FOREWARNED Against fascism, No 1, undated.
Originally the publication sold for tenpence. The first issue was published by Daphne Liddle from her London SE7 home. Subsequent issues were published by Anti-Fascist Democratic Action, in other words Daphne Liddle. Liddle edited it throughout.
Never be duped by words like democratic. This is a slightly hysterical publication (slightly!), printed on poor quality paper and on an obviously limited budget.
Page 2: “Fascists are gaining a vital financial leg-up from LANDED sources.”
Dave Roberts, pages 7 & 13.
According to this article (page 7), the Provisional Anti-Fascist Action Committee was founded December 1973, and Dave Roberts was a founder member. [The text says it was founded December 1972 but has been manually altered].
The reader is informed that Roberts will be joining the staff of Forewarned on his release from Stafford Prison. (Read moving in with his lover, Daphne Liddle).
In December 1973, Roberts was a founder member of the Provisional Anti-Fascist Committee. It is claimed that Roberts was working for Searchlight; presumably this article was written by Liddle.
Page 13: Roberts was said also to have uncovered V.M.O. offering their members holidays in Ulster with “a guaranteed kill”.
Credo Sunday, January 8, 1978 TV Times Jan 7-13, page 37.
“This first programme probes the churches [sic] record on the race problem, and asks if they should be taking a stronger stand against the National Front.”
This programme was screened at 6.25pm. It’s more than likely that Searchlight, in particular, Ludmer, laid their grubby little paws on this.
Ambiguité et pratique sémiotique, by Gill Seidel in Travaux de Léxicométrie et de Léxicologie Politique, 3, 105-22, (1978).
[Not seen by compiler. This is listed in ARGUING AND THINKING: A rhetorical approach to social psychology, by Michael Billig, published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, Second Edition, (1996), page 312.]
The National Front INVESTIGATED, published by Labour Research Department, London, (January 1978). 28 pages. [This publication is actually credited as published 1/10/January 1978.]
The author(s) of this pamphlet are uncredited; they have obviously drawn their information from many sources; unfortunately a fair bit of it (or perhaps that should read an unfair bit of it!) has come from the Searchlight clowns.
Page 1 credits David Edgar. Searchlight magazine is listed on the back page. On page 26 we are told that Column 88 is a “Neo-nazi paramilitary unit active from 1968 onwards. Discovered to have infiltrated certain territorial army units. Has close links with neo-nazi movements abroad. Models itself on German SS; engages in Nordic rites.” This is straight out of Searchlight and is complete rubbish of, course.
READER RESPONSE, from League Review, February 1978, issue 18, page 21.
Letter from S.H. of Pinner taking issue with League columnist Heimdall’s attack on the Jews – “Racial harmony and intermarriage are not the same thing.”
DESTINY, by David Edgar, published by Eyre Methuen, London, (March 1978). 96 pages.
A reprint; originally published September 1976.
[BBIP, 1980]
TOP NATS BRANDED ‘RACE TRAITORS’, by Nic van OUTDSHOORN, published in the (Johannesburg) Sunday Times, March 19, 1978, page 5.
This is the main story. A secondary story, The National Front is playing it cool, by Ray Joseph, says that Jack Noble, who worked as a barman, and the party, mostly ex-patriat Britons, denied Nazi and anti-Semitic sympathies.
On the same page, Tyndall unimpressed, by David Beresford, is a small article which needs no explaining.
NF and KKK:
in it together, by Maurice Ludmer, published in the Morning Star, March 25, 1978, page 4.
Wailing and gnashing of teeth over Tyndall’s anti-Semitism; covers David Duke’s visit to Britain. “The National Front really is a nazi front...”
Bomb
misses
anti-nazi, by Philip Cohen, published in the Morning Star, March 30, 1978, page 1.
Richard Verrall said to have put this down to agents provocateurs. The adverse publicity was designed to harm the National Front’s performance in a forthcoming bye-election.
FOREWARNED Against fascism, No 2, April 1978.
Page 3: David John King was said to be the leader of the “White Resistance”, a Ku Klux Klan group. He was bailed on a charge of possessing cannabis resin.
Page 3: ROUND BRITAIN... reports that “Dave Roberts, the SEARCHLIGHT researcher...” was released from gaol March 17, and met at the gate by Maurice Ludmer. He served 10 months of a 15 month sentence for “assault” on three National Front members. [Liddle’s quotes].
