Rules of the Game; Beyond the Pale: Memoirs of Sir Oswald Mosley and Family

Sir Oswald Mosley (1896-1980) organized and led the British Union of Fascists during the 1930s and is remembered for his campaigns directed against the Jews. He and his wife, the former Diana Mitford, a friend of Hitler, were interned by the British government on unspecified charges throughout most of WW II, after which Mosley attempted unsuccessfully to revive the movement. His son Nicolas ( Hopeful Monsters ) here writes a pleasantly rambling but evasive memoir describing in general terms his father's military service in the First World War, his parliamentary career from 1918 to 1931, and his sudden appearance in '32 at the head of the small but vociferous Blackshirts. The author writes movingly about what it was like to serve as a British soldier in the war against Hitler and be regarded at the same time as the son of a notorious traitor. His loyalty to his father has seemingly constrained him to tread lightly in telling his story--understandable on the human level but disappointing to the reader. Photos. (June)