R.B.D. Blakeney
Encyclopedia
Brigadier-General Robert Byron Drury Blakeney, generally known as R.B.D. Blakeney, (1872–1952) was a British
Army general and fascist
politician. After a career with the Royal Engineers
Blakeney went on to serve as President of the British Fascists
.
Blakeney had only limited involvement in combat. As a lieutenant with the Royal Engineers
he was involved in the 1898 Battle of Omdurman
. He had been one of six subalterns woring on the Sudan Military Railway under Percy Girouard
. During the Second Boer War
he commanded the 3rd Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers in one of the later examples of the use of military ballooning
.
Following his service with the Royal Engineers Blakeney followed a career in railway administration. In 1906 he was appointed deputy general manager of the Egyptian State Railways and was promoted to full manager in 1919, a role he held until 1923.
"Fascisti" to the more English
"Fascists". He insisted that the BF be run in "the spirit of intelligent patriotism" and sought to build links with mainstream right-wing pressure groups such as the Anti-Socialist Union
.
Despite his role as President Blakeney's knowledge of fascism as an ideology
has been portrayed as somewhat sketchy. For Blakeney the BF were the adult version of the Scout movement, arguing that they shared such values as fraternity, duty and service. He felt that the main enemy of the BF was communism
. Indeed Blakeney Believed that one of the main duties of the BF was to be prepared to defend established society in the event that "the swarms from the slums" came out in revolution. He also argued that the "Italian methods pure and simple" could not be applied to Britain in the same manner as in Italy as he felt the British were less prone to communism and more prone to apathy when compared to the Italians.
Along with his close ally Rear-Admiral A. E. Armstrong supported BF involvement with the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
and accepted government terms that the movement should, at least temporarily, abandon references to fascism in order to participate in the government-backed group. He was opposed in this by BF founder Rotha Lintorn-Orman
and the BF Grand Council opposed Blakeney's position 40–32. Unperturbed Blakeney and his supporters split from the BF to form a group called the Loyalists and this group was absorbed by the OMS immediately following the outbreak of the 1926 General Strike
.
and spoke at a number of their events. At one such engagement in November 1933 Blakeney, along with League leader Arnold Leese
, was beaten up by supporters of the British Union of Fascists
(BUF) at a time when this movement was striking out at its rivals on the far-right. Despite this Blakeney would later take a minor role in the BUF and contributed a number of articles to their Action and Blackshirt journals.
As well as political parties Blakeney was also involved in the semi-clandestine far-right elite societies active in interbellum Britain. During the 1920s he became a member of the Britons
and later he would also serve with the equally exclusive Nordic League
. However unlike many of his contemporaries in British fascism Blakeney was not interned
during the Second World War but rather served with the Home Guard.
and was also noted for his somewhat prudish attitudes towards what he dubbed "nasty sex nonsense" amongst the young, which he largely blamed on left-wing subversives attempting to destroy the moral rectitude of the British Empire
, views he largely shared with BF ideologue Nesta Webster
. Strongly interested in Theosophy
, Blakeney was a member of the Liberal Catholic Church
and close friend of Edith Starr Miller
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Army general and fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
politician. After a career with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
Blakeney went on to serve as President of the British Fascists
British Fascists
The British Fascists were the first avowedly fascist organisation in the United Kingdom. William Joyce, Neil Francis Hawkins, Maxwell Knight and Arnold Leese were amongst those to have passed through the movement as members and activists.-Early years:...
.
Military and Empire service
Although he obtained the rank of Brigadier-General in the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Blakeney had only limited involvement in combat. As a lieutenant with the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
he was involved in the 1898 Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
. He had been one of six subalterns woring on the Sudan Military Railway under Percy Girouard
Percy Girouard
Sir Édouard Percy Cranwill Girouard, KCMG was a Canadian railway builder and colonial governor.-Education:...
. During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
he commanded the 3rd Balloon Section of the Royal Engineers in one of the later examples of the use of military ballooning
History of Military Ballooning
Balloons were the first mechanisms used in air warfare. Their role was strictly recognized for reconnaissance purposes. They provided humans with the first available method of elevating themselves well over the battlefield to obtain the proverbial "birds-eye view." They were an early instrument of...
.
Following his service with the Royal Engineers Blakeney followed a career in railway administration. In 1906 he was appointed deputy general manager of the Egyptian State Railways and was promoted to full manager in 1919, a role he held until 1923.
British Fascists
An early member of the British Fascisti, Blakeney succeeded Leopold Ernest Stratford George Canning, 4th Baron Garvagh as president of the movement in 1924, and at the same time was made editor of their journal The Fascist Week. In his role as President he developed a rigid military style structure for the BF, whilst also ensuring that it altered its name from the ItalianItalian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
"Fascisti" to the more English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
"Fascists". He insisted that the BF be run in "the spirit of intelligent patriotism" and sought to build links with mainstream right-wing pressure groups such as the Anti-Socialist Union
Anti-Socialist Union
The Anti-Socialist Union was a British political pressure group that supported free trade economics and opposed socialism. It was active from 1908 to 1948 with its heyday occurring before the First World War.-Formation:...
