In the 1920s and 1930s, Southend and neighbouring Canvey Island were at the centre of British Fascism. Britain's first Fascist party, the British Fascisti (later renamed the British Fascists), which was founded in 1923 by Rotha Lintorn Orman, had most of their party literature printed at a Fascist printers in North Road, Southend-On-Sea.
Above is a photograph of the shop at 151 North Road, Southend which was once a Fascist printers. It later became a post office.
The shop stood empty for years after the post office closed. It's currently an SFC Takeaway but looks like it has been closed down.
The newspaper below was published by Rotha Lintorn Orman's British Fascists and was published in October 1931. It was printed at 151, North Road, Southend on Sea.
The name of the printer, H. F. Lucas & Co., can be seen at the bottom of the back page.
Above is a photograph of the shop at 151 North Road, Southend which was once a Fascist printers. It later became a post office.
The shop stood empty for years after the post office closed. It's currently an SFC Takeaway but looks like it has been closed down.
The newspaper below was published by Rotha Lintorn Orman's British Fascists and was published in October 1931. It was printed at 151, North Road, Southend on Sea.
The name of the printer, H. F. Lucas & Co., can be seen at the bottom of the back page.
This is from the front page of The Fascist Bulletin, September 1925.
When Sir Oswald Mosley founded his British Union of Fascists on 1 October 1932, most of the membership of Lintorn Orman's British Fascists joined Mosley's party.
In 1936-1937, several prominent B.U.F. figures, including William Joyce, Alexander Raven Thomson, A.K. Chesterton, Ann Brock Griggs and Clement Bruning spoke in Southend, either at open-air meetings or at the Cavendish Hall, Westcliff-on-Sea.
The Largest B.U.F. event in Southend took place on Sunday April 11th 1937, when Mosley held a meeting at the Pleasure Beach Roller Skating Rink, where he spoke to an audience of approximately 2000 people.
The event was advertised in the April 10 1937 edition of 'The Blackshirt'. Note that the local BUF headquarters was at 136a London Road.
B.U.F. Headquarters, 136A London Road, Southend-on-Sea, July 1938
The pamphlet on the left is a report of the meeting.
The FORWARD was written by a Mr A Harris who also attended the Anti-Fascist meeting. He describes what he calls an amusing incident on the way to the meeting:
"On that same day, Sir Oswald Mosley also addressed a meeting in Southend and an amusing incident took place on the road to Southend. A party of our members, travelling by road, found themselves running for several miles behind a Bentley car whose driver was making good time. Speculation as to the possibility of it being Mosley's car proceeded in our party though none of us really thought it likely.
"Entering Southend, our car drew alongside the Bentley and behold the new Messiah, the Blackshirt leader comfortably seated. Immediate recognition by both parties and Mosley's look of complacent ease gave way to an expression of surprise and dare we venture to suggest, some uneasiness and discomfort.
"It is said that Mosley's speech that night was much below his usual standard of spell-binding. Could this encounter have been the cause?"
This is the report of Mosley's Southend meeting in the Essex Chronicle of Friday April 16th 1937.
FASCISTS AT SOUTHEND
Speaking at Southend on Sunday, Sir Oswald Mosley said the very first principle of the British Fascist Union's economic policy was the exclusion of goods which could be produced in Great Britain, and that would mean employment to about a million and a half more people. It would not be much good excluding sweated labour from abroad if they still permitted sweating within; and by a system of Corporations, representing employers and employed, the necessary alterations in this direction could be brought about.
He said his policy was "Britain for the British - first, last and always."
Note:
Smeaton-Stuart was later detained under regulation 18b and was interrogated at Latchmere House remand centre, which in 1940 was under MI5 control.
