John Warburton Beckett (11 October 1894 – 28 December 1964) was a British politician who was a Labour Party MP from 1924 to 1931. During the 1930s, he joined the

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

movement, first in the

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...

and later as a founder of the

National Socialist League The National Socialist League (NSL) was a short-lived Nazi political movement in the United Kingdom immediately prior to the Second World War. Formation The NSL was formed in 1937 by William Joyce, John Beckett (politician), John Beckett and ...

. During World War II, he was interned in Britain.

Early life

Beckett was born in

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of William Beckett, a draper, and his wife Dorothy (''née'' Salmon), who had been born into

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

but abandoned the faith to marry Beckett.Francis Beckett ''The Rebel Who Lost His Cause – The Tragedy of John Beckett MP'', London: Allison and Busby, 1999, p. 13 According to his son

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

, he was christened Jack William Beckett but assumed the name John Warburton Beckett in 1918. He was educated at

Latymer Upper School (Slowly Therefore Surely) , established = , closed = , sister_school = Godolphin and Latymer School , type = Public schoolIndependent day school , head_label = H ...

until the age of 14 when his father lost all his money in a scheme run by notorious swindler

Horatio Bottomley Horatio William Bottomley (23 March 1860 – 26 May 1933) was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine ''John Bull (maga ...

and could no longer afford the fees; as a result the young John was forced to work as an errand boy. On the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he enlisted in the

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

before being transferred to the

King's Shropshire Light Infantry The King's Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in the Childers Reforms of 1881, but with antecedents dating back to 1755. It served in the Second Boer War, World War I and World War II. In 196 ...

soon afterwards. He was invalided out of the army in 1916 because of a heart defect.

Early career

Beckett founded the

National Union of Ex-Servicemen The National Union of Ex-Servicemen (NUX) was a socialist ex-servicemen's organisation founded in London in early 1919 with close links with the Labour Party. Many of its members were formerly supporters of the National Federation of Discharged a ...

in 1918 to look after the needs of the war veterans (although it was eventually absorbed into the later

Royal British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

having failed to gain Labour Party recognition).Robert Benewick, ''Political Violence and Public Order'', London, 1969, p. 113 At this time, he also joined the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

, sitting on

Hackney Council Hackney London Borough Council is the local government authority for the London Borough of Hackney, London, England, one of 32 London borough councils. The council is unusual in the United Kingdom local government system in that its executive fu ...

from 1919 to 1922. Beckett first stood for Parliament at the 1923 general election but failed to be elected for Newcastle upon Tyne North. He became the Labour MP for

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

in 1924, moving to

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

in 1929, after which he served as an ILP

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

. In these early years, Beckett was considered a close ally of

Clement Attlee Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, (3 January 18838 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Mini ...

, alongside whom he had worked as a Labour Party agent before his election to Parliament. He gained attention in 1930 when he lifted the

Ceremonial mace A ceremonial mace is a highly ornamented staff of metal or wood, carried before a sovereign or other high officials in civic ceremonies by a mace-bearer, intended to represent the official's authority. The mace, as used today, derives from the or ...

during a

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

debate over the suspension of

Fenner Brockway Archibald Fenner Brockway, Baron Brockway (1 November 1888 – 28 April 1988) was a British socialist politician, humanist campaigner and anti-war activist. Early life and career Brockway was born to W. G. Brockway and Frances Elizabeth Abbey in ...

and it had to be wrested away from him at the door. As a campaigner, Beckett was known for his fiery, passionate speeches. Beckett opposed

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the first who belonged to the Labour Party, leading minority Labour governments for nine months in 1924 ...

's formation of the National Government and returned to the ILP fold in 1931, failing to hold his seat, with the vote split between three "Labour" candidates. Retiring from active politics, he visited

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

where he was impressed by the

corporate state Corporate statism, state corporatism, or simply corporatism is a political culture and a form of corporatism whose adherents hold that the corporate group, which forms the basis of society, is the state. The state requires all members of a parti ...

that had been set up.

