Victor Burgess facts for kids

Victor Cecil Burgess was a British political figure who was involved with groups that held strong nationalist views. He was a key member of the British League of Ex-Servicemen and Women (BLESMAW).

Early Life and World War II

When World War II began, Victor Burgess was briefly held by the British government. This was under a new rule called Defence Regulation 18B, which allowed the government to detain people who might be a risk to national safety during wartime.

In 1942, Burgess helped set up a place in Edgware, Middlesex, to share books and writings that promoted negative ideas about Jewish people.

Leading the British League of Ex-Servicemen and Women

By 1944, Burgess, along with Jeffrey Hamm, took charge of the BLESMAW group. This organization started in 1937 as a different option from the Royal British Legion. It held its first big meeting in Hyde Park in November 1944.

The BLESMAW group promoted ideas like "Britain for the British" and believed in racial purity. These ideas caused strong negative reactions from the public. Under Hamm and Burgess, the group became very active in East London, where they were involved in street conflicts. However, by 1946, Burgess was no longer part of the group because Hamm saw him as a competitor for leadership.

New Political Connections

After leaving BLESMAW, Burgess joined forces with Alexander Raven Thomson in his group called the Union of British Freedom. This group aimed to connect smaller local discussion groups that supported the ideas of Oswald Mosley, another well-known political figure.

Burgess was known among other Mosley supporters for giving speeches on Friday nights at Hampstead Heath. Many people who came to listen were Jewish. During one speech, he was reportedly attacked by members of a group called the 43 Group. There were also rumors about his background, including that he might have Romani heritage because of his olive skin. It was also true that his wife, Olive, had been a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain in Hendon.

Involvement with the Union Movement

When the Union Movement (UM) was formed, Burgess joined and became the leader of its important Kensington branch. At first, he had to work alongside Jeffrey Hamm at the party's main office. However, the two men had so many disagreements that Mosley eventually had to separate them. Hamm was sent to Manchester to lead the northern part of the party.

In 1949, Burgess ran for a local council position in Kensington South, London. He received a small percentage of the votes and was not elected.

The Union Movement started to decline after Mosley decided to move to Ireland in 1951. To try and stop this decline, Burgess and his friend Derek Lesley-Jones created the Special Propaganda Service. This was a small group of 18 activists whose job was to travel around the country, providing local branches with materials to promote their ideas. They also tried to attend events held by the Communist Party to cause disruptions. However, disagreements within the Union Movement led to this plan being stopped, and Burgess resigned from the UM in February 1953.

Sources

• An early history of Union Movement. A European Action Publication.
• Thompson, Keith. Victor Burgess: Leadership, idealism and courage. Steven Books. ISBN: 9781904911777