Thomas Guillaume St. Barbe Baker facts for kids

Thomas Guillaume St. Barbe Baker (born June 2, 1895 – died October 6, 1966) was a British man who held strong pro-German views before World War II. He served as an officer in World War I, first in the Royal Field Artillery and later in the Royal Air Force. Baker was involved with several groups that supported a political idea called fascism, which is a type of government where one leader has total control and people have very little freedom. He was known for speaking his mind and for his distinctive walrus moustache. Thomas was the brother of Richard St. Barbe Baker, who was famous for planting many trees and started an organization called the Men of the Trees.

A Speaker with Strong Views

Thomas Baker lived in a place called Cat's Corner in Tasburgh, Norfolk. He became known to the authorities because he gave speeches that supported Germany or were against Jewish people. He often gave these speeches from the church pulpit.

Government agents attended his meetings, which were held in places like the Wigmore Hall in Central London. These agents reported that Baker had very extreme views. He was seen as a potential "fifth columnist," which means someone who secretly helps an enemy from within their own country.

Baker was connected to several other British people who also held strong nationalist views. Many of these people came from wealthy families and had important connections. Their names were found in a secret book that belonged to a Member of Parliament, Archibald Maule Ramsay, and was taken by the authorities in 1940.

Being Held During the War

During World War II, the British government had a rule called Defence Regulation 18B. This rule allowed them to arrest and hold people they thought might be a danger to the country, especially those who supported fascist ideas. Thomas Baker tried to avoid being caught by shaving off his famous walrus moustache, but he was soon found. He was then held in jail for the entire war because he continued to believe in his pro-German ideas.

When people who were held under this rule had a chance to prove they were loyal to Britain and get released, Baker always said he still believed in his own ideas. This only made the officials think it was better to keep him locked up. He once said, "I did not like the (Great) War, Sir, not one bit." As a young officer in World War I, he had been buried alive during a bombing.

Baker was held for a very long time, much longer than most others. He was one of the last people to be released, finally getting out on April 21, 1945. Most other people, including a well-known fascist leader named Oswald Mosley, had been released by 1943.

An officer at the Peveril internment Camp on the Isle of Man noticed that Baker didn't seem to have a strong belief in his ideas. The officer thought Baker might be pretending to be a bit strange to try and get released early. There were suggestions to keep him away from other prisoners because he was seen as a bad influence.

While he was held, Captain Baker became friends with a man named James Larratt Battersby. After the war, Battersby wrote a confusing book that presented Hitler as a new religious figure. Battersby was a young man who had inherited a lot of money from his family's hat-making business. He had also been a leader in the British Union of Fascists before the war. Some people believed Baker was trying to get some of Battersby's money.

After the war, Baker and Battersby briefly formed a small group called the Legion of Christian Reformers. This group published a newsletter that was strongly against Jewish people, but it did not have much impact.

His Life After the War

Before Thomas Baker was held during the war, his wife gave birth to a son. She visited him while he was held. Baker believed a mark on his baby's head looked like a swastika, a symbol used by the Nazis. He thought this meant his son was a special heir to Hitler. His wife soon grew tired of his strange behavior and decided to divorce him.

After the war, Captain Baker lived for some time in Jersey. Important fascists visited him in the 1950s, but he did not become actively involved in politics again. The war had taken five years of his life.