Fascism

Beckett joined the

in 1934 and before long had risen through the party to become Director of Publications and served as an editor of both BUF publications, ''Action'' and ''Blackshirt'', for a time. He was arrested outside

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

during the

Edward VIII abdication crisis In early December 1936, a constitutional crisis in the British Empire arose when King-Emperor Edward VIII proposed to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who was divorced from her first husband and was pursuing the divorce of her second ...

and was the only BUF activist to win a court case against its opponents by securing £1,000 in damages in a

slander Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

suit against an antifascist organisation although it disbanded before payment was collected. Beckett, however, struggled to reconnect with his former supporters on the left and in 1934 when he returned to

and

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

for speaking engagements he was met with large hostile crowds and shouts of "Traitor". He was forced to cancel one such speaking engagement near Newcastle on 13 May 1934 when a crowd of around 1,000

antifascists Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

rushed the stage on which he was due to speak. After initial successes, the BUF began to flounder and to devolve into two factions, a militarist one led by Neil Francis Hawkins and F.M. Box, and a more political one that hoped to convert the masses to fascism under Beckett and

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born fascist and Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the Second World War. After moving from New York to Ireland and subsequently to England, J ...

. In 1937,

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

sacked Beckett from his salaried position, in part because of a lack of funds but also because of Mosley's increasing support for the Hawkins wing. Beckett soon returned to politics by forming the

along with William Joyce, but his membership did not last long as he left the League in 1938, disillusioned by

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

and arguing that Joyce was being too extremist in his public anti-Semitic outbursts. While a leading figure in the League, he was also prominent in the British Council Against European Commitments, an attempt by

Viscount Lymington A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

to establish an umbrella movement of right-wingers opposed to war with Germany. He continued his close association with Lymington after his departure from the League, and the pair launched a journal, ''The New Pioneer'', which tended to reflect a strong anti-Semitic and pro-German worldview. He left the journal in mid-1939 to become Honorary Secretary of the British People's Party (BPP), a newly-established party controlled by Lord Tavistock (later the Duke of Bedford). After the outbreak of war, he became secretary of the British Council for Christian Settlement in Europe, a group that sought a swift peace settlement. Beckett was one of the leading fascists and rightists to be interned under

Defence Regulation 18b Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was one of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during and before the Second World War. The complete name for the rule was Regulation 18B of the Defence (General) Regulati ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He spent his internment in

HM Prison Brixton HM Prison Brixton is a local men's prison, located in Brixton area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner-South London. The prison is operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. History The prison was originally built in 1820 and opened as ...

, an internment camp on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and then back in Brixton and was moved each time after he had clashed with BUF members with whom he was imprisoned. While imprisoned, Beckett received instruction from a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

chaplain and subsequently converted to Catholicism. He was released before the end of the war on account of ill health. Beckett's son Francis considers that his father came out of prison far more racist and, in particular, antisemitic than he went in, as was common after detention, and he had internalised his rage. On his release, Beckett, not allowed to live within 20 miles of London or to travel more than 5 miles from his home, reactivated the BPP and represented the group in talks with

A.K. Chesterton Arthur Kenneth Chesterton (1 May 1899 – 16 August 1973) was a British far-right journalist and political activist. From 1933 to 1938, he was a member of the British Union of Fascists (BUF). Disillusioned with Oswald Mosley, he left th ...

, who had organised a group that he called "National Front After Victory" in the hopes of developing a united

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

group that could contest the first postwar election. The scheme was not a success, and Beckett rejected the merger.