Page 6: “...ATTACKS AND SLANDERS AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION, whose record in stopping fascist attempts at world domination and in taking positive action to prevent fascist revivals is second to none, MUST CEASE.”
Page 8: “Searchlight” gets more “fan mail” from the Continent. Column 88 is suggested to be responsible.
Page 11: Anti-fascist leader speaks out, reported by L.H. Bell
Fascists are said to be “WINNING the war”. Column 88 said to be above the law and safe from arrest. Roberts called on the authorities to arrest the leaders of Column 88 and the Eleventh Hour Brigade under the Public Order Act, ban all fascist marches, meetings and literature. “Only then” he added, “could violence on a large and ever escalating scale be avoided.”
Presumably this meant that if “fascism” were to be proscribed, he wouldn’t have to firebomb any Indian restaurants.
Page 17: COLUMN 88 AND THE PARCEL BOMBS is more hysterical claptrap.
La culture est l’inversion de la VIE POLITICAL THEATRE PART ONE, by David Edgar, published in socialist REVIEW, April 1978, number 1, pages 16-9.
League Review, April 1978, issue 19, page 23.
A letter from S.B. of Reading protesting against Sonia Hochfelder, “the fervently Zionist SH...”
Communist HQ blast by “Nazi” parcel bomb, by T.A. Sandrock, published in the Daily Telegraph, April 5, 1978, pages 1 & 36.
Parcel bombs said to have been posted to the Communist Party headquarters in Covent Garden and to NUPE HQ. Both bombs were posted in York. Phone calls claiming responsibilty were made to the Daily Telegraph news desk and to the Daily Mirror and Independent Radio. The caller was said to have been a young man with an educated voice. Reports that a bomb was previously sent to a thirty-two year old SWP member.
NAZIS CLAIM POST BOMBS published in the Morning Star, April 5, 1978, pages 1 & 3.
A bomb is said to have burned and cut the 62 year old caretaker who opened it. Ludmer is quoted.
Col 88
– spawn of the
nazi SS
A correspondent looks at
the nazi group that
claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s
bombs, published in the Morning Star, April 6, 1978, page 3.
Alludes to the May 1976 Thames TV programme, ie Searchlight.
Police get lead to origin of London parcel bombs, by Stewart Tendler and Robert Parker, published in the Times, April 6, 1978, page 2.
Two parcel bombs were sent to the Communist Party’s headquarters and the London office of NUPE. Four claims for responsibility were made, from from one man, apparently. The Eleventh-Hour Brigade and Column 88 were named. Column 88 said to have a nucleus of about thirty members. “What knowledge there is about the group comes mainly from Mr Richard David Roberts...”
“WRONG ADDRESS” BOMB, by T.A. Sandrock, published in the Daily Telegraph, April 6, 1978, page 8.
Other groups also said to have claimed responsibility. The NUPE bomb was said to have been sent to the wrong address.
Parcel bomb sent to Asian car worker, by T.A. Sandrock, published in the Daily Telegraph, April 7, 1978, page 2.
One claim for responsibility came from a caller to the Daily Telegraph news desk, supposedly on behalf of Column 88, but “Mr Donald Mudie, a 50-year-old school caretaker and former Army colour sergeant, of Telford, Shropshire, said it was outrageous to suggest that his group would contemplate the use of bombs to obtain their ideals.”
Tariq Ali to seek police guard after fire-bomb, by T.A. Sandrock, published in the Daily Telegraph, April 11, 1978, page 2.
Reports a fire bomb attack on The Other Bookshop in Islington, London, the previous Sunday. The Eleventh Hour Brigade said to have claimed responsibility as well as Column 88.
West Indian Block’s white general secretary reveals ‘I SPIED AGAINST FASCIST GROUPS’, published in the South London Press, April 28, 1978, page 1.
The man in question claimed to have spied for the 62 Group.
The West Indian Block was a fringe political party. The man referred to, Peter Meadows, was said to have been a 41 year old former member of the BUF. Obviously this should have read Union Movement.
DAVID EDGAR ON POLITICAL THEATRE PART TWO, published in socialist REVIEW, May 1978, number 2, pages 35-8.
