Bruce Lockhart, a British diplomat, journalist, author, secret agent, in his diary for 1933 records Edward, as Duke, telling Louis Ferdinand of Prussia that ‘dictators were very popular these days and that we might want one in England before long’. It must be said that Edward was pro-German and probably anti-Semitic, as were most in his aristocratic class, but he would never have directly supported the treatment of Jews by the Nazis, despite his comments that this was a matter for Germany. Domvile further said that he knew the French were prepared ‘to rat on us and make a separate peace’. He also asserted that he had seen the confidential [Peace] terms and that it would be accepted ‘sooner than anyone supposed – in fact within the next few days’. He also informed the resident that ‘very soon Hitler would be in this country and that would be to the benefit of everyone’.
The Admiralty was also growing in their concerns over the admiral and a report from them called him ‘a chief exponent for the Nazis’ cause in this country’. They complained about his association with Nazi leaders such as Goebbels and were concerned that he was too close to Oswald Mosely. The publishing of his articles in the German press was giving an impression that the naval authorities were endorsing his views, which were not in the interests of the country. Furthermore, they insisted his connections to Laurie and his book did harm to the British cause. There was a growing clamour for Domvile and his wife to be taken out of circulation.
A ‘confidential and private’ handwritten note to MI5 sums this up:
‘As [Redacted] of Sir Barry Domvile’s I read with horror in today’s paper that the ex-members of ‘The Link’ held a secret meeting in London last week. Perhaps you do not realise that despite all Sir Barry Domvile did for his country in the last war, that he is now entirely under the influence of his German wife (whose mother was British) as all Germans seem to have this strong influence. I hope that in view of the 5th column dangers, that you are having both these people closely watched.’ [The writer’s underlining]
In early July 1940, the detention of Admiral Domvile was now actively being considered. A full case review was carried out and it concluded that the admiral had a ‘fanatical admiration for Germany and the Nazi system’. It was felt that this had ‘clouded his judgement’. There was a reluctance to detain him because of his ‘distinguished record’. The only thing that was stopping detention was the lack of proof that he was an actual member of BUF. Much less harmful members of this group had already been detained. The review felt there was a considerable amount of evidence that Domvile was acting against the interests of the country but because there was no hard evidence of membership of BUF detention might be a problem for the Home Secretary to consider. However, it was still thought that some grounds could be established that would allow for such detention. On the basis of this report, on 8 July 1940, having been detained under Defence Regulation 18B, Sir Barry was sent to Brixton Prison and Lady Domvile to Holloway. Compton was sent to Latchmere House for interrogation.
Chapter 8
The Cabin Boy’s New Berth
‘In fact my cell became quite a cabin, and was much admired by various visitors, invited and otherwise.’
Admiral Sir Barry Domvile 1943 (From Admiral to Cabin Boy)
The Admiral’s detention, in his mind, had nothing to do with his own activities. Rather it was a plot that he believed was conceived in the Protocols. This fictitious book, which we have already noted even in Domvile’s day had been discredited, became the background for Domvile to explain what was behind every ill in the world. Indeed, his assertion was that the 18B of the Defence (General) Regulations 1939, was outlined in the Protocols and that the Jews were behind his detention. He spoke of a Jew, Abrahams, being involved in his arrest. In fact, he was arrested by Inspector Keeble of Special Branch. MI5 needed an expert to examine some documents in Domvile’s home which they thought might be related to Lord Haw-Haw, the German propagandist broadcaster. Some days after the arrest, the BBC’s Mark Abrams, who specialised in these broadcasts, was called in to look at the documents and analyse them. He had nothing to do with the arrest or detention of Domvile. In his book, From Admiral to Cabin Boy, Domvile displays a great paranoia about Jews and Masons, coining the term ‘Judmas’ to describe those whose activity was to control the world. He claims copyright for the term, defining it as ‘the principal disturbing factor in world politics for many a long day’.
