'. The deaths of Ken Day and George Brocking were reported in Mosley's Action newspaper of October 12th 1939. The report stated: "In the first casualty list of the war appeared two names: K.G.Day and G.T.Brocking. Both were British Union members - both went down in the early days of the war in circumstances of extraordinary heroism, the details of which will one day be revealed. We Shall Remember."

Both were apparently members of 9 Squadron and were killed on 4 September just one day into Britain's war..

Cheers,

Sid

Komi
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Re: BUF members who served in the armed forces during the war?

#5

Post by Komi » 23 Apr 2021, 11:31

Sid Guttridge wrote:
23 Apr 2021, 04:04
Hi Komi,

I seem to recall an old thread here or on Feldgrau concerning a BUF member of the RAF was killed in one of the first bomber sorties over Germany in 1939.

I think this is the bloke mentioned on a BUF propaganda site: https://www.oswaldmosley.com/george-brocking/

Kenneth Day was a member of Sir Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists - a 'blackshirt'. The deaths of Ken Day and George Brocking were reported in Mosley's Action newspaper of October 12th 1939. The report stated: "In the first casualty list of the war appeared two names: K.G.Day and G.T.Brocking. Both were British Union members - both went down in the early days of the war in circumstances of extraordinary heroism, the details of which will one day be revealed. We Shall Remember."

Both were apparently members of 9 Squadron and were killed on 4 September just one day into Britain's war..

Cheers,

Sid
Thanks Sid. I might try to look those guys up a bit more.

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