Robert Row facts for kids
Robert Row (1915–1999) was an English man from Lancaster. He was a member of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists (BUF), a political group. During the Second World War, the British government held him because of his beliefs. After the war, he wrote and edited publications for British fascist groups. He continued to support Mosley's ideas until he passed away.
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Early Life
Robert Row was born in 1915. His father worked for a company called Waring & Gillow. In 1931, Robert left school during a tough economic time called the Sterling crisis. He remembered a time when many shops were closed and jobs were hard to find. He said, "The times were desperate." Because of this, he joined the Blackshirts (the BUF) in 1934.
Political Journey
Joining the BUF
Robert Row believed that Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists had plans that would help Britain and end the economic problems. He became very active in the group.
Wartime Detention
When the Second World War began, the British government held him. This was under a rule called Defence Regulation 18B. He was kept in Walton prison and also at a camp near Huyton. He was released later in the war.
Post-War Writing
After the war, Row worked on a farm. He started writing articles for Union, a newspaper for the Union Movement. This group was a new version of the BUF. In the 1950s, he became the deputy editor of Union. After the editor passed away in 1955, Row took over. The newspaper changed its name several times, becoming The National European in 1964 and Action in 1966. He edited these papers until 1992.
Facing Opposition
Robert Row was sometimes attacked or threatened because of his political activities. In 1963, some young men from an anti-fascist group broke into the Union Movement's office. They attacked Row and another member. The attackers were later arrested and fined. Row and the other member needed hospital care. He was attacked again soon after on his way home from work.
Later Years in the Movement
Row was very close to another leader, Alexander Raven Thomson. In the early 1950s, he supported the idea that the Union Movement should be more like other extreme political groups in Germany. Later, he became a key figure in the Action group. Over the years, Row's writings helped to keep former BUF members connected. The group focused more on talking about their ideas and remembering the past.
Later Life and Legacy
Robert Row remained dedicated to his political beliefs until he died. He continued to write for publications of groups connected to the BUF, like Comrade. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 83 after a small operation. His niece scattered his ashes in Lancashire, in a place where he used to cycle with his brothers when he was young. He never married.
His Writings
- Union Movement – The answer to the slump. Union, London, c. 1948.
- Sir Oswald Mosley: British patriot and national European. European Action, n.d.
- The coloured question in Britain: Cause and solution. Sanctuary Press, n.d.
