My Life

My Life - Oswald MosleyThe Mosley's home near Paris "Le Temple de la Gloire"Only one small difficulty arises. The little masterpiece was built to celebrate thevictory of General Moreau at Hohenlinden, and was consequently named in 1800, LeTemple de la Gloire; a title consecrated by time, which could not be changed withoutvandalism. Yet I sometimes feel a slight embarrassment when asked for my addressby an Englishman, in simply replying 'the Temple of Glory'; and on occasions I sensea polite restraint of the sentiment: he was always a little 'exalte', and now is rightround the bend.It was originally enacted by Queen Elizabeth I that Clonfert should be the centre ofIrish culture, and it gave us an agreeable sense of fulfilling the great and learnedQueen's desires to feel that even belatedly her edict was at length implemented. Onour arrival, this repository of traditional wisdom consisted of a few small-holdings onthe banks of the river Shannon, and so it remained, with our grateful acceptance of thesolitude of our surroundings and the friendship of our neighbours. Our own house wasrambling and romantic rather than beautiful, and redolent of the usual legends ofCromwellian misbehaviour. At the far end of a short lawn, almost within a stone'sthrow of our house, was Clonfert Cathedral, a fine example of Norman architecturewith early Irish influence, and flanking one of the finest yew avenues I have ever seeneven in that country of beautiful trees. Monastic life in the neighbourhood had goneback to very early times, and was centred a few miles away on Clonmacnoise with itsseven churches of legendary fame and the contemporary beauty of its curious ruinsbeside the Shannon.We moved into Clonfert in 1952, but just before Christmas 1954 our time there cameto an end prematurely in another of the fire tragedies which have haunted our family. Iwas alone in the house, as Diana had gone to London to see her father, except for ourelder son Alexander, then aged sixteen, a French cook, and a French chauffeur. Myhabit was to sleep on the ground floor in the library, where I often worked late,358 of 424