Domvile believed that his time in Brixton made him fitter and he settled in to his new abode reasonably well. He recounts the arrival at Brixton when he was handed over to the care of the prison services and the inspector who delivered him being given a ‘Body Receipt’. From that time on he wrote, ‘I became a body, nothing more: presumably I parked my soul outside the gates to await the day of deliverance.’ Domvile describes his first accommodation in Brixton, writing:
‘My new residence evokes no tender memories: it was semi-detached, a little larger than a telephone call-box and roofed in with wire netting. It was devoid of furnishings, except for a shelf at the inner end, intended to sit upon but barely wide enough to accommodate a well-upholstered posterior.’
How the Admiral had fallen. From the splendour of his well-furnished Roehampton mansion, he now sat in the sparse surroundings of his cell. It was an uncomfortable experience for him, because of the unknown future and the sounds of other prisoners singing and banging on their doors. He took comfort in a couple of ‘swigs’ from a bottle of whiskey, that he knew he shouldn’t have, but which the ‘Inspector had not discouraged the idea of the bottle accompanying me on my journey’. Eventually he ‘got sick of it’ and became a teetotaller in Brixton. He was moved from his reception cell, enduring a bath in carbolic soap, before he was transferred to F Wing. This was an area of Brixton Prison that had been condemned but was reopened to accommodate detained Aliens and 18B internees. The Admiral found it a gloomy place and his cell again Spartan. He would however become more experienced in prison life and learned how to work the system. The hard board he had to sleep on was ‘too close to the concrete’ and he used the table and chair in the cell to arrange to elevate it from the floor. His watch was taken from him and he found this a great frustration. His daughter therefore became a ‘competent smuggler’ and a cheap Swiss watch was secreted in the cell and kept out of the grasp of the prison officers during cell searches. He found himself in a strange world of routine which had its rules and regulations that at first caused considerable inconvenience to the prisoners. However, the Admiral would begin to ignore them and found the prison authorities would soon abandon any attempts to enforce the rules. However, there was still the situation of confinement where he was in solitary isolation in his cell for twenty-three hours a day. He also recounts the moment a prison officer entered his room to discover that the prisoner was his former senior commander when he was a petty officer in the Navy. His horror and incredulity was relieved when the Admiral ‘quickly disillusioned him and assured him his eyesight was all right: it was only one of his naval deities that was lying shattered at his feet’. So Domvile, the shattered deity, soon was in a very regular routine, which included a twice daily clearing out of ‘slops’, causing him to title himself ‘hereditary pot bearer to the Governor of Brixton Prison’.
F Wing in Brixton separated the detainees into those who had been given a hearing with the advisory committee and those still awaiting their turn. Domvile believed this was to prevent those still waiting from getting any advantage in the ‘one-sided contest with the Tribunal’. The experience seems to have been one of minor deprivation; Spartan conditions with a prison cat and bugs, which apparently did not bite him, for company were his lot. There appears to have been some association with his fellow inmates. He particularly was impressed by the Irishmen who had been detained because of the troubles in Ireland. In writing of Cahir Healey, he compares him as an ‘eagle’ to the ‘carrion crows’ who were the British politicians. The eagle, as Domvile saw it, flapped his wings against prison bars whilst the carrion c
rows were free ‘to pollute our public life’.
Domvile, although not overjoyed at being incarcerated in Brixton, was thankful that he had not been transferred to Liverpool or the Isle of Man, as many others had been. Even more so, he was relieved he had not been sent to Latchmere House at Ham Common, where he believed 18B prisoners were dealt with by ‘Intelligence Officers of Jewish origin’. It was widely held that forms of ‘torture’ were practiced there to obtain information from fifth columnists. His son Compton had spent some time there. Domvile abided his time awaiting the opportunity to defend himself before the Advisory Committee, certain that he would be released.
Chapter 9
The Admiral’s View of Himself
As the Admiral settled into his new berth, he awaited the opportunity to put his case before the Advisory Committee. This committee was set up to advise the Home Secretary by reviewing the detainee’s case and to give their view as to whether someone should be detained or released. The Security Service was convinced that the Admiral and his wife were a threat to the country at war but how did the Admiral see himself?