The British Right, Edited by N Nugent and R King, reviewed by David Edgar, published in RACE & CLASS, Summer 1978, Vol XX, Number 1, pages 103-5.
Forewarned Against fascism, No 3, May 1978.
Pages 1-2: an unsigned article FASCISTS STEP UP GANGSTER TACTICS is more rubbish about Column 88. It claims it has an underground army of 300 men and women. The National Front is said to have “rich landowner patrons”. With further reference to Column 88, the reader is told that in the meantime “...we have to await events that could bring death and disaster to anti-fascists ant [sic] their families.” Editor Liddle is still around at the time of writing (September 2002), so her fears appear to have been totally unfounded.
Column 88 is said to have existed for ten years, ie “the 10 years of 88’s existence”.
Page 3: Fascists declare “We are going to bomb and burn”
They lied, apparently. It refers to Searchlight, which has “excelled by publishing the transcript of an 88 recruiting tape in full.”
Page 6: Labour connection in buggings case, by Dave Roberts
Column 88 et al are said to have had Labour Party documents in their possession.
Pages 12-3: The split in the National Front reviewed, PART ONE, by Dave Roberts.
May 1978: Searchlight, issued 33.
This is a scan of the front cover and pages 3-9.
This includes the main article COLUMN 88 THE NAZI UNDERGROUND billed as A Searchlight exclusive
COLUMN 88 INSTRUCTION TAPE which includes the lyrics to what is called BATTLE SONG – based on the Horst Wessel Song
THE CARDIFF WARRANT – whatever that is...
And after that Nazi Flynn of Milton Keynes followed by an invitation to donate to the magazine.
League Review, June 1978, issue 20, pages 21-2.
A long letter by Sonia Hochfelder in defence of Zionism responding to S.B. Makes plain her position, ie not a Revisionist, “I am not qualified to comment in detail about SB’s selection of quotations from the Talmud...”
Nat Front Noble gets a message from his boss: ’Get out!’, by Rob Hudson, published in the (Johannesburg) Sunday Times, July 23, 1978, page 1.
Jack Noble is said to have run an anti-censorship campaign in 1971. A resident in South Africa for 17 years, he was dismissed from his job as a bar man in a three star hotel. Said to have referred to is as a gay bar, but this may have been sour grapes. Anonymous callers had threatened to blow up the hotel unless he was sacked. The SANF is said to have built up a membership of nearly four hundred in 4 months.
Onward Christian ‘soldiers’ – to a future of racialism: PUBLIC MEETINGS SIMILAR TO NAZI RALLIES IN THE THIRTIES, by Desmond Blow, published in the (Johannesburg) Sunday Express, July 23, 1978, pages 10-11. [This is an article covering three South African white racial-nationalists, one of them, Jack Noble; Hill was not mentioned].
FOREWARNED AGAINST FASCISM, No 4, August 1978
Page 2: “At the present rate of escalation it can only be a matter of time before anti-fascists start getting killed by the terrorist bombs. It is a miracle that this has not happened so far but there have already been racialist killings.”
A bomb sent to the office of the Morning Star newspaper exploded and badly burned a woman in her 70s.
Page 3: “The 88 Brigade” are said to have claimed responsibility for at least 4 attacks in a communique to Searchlight.
Page 5: an article Unsocial gossip, by Peter Head, reports that Sonia Hochfelder joined the Communist Party of Britain Marxist-Leninist then the Communist Party of England and at the time of writing was one of the top Nazis in the League of St George. It is said also that she was not Jewish. (Did anybody ever believe that?)
Pages 6-7: A Threat to freedom, by Dave Roberts
This threat is the N.A.F.F., which is said to have “one foot on the road to fascism”.
Page 9-10, The split in the N.F. reviewed, PART TWO, by Dave Roberts.
Pages 10-11: Chile: the Junta’s British friends, by D. Roberts.
This refers to the 1975 LWT programme, on which Gable worked.
League Review, August 1978, issue 21, page 20, READER RESPONSE –
Two letters concerning Sweet Sonia, one from C. Horner who complains thus: “Dear Sir, I am heartily sick and tired of Jew S. Hochfelder’s ceaseless efforts to force this troublesome tribe of self chosen people down our throats...Must their infiltration, whining and take-over be put up with even in the last bastions of white-racial circles?”;
SEARCHLIGHT – A THORN IN THE FASCISTS SIDE, published in Forewarned Against Fascism, August 1978, issue 5, page 14.
