Horatio Bottomley and the Far Right Before Fascism (Routledge Studies in Fascism and the Far Right)

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Quinn, Anthony (24 June 2016). "The precursor to Bottomley's John Bull". Magforum blog . Retrieved 6 July 2016. O ne thing is certain. When Bottomley was penniless and ailing unto death, he was looked after by his favorite mistress, Peggy Primrose, the love of his life, a minor failed actress upon whose career he had spent a fortune trying to promote. She stayed with him until he died. She provided a wreath of red roses at his funeral (for which she paid) with the message “Rest, beloved. I am so glad you worked out the Karma.” She was overcome with grief as they led the coffin away.

Horatio Bottomley". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018 . Retrieved 19 September 2018. Bottomley’s origins were not altogether auspicious. He was born in Bethnal Green in the East End of London in 1860. His father was a tailor’s cutter who drank heavily, had once been admitted to a lunatic asylum probably with delirium tremens, and died of a recurrence when Horatio was three. His mother died not long after, and by the age of four Horatio was an orphan. Horatio Bottomley was a sincere believer in all things English. And like all genuine patriots he chose the best way to act on his patriotism which was to enrich himself as fast as he could. If he did so more fabulously than others it was only because better opportunities provided themselves to him.

The hugely influential newspaper editor, politician, orator and crook had a remarkable journey from poverty to Westminster and back — he was well ahead of his time, writes STEPHEN ARNELL

In politics, independents have more tangled roots. Not all of those who are described as political independents are virtuous free thinkers. Far from it. Paraphrasing Malvolio, you could say of independents that some are born independent, some become independent, and many have a form of independence thrust unwillingly upon them. At one meeting a man in the audience shouted out: "Isn't it time you went and did your bit, Mr. Bottomley?" Bottomley replied: "Would to God it were my privilege to shoulder a rifle and take my place beside the brave boys in the trenches. But you have only to look at me to see that I am suffering from two complaints. My medical man calls them anno domini and embonpoint. The first means that I was born too soon and the second that my chest measurement has got into the wrong place." This was known as his “Prince of Peace” speech, and you only got it if receipts for the night were of sufficient size. When he arrived in prison, he was so fat that could not remove his own shoes or trousers. (On a morale-boosting visit to the front during the war—Bottomley and his John Bull were immensely popular with the troops—the general with whom Bottomley was touring told him, when some firing began, to get down on his stomach, but Bottomley refused on the grounds that to do so would make him a bigger target than he was when erect.) When Bottomley was first given his prison bread and cocoa in late afternoon, he turned it down, saying that he would rather wait for dinner, not realizing that the bread and cocoa was dinner.

When Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, John Bull’s opinion had been harsh and direct – Serbia was clearly a nation of anarchists and troublemakers, and Austria should definitely take action against it. However when the continent’s interconnected weave of alliances and agreements led to this meaning war between Germany and Britain, John Bull swiftly changed its tone. Now the “Austrihuns” and the “Germhuns” were the enemy, as was anyone in Britain of Germanic descent. [4] On the 14th September Horatio gave a speech at “ John Bull’s Great Patriotic Rally For Recruitment”. He denounced the party system of government, and declared that the war could be swiftly concluded if all power was placed in the hands of a man with “the ear of the people”. (No prizes for guessing who his prime candidate was.) He declared that it was the destiny of the “Anglo-Saxon race” to fight this war, and that it could be swiftly won, as long as people fought fiercely enough. In 1902 Bottomley bought the evening newspaper, The Sun. He was unable to increase its circulation and he sold the newspaper in 1904. Two years later, with the support of the Odham's Press, he launched the John Bull Magazine in May 1906. The journal's masthead asserted that it was written "without fear or favour, rancour or rant" to uphold the interests of the common man. Member of Parliament Peter Baker, the Conservative MP for South Norfolk, was automatically expelled on 16 December 1954 when he was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment after forging signatures on letters purporting to guarantee debts when his companies ran into financial difficulties. He had, in fact, a temperament more common to journalists than business men, and like most journalists he was more successful in making money when the business side of the concern was in other hands.Horatio William Bottomley (23 March 1860– 26 May 1933) was an English financier, journalist, editor, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his editorship of the popular magazine John Bull, and for his nationalistic oratory during the First World War. His career came to a sudden end when, in 1922, he was convicted of fraud and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment. But as well as felony there has been tragedy, with some MPs victims of the laws of their era. Sir Paul Latham, the Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby, resigned in 1941 after being sentenced to two years in prison. He had been arrested for "improper behaviour" – homosexual acts – while on military service during the war. He subsequently attempted to kill himself by riding a motorcycle into a tree but survived, was court-martialled, charged with 10 counts of "indecent conduct" and sent down. We have remained silent with regard to certain facts which have been in our possession for a long time. First of all, we knew that he was registered as James MacDonald Ramsay – and that, therefore, he had obtained admission to the House of Commons in false colours, and was probably liable to heavy penalties to have his election declared void. But to have disclosed this state of things would have imposed upon us a very painful and unsavoury duty. We should have been compelled to produce the man’s birth certificate. And that should have revealed what today we are justified in revealing – for the reason we will state in a moment. It would have revealed “James Ramsay Macdonald”, MP for Leicester, late “leader” of the Labour Party, late member of a Royal Commission, under the seal of His Majesty, the leading light of the “Union of Democratic Control” – libeller and slanderer of his country – it would have revealed him as the illegitimate son of a Scotch servant girl.” Horatio William Bottomley ((1860–1933) was an English financier, journalist, newspaper proprietor, swindler, and Member of Parliament. His public career came to an abrupt end when in 1922 he was convicted of fraud and imprisoned. Brought up in an orphanage, Bottomley began as an errand boy; his industry enabled him, at 24, to found a publishing company through which he launched, among other titles, the Financial Times. As a financier his methods often brought him into conflict with the law, but by 1900 he had amassed a fortune as a promoter of shares in dubious gold-mining companies. Bottomley entered parliament as a Liberal Party MP in 1906, and founded John Bull magazine as a platform for his populist views. In 1912 he was declared bankrupt and forced to resign from parliament, but following the outbreak of war in 1914 he became a leading propagandist for the patriotic cause, and was tipped for government office. In 1918, having been discharged from bankruptcy, Bottomley re-entered parliament and launched his fraudulent "Victory Bonds" scheme which ultimately led to his conviction and imprisonment. Released in 1927, he eked a living by lectures and appearances in music halls, before his death in poverty. ( Full article...) Death of Horatio Bottomley". The Straits Times. 27 May 1933. p.13. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 . Retrieved 5 July 2014.