Domvile claimed that he felt detached from the events and was not bitter at his treatment. He had an arrogance about his situation that was demonstrated when he stated that his friends would understand but those who took an opposite view were considered to have done so in ignorance.
‘Indeed it is an irony of fate that the better the motives for one’s actions, the more likely they are to be misjudged by the ignorant and ill-informed.’
He asserted that what was seen as pro-German activity was no more than ‘efforts to improve the friendly relations and mutual understanding between the British and German nations’. He was convinced that his detention was trigged by ‘two Jewish gentlemen in the House of Commons’. This referred to questions being asked in the House about newspaper reports on his pro-German views. It is not clear who Domvile was referring to as many members asked questions. He held in contempt the politicians who invoked detention and who claimed they were patriotic. He had served his country ‘right or wrong’ and was the real patriot. Now he had to speak out because he was convinced that ‘on this occasion ... the course of the ship of state ... being navigated by its bemused pilots was unnecessarily hazardous’. It was, he felt, his duty to open the eyes of his fellow countrymen to the dangers. The Admiral as always had a great passion for the British Empire. He saw a Government who, in his mind, threatened it by declaring war. When he looked at the Situation he saw that a win, lose or draw in the war created a ‘tertius gaudens' (a rejoicing third party who benefits from the dispute) which would emerge and that it would not be British. His concern was therefore in the interests of the country. He would later claim that he was justified by events.
He had taken a great dislike to Churchill and was further convinced he was being controlled by Judmas. He had experienced him whilst at the Admiralty and was not impressed, seeing Churchill’s role in the current situation as not good for the country. In the Great War, Britain had been concerned for the Empire and its navy that secured it against the German naval threat. After the Great War, Domvile believed a different course should have been taken with Germany. The Treaty of Versailles, Domvile considered was naive and that the idea it could succeed was ‘just silly’. He thought that the League of Nations which emerged from the treaty was the work of Judmas. From this the handling of the lands given back to Poland was an error. The handling of the Mandate for Palestine and Balfour’s declaration also was fraught with risk, in his opinion. The United States refusing to join the League again showed that the British and American relationship was not good for Britain. Domvile asserted that, as ever, Judmas was behind all this. The whole Jewish influence was using the situation to dominate the world’s finances. Not only was the folly of the Government seen in the way they dealt with Germany but their handling of the Irish crisis also showed a lack of wisdom in protecting the Empire. Once again, Judmas was to blame. This conspiracy theory dominated Domvile’s world view and he was on a mission to save Britain and the Empire.
He looked at the situation after the Great War and saw the difference between France and Britain as foolish with France occupying the Ruhr to enforce the Treaty and Britain trying to rebuild Germany. He appeared to support France’s attitudes yet still believed them to be a weak nation. On Hitler’s arrival on the scene the Admiral believed that Jewish influence changed the policy of the Government. This was in the context of Britain’s dislike of the German treatment of the Jews under Hitler. He himself did not offer any condemnation of Hitler’s actions. He was more concerned about Britain’s decision to end the Anglo Japanese Alliance, seeing this as a threat to the Empire. He blamed the United States for this and once more claimed the hand of Judmas was at work. The contrasts in Domvile’s world view was seen in his condemnation of Churchill’s role in the Washington Conference, which Domvile saw as duplicitous, and his approval of the fascist Captain Ramsay’s role in using the stolen American papers by Tyler Kent, to expose Churchill’s dealings with America. Domvile in fact believed Ramsay should be ‘congratulated’ for this.
His anger continued against Government policy, seeing money that should have been spent on the Empire being diverted to deal with Germany. He strongly believed that Jewish influence had meant that Germany was not treated justly and that Judmas was benefiting financially by what was happening in Germany and Poland. When he therefore turned to Hitler he shows a great admiration for him. ‘This remarkable man was fully alive to the evil potentialities of Judmas and was determined to remove its influence in European affairs.’
