My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleycoincidence the Home Office discovered that they were no longer a menace to theState on exactly the same day as we were freed and they too were released.This close companion of my last months in Holloway was a remarkable man and afine character. He had won the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross inthe first war, and was detained simply because he was an active and enthusiasticmember of our movement. He had the sardonic humour of the experienced soldier,and it always amused him that he was held in jail by order of a dear fellow who hadspent the previous war dodging round an apple orchard; the Minister had sufferedapparently from an eye disability as well as a conscience.Very few of our people showed any bitterness at that time towards their numerous anddiverse oppressors, and this attitude was often the source of wonder to our friends.Although I wrote once: 'Revenge is the hallmark of small minds', such an elevatedsentiment is easier when you are again breathing fresh air than when a fat chap issitting on your face. Nevertheless, even during the worst period of our early days injail, the men with me took all their adversity with the same gay good humour Iremembered in the trenches of the First World War, where indeed most of them hadlived through their first experience of hardship. We harboured no bitterness towardthe politicians whose spite we felt had jailed us, but perhaps it should be admitted thatthis was not entirely magnaminity. The truth is that men only feel bitter towards thosefor whom they have some respect.My own feeling was simple and was perhaps derived from my early agriculturalexperience, which brings one close to nature: if through error or a sense of duty youtake too big a risk and have a fall into the manure heap, every little runt in life'sfarmyard will take the chance to stamp his small hoof in your face; it is the way ofnature. The experience is instructive but not embittering, because it is all too natural.The redeeming happiness is that the higher intellects and finer spirits do notparticipate, even though they may disapprove your opinion, and in some cases theyassist in your adversity.Some public advantage may be derived from my small personal experiences, whichcan be briefly summarised: arrested without charge or trial and held in prison or housearrest for five years under an order passed the night before you were arrested, and ofwhich you were not even aware; order is retrospective because it enables you to beimprisoned for something perfectly legal at the time you did it, namely seeing aforeigner over three years before; wife similarly held in jail on grounds she hadsupported and sustained husband; older children removed from care on motion of theOfficial Solicitor by order of a court of law, despite your opposition, and handed to aguardian you disapproved; younger children at most formative age allowedoccasionally to visit mother in prison and dragged away crying at the end of the visitby wardresses; banking accounts frozen, though not stolen, as happened sometimesabroad; safe deposit in bank opened on order signed by unknown lieutenant-colonel;house requisitioned and ransacked; held in silence without right of reply for yearswhile vilest falsehoods are privily circulated about you. This may happen to anyEnglishman under our present constitutional law at a time of popular excitement, if arogue government has a pliant majority in Parliament. The preservation of the basicliberties thus easily violated in England are enshrined in the constitutional law of mostcivilised countries. When we talk so much of liberty, is it not time that English346 of 424