Fascism
In 1926 whilst living in London she accidentally received a letter inviting her to join the National Fascisti which had been addressed to a different Colonel Barker. Arkell-Smith replied to the misdirected letter with the missive "why not", reasoning that membership of what was a macho group would help her pose as a man. She lived at the group's Earl's Court headquarters building where she worked as secretary for the group's leader Henry Rippon Seymour, whilst also involving herself in training young members in boxing and fencing, two activities regularly practised by National Fascisti members. Arkell-Smith involved herself in the kind of rough-housing that became the hallmark of the group and later recalled that "I used to go out with the boys to Hyde Park and we had many rows with the Reds." The fact that she was actually a woman was never picked up upon by her fellow members.
In 1927 she was brought before the Old Bailey on charges of possessing a forged firearms certificate after Rippon Seymour had pulled her gun on another member, Charles Eyres, in a dispute over party funding. Arkell-Smith's lawyers managed to negotiate an acquittal for Colonel Barker, as she was tried as a man, and she left the group soon after this trial.
Read more about this topic: Valerie Arkell-Smith
Famous quotes containing the word fascism:
“Democracy is the menopause of Western society, the Grand Climacteric of the body social. Fascism is its middle-aged lust.”
—Jean Baudrillard (b. 1929)
“Worst of all, there is no sign of any relaxation of antisemitism. Logically it has nothing to do with Fascism. But the human race is imitative rather than logical; and as Fascism spreads antisemitism spreads.”
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)