Postwar activity

After the war, Beckett and his wife were under constant surveillance by intelligence agency

MI5 The Security Service, also known as MI5 ( Military Intelligence, Section 5), is the United Kingdom's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Go ...

until at least 1955, with their movements followed and telephone conversations recorded. Just after the war, Beckett found administrative employment at a hospital but was dismissed on the secret instigation of the MI5 officer in charge of the case, Graham Mitchell. He was unable to find the "quiet, normal job" that his wife hoped for. The only work he could get was being paid to run the neofascist British People's party by its patron, the Duke of Bedford. Beckett's first postwar role was in leading a campaign for clemency for his erstwhile colleague

, also known as

Lord Haw-Haw Lord Haw-Haw was a nickname applied to William Joyce, who broadcast Nazi propaganda to the UK from Germany during the Second World War. The broadcasts opened with "Germany calling, Germany calling", spoken in an affected upper-class English acc ...

, who was facing the

death penalty Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. The campaign was not a success, and Joyce was executed. In 1946, Beckett co-operated with a young

Colin Jordan John Colin Campbell Jordan (19 June 1923 – 9 April 2009) was a leading figure in post-war neo-Nazism in Great Britain. In the far-right circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly "Nazi" inclination in his open use of the st ...

and gave him a seat on the BPP national council, but the association was short-lived as Jordan soon made

Arnold Leese Arnold Spencer Leese (16 November 1878 – 18 January 1956) was a British fascist politician. Leese was initially prominent as a veterinary expert on camels. A virulent anti-Semite, he led his own fascist movement, the Imperial Fascist League, a ...

his mentor. In 1953, the Duke of Bedford died, and the BPP, which he had funded, was wound up. Beckett's income ceased (he was salaried as BPP leader), and the new Duke, who did not share his father's politics, moved to evict Beckett from his home on the family's estate. Beckett started a

stock exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

tip magazine called ''Advice and Information'' and eventually bought Thurlwood House, where he had been living, from the estate trustees in 1958. Having sold the house and returned to London in 1962, Beckett was diagnosed with

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

in 1963. He survived until the following year and died on 28 December. He was cremated.

Personal life

The Beckett family had originated from rural

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. His mother was the daughter of a Jewish jeweller, whose family refused to attend the wedding. Whilst in the army, Beckett met Helen Shaw, and married her four days later. The couple had a daughter Lesley, but split in the mid 1920s due to Beckett's infidelity. His second wife was Kyrle Bellew, a stage actress from a well-known acting dynasty. Their marital life was short-lived, but Bellew refused to divorce Beckett even though they lived apart for eighteen years.Beckett, ''The Rebel Who Lost His Cause'', p. 10 He subsequently lived with Anne Cutmore, and their son

Francis Beckett Francis Beckett (born 12 May 1945) is an English author, journalist, biographer, and contemporary historian. He has written biographies of Aneurin Bevan, Clement Attlee, Harold Macmillan, Gordon BrownMichael Whit"Gordon the saint – meet B ...

was born in 1945; they married in 1963. Cutmore was for a time secretary to

Robert Forgan Robert Forgan (10 March 1891 – 8 January 1976) was a British politician who was a close associate of Oswald Mosley. Early life and medical career The Scottish-born Forgan was the son of a Church of Scotland minister.Dorril, p. 151 Educated up ...

at BUF headquarters.

David Pryce-Jones David Eugene Henry Pryce-Jones (born 15 February 1936) is a British conservative author and commentator. Early life Pryce-Jones was born on 15 February 1936, in Vienna, Austria. He was educated at Eton and earned a degree in history at Magdale ...

, ''Unity Mitford'', London: Star Books, 1978, p. 101

References

External links

* *
Legacy of War Episode 5
BBC Radio4 programme about John Beckett {{DEFAULTSORT:Beckett, John 1894 births 1964 deaths British Army personnel of World War I English fascists English socialists Independent Labour Party MPs Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People detained under Defence Regulation 18B UK MPs 1929–1931 Councillors in the London Borough of Hackney Deaths from cancer in England Converts to Roman Catholicism from Anglicanism Deaths from stomach cancer People educated at Latymer Upper School People from Hammersmith British Union of Fascists politicians English people of Jewish descent British fascists Middlesex Regiment soldiers King's Shropshire Light Infantry soldiers Military personnel from London