Police deny being indifferent over fire, by Robert Parker, published in the Times, August 2, 1978, page 2.
Reports that a note found at the scene of a fire which destroyed the Albany Empire, a “multi-racial club” in South East London, said “got you” and bore the number 88. The cause of the fire was said to be doubtful.
Hitback
The journal of the South African National Front.
The only issue the current writer has seen to date (May 2003) is Number 2 AUGUST 15, 1978.
(I have a photocopy – if complete, this A4 magazine runs to 13 pages). On the back page the reader is informed that it is
Printed and published by the editor and proprieter
Ray Hill at 67 Olivia Road, Berea, 2198,
Johannesburg, South Africa. Political Comment by
V.C. Richens, A. Frampton, R. Hill and J. Noble,
all of the above address.
Not a nice magazine, but Ray Hill was never a nice person.
Patterns of racism: interviews with National Front members, by Michael Billig, published in RACE & CLASS, Autumn 1978, Vol XX, Number 2, pages 161-79.
An extract adapted from Billig’s book Fascists; the article has the same title as one of the obscene pieces of anti-white poison spewed out by this perfidious institute which attempts to portray the root of all evil as Aryanism and capitalism.
The Jail Diary of Albie Sachs, Adapted by David Edgar, published by Rex Collings, London, (September 1978). 79 pages.
A play. More anti-white poison and fawning over a Jewish “anti-fascist”.
[BBIP, 1980]
Police warning to NF militants, by Ray Joseph, published in the (Johannesburg) Sunday Times, September 17, 1978, page 9.
Chairman Ray Hill is said to have lived in South Africa for five years, but this is obviously a mistake. Several SANF members had confronted Desmond Tutu. “We are not a violent group, but we will not hesitate to defend ourselves.”
Lifting the lid off the “Anti-Nazi League”, published in support of the National Front Ex-Servicemen’s Association by NFN Press, with a Foreword by Squadron-Leader John Harrison-Broadley, Edited by Martin Webster, (October 1978). 24 pages. Illustrated.
This A4 pamphlet covers ANAL and all its foul-smelling connections, including Searchlight. I was informed in a personal communication from Malcolm Skeggs dated 10 August 1994 that this publication was written principally by Richard Lawson, who was persona non grata with the National Front after the 1975 split. Martin Webster commissioned him behind the Directorate’s back and took the credit for the finished product!
Fascists: A Social Psychological View of the National Front, by Michael Billig, published by Academic Press/Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, London, (November 1978). 393 pages. Index.
The Protocols Of Zion get many mentions in this book. Arnold Leese (1878-1956) gets quite a few mentions too, but nothing of significance except on pages 112-3 Billig says that the Imperial Fascist League abandoned its contempt for electoral processes and entered a council election and won it. This is nonsense; Leese became a councillor before the IFL was founded.
Page 121: of the Odal Rune, Billig says: “The same symbol is also used by the clandestine paramilitary nazi organisation, Column 88”.
[BBIP, 1980]
Race pamphlets anger residents, published in the Rand Daily Mail, November 23, 1978, page 7.
The thing that struck me when Mark and I were researching Hill’s activities in South Africa was the reaction of ordinary whites to his hatemongering. I think it is fair to say that white South Africans were at that time just about the most reviled people on the face of this planet, yet although the overwhelming majority of them supported Apartheid or at least went along with racial segregation, they did not regard themselves as racist, whatever is meant by that much over-used, nebulous and increasingly boring epithet. Advertisements in the newspapers we researched frequently featured blacks, and there was a general good will there. Then these English emigrants stepped into the fray and began stirring up trouble for no reason – no good reason – and it got their backs up.
Hill is not mentioned in this article, but once again we see clear evidence of his handiwork, while Jack Noble is left to carry the can.
UK ‘Front’ boss seeks SA visa, by Ray Joseph, published in the (Johannesburg) Sunday Times, November 25, 1978, page 15.
Hill is quoted as saying that they’d decided to apply for a visa for fear that Tyndall may not be allowed “out of the airport” (This had happened in Rhodesia “18 months ago”). Hill appeared to be the driving force behind the SANF.
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