When Britain embarked on its long-planned war on Germany in 1914, everything German was put in fear for its life. Low-life Dachshunds could be kicked to death. German Shepherds had to branded as Alsatians . Pork Butchers and jewelers, violinists and waiters, Catholic Priests, Lutheran Pastors, Jewish Rabbis, German Street Musicians. long living happily side by side with Britons, were immediately subject to verbal and physical attack. The Royal Family was scared into disowning the family name, much to the amusement of the King’s First Cousin, the Kaiser, and became the House of Windsor.
A contemptible business. But at the time most of the people, including, most notably, the British Royal Family, were woefully under-educated. When Archduke Ferdinand was murdered at Sarajevo. it perturbed George V because he had been looking forward to receiving him at Sandringham so that they could compete in slaughtering birds with shotgun fire. Within weeks George V was presiding over a War in alliance with the Archduke’s murderers. News of the Sarajevo murders was conveyed to the Kaiser by a British Naval Officer, when the Kaiser, dressed in his role as an Admiral in Britain’s Royal Navy, was inspecting a British warship in a German port. The Kaiser gave the unfortunate conveyor of the message a Great Bollicking for some minor irregularity in his dress or bearing.
When the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, King George V did nothing to have Czar Ncholas II, his first cousin, and family, given asylum in Britain or its possessions. He feared if he did, the British people, who had no time for Czarism, would overthrow himself. And when Lloyd George was advocating hanging the Kaiser, there was not a peep of protest from Buckingham Palace.
The Kaiser found asylum in Holland, which had sensibly stayed neutral in a world gone mad.
Joseph Heller’s CATCH 22 depicted some crazy scenes but none to match the ones described above.
Those of you who read Heller’s masterpiece may remember MILO MINDERBENDER. Milo saw that war as crazy but saw no reason not to profit from the craziness.
Which brings me to the genius HORATIO BOTTOMLEY. It is believed that he was the love-child of Charles Bradlaugh, who was elected to Parliament for Northampton n 1880 but was barred from taking his seat. He was an honest man and would not take the required oath because he did not believe in God. He was jailed and fined and kept winning bye-elections for 8 years, being finally admitted when a Bill, drafted by himself, was passed allowing MPs and witnesses in the Law Courts to make affirmations consistent with their principles.
If Bottomley was indeed Bradlaugh’s son it might explain if not excuse his lack of principles.
Bottomley was a brilliant communicator, a cheap journalist who tailored trash to a generation that owed its limited literacy to the 1870 Education Act introduced to Parliament by “Buckshot” Forster.
One publication was Tit-Bits, a collection of facts, serious or trivial to inform or amuse the readers. I myself sometimes follow the same formula, as you may have noticed.
Another publication, JOHN BULL was Imperialist and jingoist, like its contemporary and ours – THE DAILY MAIL. Lord Salisbury dismissed the DAILY MAIL on its arrival as “A Paper for Office Boys, written by Office Boys.” Salisbury badly under-rated THE DAILY MAIL. It was aimed AT Office Boys. But it was and is still written by Devilishly clever writers for their owner’s Satanic Ends.
For many generations THE DAILY MAIL, which rooted for Mussolini abroad and the Conservative Party at home, has had its favourites win more elections than their rivals. It famously shouted“HURRAH FOR THE BLACKSHIRTS!” a sentiment not far from those espoused by Conservatives in Britain (nor in Ireland, North or South).
JOHN BULL was largely responsible for making life in Britain for Germans and people of German origin dangerous and miserable, German music, art and literature were dismissed as the works
of the devil. Bottomley became an MP and was talked of as a future PRIME MINISTER.
He came a cropper when he persuaded vulnerable people to part with their money for a supposedly charitable scheme . He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
A Prison Visitor, finding him making Mail Bags in Wormwood Scrubs, asked “Sewing, Bottomley?” “No, Reaping” was the reply.
A century later most people in Britain are much better educated. No cynic, such as Bottomley could make a good living by taking most Britons for fools, whip up hysteria at everything German. Nor expect to have such a scoundrel as Bottomley regarded as a likely keyholder to Number 10 Downing Street,
Each morning this Spring, Britons can sing “OH HAPPY DAY!”
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