Bottomley was, at least for a year or so, a diligent parliamentarian who spoke on a range of issues, and from time to time teased the government as when, during the Irish Troubles, he asked whether, "in view of the breakdown of British rule in Ireland, the government will approach America with a view to her accepting the mandate for the government of that country". [110] On other occasions he helped the government, as when in January 1919, he was called upon in his role of "Soldier's Friend" to help pacify troops in Folkestone and Calais who were in a state of mutiny over delays in their demobilisation. [111] [112] Downfall [ edit ] John Bull advertises Bottomley's "Victory Bonds" scheme, 12 July 1919. Bottomley also had a luxury apartment in Pall Mall and owned several racehorses. He twice won the Cesarewitch and several other races, but never achieved the successes in the Derby or the Grand National, even though he spent a great deal of money trying to achieve this ambition. He also lost a great deal of money on failed betting coups. In 1918, having been discharged from bankruptcy, Bottomley re-entered parliament as an Independent member. In the following year, he launched his fraudulent "Victory Bonds" scheme which, when exposed, led to his conviction, imprisonment and expulsion from parliament. Released in 1927, he attempted unsuccessfully to relaunch his business career and eked out a living by lecturing and appearances in music halls. His final years before his death in 1933 were spent in poverty. In March 1922 he was charged with fraud. Tried before Mr Justice Salter at the Old Bailey, Bottomley was found guilty on twenty-three out of twenty-four counts and sentenced to seven years' penal servitude. His legal appeal was rejected and he was expelled from the House of Commons. He was released from Maidstone Prison in July 1927 after serving five years.In 1923, the magazine was said to be "ultra-patriotic." [ citation needed] Geoffrey Williamson was editor around this time. Evidence of the magazine being in print are cited in 1931, [22] 1939, and 1944. During John Bull's run it incorporated other magazines, such as Illustrated (1958), Passing Show, and Everybody's Weekly (1959). Horatio’s uncle George Holyoake was an outspoken secularist, and in 1842 he had been the last person in Britain to be convicted of blasphemy in a public lecture. [1] One of his allies was Charles Bradlaugh, who became a mentor to young Horatio. [2] Bradlaugh was an active pamphleteer (he was prosecuted in 1877 for publishing one promoting birth control) and this was Horatio’s first exposure to the world of publishing. It was a growth industry in the late 19th century, and in 1884, just after receiving his partnership, Horatio made his first break into it. According to A. J. A. Morris: "His (Bottomley) patriotic appeals were barely disguised music-hall turns. The praise he received served to feed his latent megalomania. His political ambitions had always tended towards fantasy so that when, in December 1916, Lloyd George became prime minister Bottomley declared that he was ready to serve his country in some official capacity or other. He did not seem to realize that he was indelibly associated with dishonesty. Just as the blatant vulgarity of his writing in John Bull shamed journalism, so his speeches, with their ignominious appeals for sacrifice, degraded public life."