The only thing Domvile can see wrong with Hitler’s horrendous treatment of the Jews was that it was ‘tactless’ and made enemies and thus obscured his ‘good qualities and real greatness’. He then went on to blame the press who distorted the true picture. Domvile’s satirical comments are telling about his views on Hitler:
‘Of course Hitler came in for the worst of it: Hitler the paper-hanger, Hitler the Rug-biter. I could not help feeling sometimes that if Hitler could produce such striking results on a diet of rugs, our Mr Baldwin might have given a trial to the system, through the medium of the whole carpet stock of Maple’s and Hampton’s emporia, and even Mr Churchill might have improved by chewing a couple of Persian rugs occasionally.’
It should be noted that the term ‘Rug-biter’ arose from rumours started in Germany were the term ‘teppichfresser’ was used to describe Hitler in a rage, when it was said he would throw himself to the floor and chew the rug. The English press did pick this up without any substantiation of the truth. Hitler chewing carpets would certainly amuse their readers.
Hitler had trebled his army and established an air force, both in contravention of the Versailles treaty. Hitler had also carried out ‘Operation Hummingbird’, known as ‘the night of the long knives’, in which he eliminated his opposition. It was in September of 1935 that the notorious Nuremberg Laws were enacted. These laws were a forewarning of what was to come as they were the first steps to rid Germany and Europe of all Jews and to carry out the Holocaust.
It was also in 1935 that Domvile paid his first visit to Nazi Germany at the Nazis’ expense. On this visit, he said he discovered that Judmas and the British press had ‘served up to British breakfast tables’ a fiction about how evil Germany was. This was a very naïve view. What Domvile does not reveal was that he saw the ‘goosestep for the first time’ and there were ‘lots of Nazi salutes and Heil Hitlers. I soon got quite adept’. His diary of the visit also states, ‘Hitler, who gave them back self-respect and raised them from the slough of despair.’ Domvile also visited the SS and SA troops and on one occasion he was asked to review them and was treated as an important guest. He also met regularly with, and appears to have had a fondness for, the Nazi leader Theodor Eicke. Eicke executed Ernst Rohm in Hitler’s purge and Domvile records that Himmler told him Eicke was illegitimate. Himmler protected Eicke and even though he had been imprisoned for bombing politic
al enemies and confined to an asylum, he was appointed as head of Dachau, Hitler’s first concentration camp. He was a prime mover in establishing these concentration camps with their rigid and harsh discipline. Domvile also at dinner proposed Hitler’s health and at these dinners attended by the SS, he notes their rings and the inscription ‘30-6-34 the date of the clean up last year!!’ [The exclamations are in Domvile’s diary entry]. There are obviously a great number of conversations about Anglo/German relationships with Domvile writing, ‘Everyone is well primed for an Anglo/ German entente’. Throughout his visit, Domvile enters details of meeting many prominent Germans and it becomes clear he is being groomed as a bridge for German propaganda into England. Indeed, he saw himself as a key ambassador for Germany in England. At one point he is ‘given a Nazi propagandist book which Pudd will like’. Domvile also notes, with apparent approval, that the Nazis have closed down all Freemasonry museums and stopped all rituals. He particularly enjoys a visit to a museum against Freemasonry and its displays showing ‘Jewish and Freemasonry rituals are the same’.
His summation of a visit to Dachau Concentration Camp was that ‘they [inmates] had very pleasant work to do, and so on, and the camp was very comfortable and the food was very good’. Anyone who has visited Dachau would be amazed at Domvile’s account. The cells contained within them a permanent metal box which was about 2 feet square to the height of the ceiling and in which it was impossible for a human being to sit down. Prisoners were kept in these boxes for days and in extreme cases weeks, without food and water or toilet facilities. It would seem these were never inspected by Domvile. Indeed, Sir Arnold Wilson also visited Dachau at the time and was appalled at what he found. He wrote in The English Review June 1934 edition, in relation to the treatment of Jews there, ‘things were being done of which no reasonable person could approve ... In this matter at present I can see no light’. Stanislav Zámečník, who was a prisoner at Dachau, wrote the history of the camp. In it he described how the camp was prepared for foreigners to present a model prison environment. He wrote,
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