.
Despite his role as President Blakeney's knowledge of fascism as an ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
has been portrayed as somewhat sketchy. For Blakeney the BF were the adult version of the Scout movement, arguing that they shared such values as fraternity, duty and service. He felt that the main enemy of the BF was communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. Indeed Blakeney Believed that one of the main duties of the BF was to be prepared to defend established society in the event that "the swarms from the slums" came out in revolution. He also argued that the "Italian methods pure and simple" could not be applied to Britain in the same manner as in Italy as he felt the British were less prone to communism and more prone to apathy when compared to the Italians.
Along with his close ally Rear-Admiral A. E. Armstrong supported BF involvement with the Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies
Organisation for the Maintenance of Supplies was a British right-wing movement established in 1925 to provide volunteers in the event of a general strike...
and accepted government terms that the movement should, at least temporarily, abandon references to fascism in order to participate in the government-backed group. He was opposed in this by BF founder Rotha Lintorn-Orman
Rotha Lintorn-Orman
-Early life:Born as Rotha Beryl Orman in Kensington London, she was the daughter of Charles Edward Orman, a Major from the Essex Regiment, and her maternal grandfather was Field Marshal Sir John Lintorn Arabin Simmons...
and the BF Grand Council opposed Blakeney's position 40–32. Unperturbed Blakeney and his supporters split from the BF to form a group called the Loyalists and this group was absorbed by the OMS immediately following the outbreak of the 1926 General Strike
1926 United Kingdom general strike
The 1926 general strike in the United Kingdom was a general strike that lasted nine days, from 4 May 1926 to 13 May 1926. It was called by the general council of the Trades Union Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to force the British government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening...
.
Later activities
Following his involvement in the OMS Blakeney became associated with the Imperial Fascist LeagueImperial Fascist League
The Imperial Fascist League was a British fascist political movement founded by Arnold Leese in 1929.-Origins:Leese had originally been a member of the British Fascists and indeed had been one of only two members ever to hold elected office for them...
and spoke at a number of their events. At one such engagement in November 1933 Blakeney, along with League leader Arnold Leese
Arnold Leese
Arnold Spencer Leese was a British veterinarian and fascist politician. He was born in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, England and educated at Giggleswick School....
, was beaten up by supporters of the British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
(BUF) at a time when this movement was striking out at its rivals on the far-right. Despite this Blakeney would later take a minor role in the BUF and contributed a number of articles to their Action and Blackshirt journals.
As well as political parties Blakeney was also involved in the semi-clandestine far-right elite societies active in interbellum Britain. During the 1920s he became a member of the Britons
The Britons
The Britons was an anti-Semitic and anti-immigration organization founded in July 1919 by Henry Hamilton Beamish. The organization published pamphlets and propaganda under the imprint names of the Judaic Publishing Co. and subsequently the Britons Publishing Society...
and later he would also serve with the equally exclusive Nordic League
Nordic League
The Nordic League was a far right organisation in the United Kingdom from 1935 to 1939 that sought to serve as a co-ordinating body for the various extremist movements whilst also seeking to promote Nazism...
. However unlike many of his contemporaries in British fascism Blakeney was not interned
Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. The complete technical reference name for this rule was: Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations 1939. It allowed for the internment of...
during the Second World War but rather served with the Home Guard.
Religious beliefs
Blakeney was a strong believer in ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and was also noted for his somewhat prudish attitudes towards what he dubbed "nasty sex nonsense" amongst the young, which he largely blamed on left-wing subversives attempting to destroy the moral rectitude of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, views he largely shared with BF ideologue Nesta Webster
Nesta Webster
Nesta Helen Webster , was a controversial historian, occultist, and author who revived conspiracy theories about the Illuminati. She argued that the secret society's members were occultists, plotting communist world domination, using the idea of a Jewish cabal, the Masons and Jesuits as a...
. Strongly interested in Theosophy
Theosophy
Theosophy, in its modern presentation, is a spiritual philosophy developed since the late 19th century. Its major themes were originally described mainly by Helena Blavatsky , co-founder of the Theosophical Society...
, Blakeney was a member of the Liberal Catholic Church
Liberal Catholic Church
The Liberal Catholic Church is a form of Christianity open to theosophical ideas and even reincarnation. It is not connected to the Roman Catholic Church, which considers it heretical and schismatic...
and close friend of Edith Starr Miller
Edith Starr Miller
Edith Starr Miller, Lady Queenborough was a New York socialite, conspiracy theorist and anti-Mormon agitator who in 1921 became the second wife of Almeric Hugh Paget, 1st Baron Queenborough, the British Fascist.-Biography:...
.