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Admiral Sir Barry Edward Domvile, KBE, CB, CMG (5 September 1878 – 13 August 1971) was a high-ranking Royal Navy officer who was interned during the Second World War for being a Nazi sympathiser.[1] Throughout the 1930s, he expressed support for Germany's Adolf Hitler as well as pro-Nazi and anti-Semitic sentiments. Domvile was implicated in a fascist plot against the British government in 1940.[2]
Sir Barry Domvile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 September 1878 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 13 August 1971 (aged 92) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1892–1936 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | HMS Miranda HMS Tipperary HMS Centaur HMS Curacoa HMS Royal Sovereign Royal Naval College, Greenwich |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George |
Domvile was the son of Admiral Sir Compton Domvile and followed his father into the Royal Navy in 1892.[3] In 1912, he became Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence, and during the First World War he commanded the destroyer HMS Miranda, the destroyer HMS Tipperary, the cruiser HMS Centaur and then the cruiser HMS Curacoa.[3] After the war, he became Director of Plans in 1920, and Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean in 1922 before becoming, in 1925, commanding officer of the battleship HMS Royal Sovereign.[3]
He served as Director of Naval Intelligence from 1927 to 1930, then commanded the Third Cruiser Squadron from 1931 to 1932, and served as President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich from 1932 to 1934.[3]
Domvile visited Germany in 1935 and was impressed by many aspects of the Nazi government. He was invited to attend the Nuremberg Rally of September 1936 as a guest of German Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop. Domvile became a council member of the Anglo-German Fellowship and founded the Anglo-German organisation The Link. He was also a member of the Right Club.[4]
Domvile supported St. John Philby, the anti-Semitic British People's Party candidate in the Hythe by-election of 1939, and visited Salzburg that summer, which attracted some criticism.[5] Domvile was prominent in British far-right circles as the prospect of war seemed imminent in the late 1930s.[6] His pro-Nazi and anti-war sympathies were expressed in an endorsement to the 1939 book The Case For Germany.[7] His endorsement consisted of the comment in the preface:[7]
It is a great pleasure to me to introduce the public to Dr. Laurie's valuable book on modern Germany.
He is best known to the world as a brilliant scientist, but he has found time in the intervals of his work to pursue with ardour the task upon which every sensible member of the British and German races should be engaged – namely the establishment of good relations and a better understanding between these two great nations.
Dr. Laurie knows full well that this friendship is the keystone to peace in Europe – nay, in the whole world. He is one of the small group who founded the Association known as "The Link", whose sole aim is to get Britons and Germans to know and understand one another better. He is one of the most zealous workers in this good cause in the country.
He writes of the National Socialist movement with knowledge and great sympathy. The particular value of this book lies in the fact that it is written by a foreigner, who cannot be accused of patriotic excess in his interpretation of the great work done by Herr Hitler and his associates. I recommend this volume with confidence to all people who are genuinely impressed with the desire to understand one of the greatest – and most bloodless – revolutions in history.
Admiral Sir Barry Domvile, 8 May 1939
In 1940, Domvile was implicated as a participant in a fascist plot, organized by Leigh Vaughan-Henry, against the British government. Vaughan-Henry was reported to have already organized 18 cells of 25 members each for the coup, which was intended to take place when Germany landed in Britain.[8]
In June 1940, Domvile's mistress, Olive Baker, was arrested for distributing leaflets promoting Reichssender Hamburg. She tried to commit suicide in prison and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.[9] Domvile himself was interned during Second World War under Defence Regulation 18B from 7 July 1940 to 29 July 1943.[10] During his wartime captivity, he wrote an autobiographical memoir, From Admiral to Cabin Boy. It was first published in 1947 and republished in 2008.[11]
Domvile largely faded from public life in the postwar period. He was a supporter of the League of Empire Loyalists but was never more than a peripheral figure in that group. He was a member of the National Front's National Council from its formation in 1967 to his death in 1971.[12]
- By and Large, pub Hutchinson, 1936 (His autobiography)
- From Admiral to Cabin Boy (1947; the cabin referred to is his cell at Brixton prison during internment) ISBN 0-89562-099-5; online
- Look to Your Moat (A history of British naval and merchant seamen)
- The Great Taboo: Freemasonry
- Straight from the Jew's Mouth
- Truth about Anti-Semitism
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