After military service in WWI, Mosley was elected to parliament to represent Harrow and thus at the age of 22, became one of the youngest MPs. He was initially a Conservative, then an independent before joining the Labour Party in 1926 and subsequently served as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Labour Government of 1929 -1932. As leader of the British Union of Fascists, (the BUF), he publicly espoused anti-Semitism and sought alliances with other fascist leaders such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. Fascist violence under Mosley’s leadership culminated in the Battle of Cable Street in London’s East End. These events are described in Lebensborn, the second book in the trilogy. This violent rally pitted his 40 thousand Blackshirt followers with the protection of a similar number of Metropolitan Police, against anti-fascist unionists, communists, anarchists, Irish navies, and British Jews.
In May 1940, the BUF was banned and Mosley interned without trial under Defence Regulation 18B. He was detained in Holloway gaol and only released in December, 1943. After WWII, he became a key pioneer of Holocaust denial. He moved abroad after the war ended, first living in Ireland and then France. In 1959, he returned to London and attempted to stand for parliament for the Kensington North constituency. He only received 8.1% of the votes. He died in December 1980 in Orsay, France.
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet & The Battle of Cable Street
