Neil Francis Hawkins - British Union of Fascists

British Union of Fascists

He split the organisation in 1932 after a quarrel with Lintorn-Orman and took the bulk of the membership with him into Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists Appointed National Defence Force Adjutant upon joining the party, he rose quickly through the ranks, holding the posts of Officer in Charge of the London Area and Chief Administrative Officer before being appointed Director-General of Organisation, a post that made him effectively second in command behind Mosley.

As the leading member of the movement after Mosley, it was Francis Hawkins who developed the notion of BUF members wearing a black shirt under an ordinary suit, an important step for the movement to retain its identity following the banning of uniforms in the Public Order Act 1936. A firm believer in militarism, Francis Hawkins led the military faction within the BUF that successfully resisted the attempts of the likes of John Beckett, Bill Risdon and F.M. Box to convert the BUF into a more normal political party. His power was consolidated by his appointment as Director-General in 1936, a newly created post that gave him power both the political and administrative aspects of the BUF. He advocated a membership based on unmarried men, like himself, arguing that they would give the most fanatical devotion to the movement. He gained a reputation as a workaholic at BUF HQ and he was equally noted for his personal loyalty to Mosley, although he also had a strong influence over his leader and was identified by Special Branch as being responsible, along with William Joyce, for convincing Mosley to embrace anti-Semitism. Mosley would later describe him as "a man of outstanding character and ability".

In 1936 F.M. Box, who had been deputy leader and Francis Hawkins' main rival, left the movement due to the growing influence of the militarists on Mosley. This decision left Francis Hawkins in effective control of the organisation of the BUF. His power ensured he undertook a reorganisation of the structure of the BUF, setting up training programmes for local election agents whilst also adding a more intellectual party organ Action alongside the existing, and more lowbrow, Blackshirt, in an attempt to attract more middle class party members.