My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleyblameworthy and foolish is to go on fighting when the battle is over, for that canrenew the whole circle of fatality which should now be at an end.The Rothermere experience had two effects on me; the first to suggest that despite allmy preoccupations, money might be made for politics in business, and the second tomake me more than ever reluctant to be dependent for political finance on the capricesof the rich. This feeling was reinforced by an encounter with Lady Houston, thewidow of a shipping millionaire; the affair has already in part been published, so I amat liberty to give the details. She was a patriot of the Right, who had not the slightestidea what our policies were about, but with a vague sentiment in favour of the revivalof English manhood. For instance, she most generously financed an expedition for theflight over Everest by one of the Douglas-Hamiltons.I did not know her, but suddenly received an invitation to meet her on her yacht inSouthampton when I was speaking somewhere in the neighbourhood. The old ladyreceived me in bed in her state cabin— it was a curious habit of these magnates to dosuch business in bed— and indicated that she desired to support me. The interviewwas easy and we left with the firm understanding that she would. Afterwards sheapparently wrote a cheque for £100,000 which she was about to send me, but changedher mind and tore it up. Someone had written a paragraph in Action, or some otherjournal connected with us, to the effect that she was a vain and silly old woman;maybe she was, but it was sillier still to say so. These things were liable to happenwhen I was constantly touring the country and speaking at least four times a week,because I often did not see a line of what was being written in our weekly press.By then I had had more than enough of the whims of the rich, and we were constantlyshort of money. From first to last I gave about £100,000 of my own money to ourmovement in the thirties. This was to me a heavy burden because I was never as richas I was supposed to be, but I have always retained sufficient of my inheritance torender me entirely independent. Too many tears should not be shed for this sacrificeof £100,000 as, with relative leisure for a short time after the war and opportunity tomake money, I soon got most of it back again in transactions so normal, indeed banal,that they are not worth recounting. Others in the thirties made comparable sacrificesand things were always kept going; sometimes with much difficulty and with manyups and downs.The problem was only to finance our headquarters, as our branches had always to beentirely self-supporting from the subscriptions and donations of local memberswithout any help from us; in most periods H.Q. used to call on them for money bytaxing a percentage of their takings. Some branches were relatively rich, with localbusinessmen forming clubs and circles for their support. Industrialists and merchantsof more moderate stature than the Nuffields, Rothermeres and Houstons used also tosupport our headquarters. Large luncheons were organised at restaurants like theCriterion for this purpose, at which I used to speak. A club entirely independent of uswas also formed, at which I met similar gatherings, sometimes with felicitous andlucrative results. My experiences at that time were diverse.An event occurred toward the mid-thirties which reminded me of the possibility ofmaking money for political purposes, first suggested to me by my experience withLord Rothermere. I found fascinating the possibility of leading a movement with a290 of 424