Barry Domvile
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Barry Edward Domvile KBE
CB
CMG
(1878–1971) was a distinguished Royal Navy officer who turned into a leading British
Pro-German
anti-Semite in the years before the Second World War.
Domvile was the son of Admiral Sir Compton Domvile and followed his father into the Royal Navy. Before the First World War he was Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence
, and during the war he commanded destroyers and cruisers in the Harwich Force. After the war he became Director of Plans, and Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean before becoming, in 1925, commanding officer of the battleship Royal Sovereign
.
He became director of the Department of Naval Intelligence from 1927 to 1930, then commanded the Third Cruiser Squadron from 1931 until 1932, and served as President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich from 1932 to 1934.
Domvile had already visited Germany in 1935, being impressed by many aspects of the Nazi
government, and was invited to attend the Nuremberg Rally of September 1936 as a guest of the German Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop
. He became a council member of the Anglo-German Fellowship
, and founded the Anglo-German organisation The Link
. He supported St. John Philby
, the anti-semitic
British Peoples Party
candidate in the Hythe
by-election
of 1939 and visited Salzburg
that summer, attracting some criticism.
In June 1940 his mistress, Mrs. Olive Baker, was arrested for distributing leaflets in favour of the Nazi radio broadcasts to Britain. She tried to commit suicide in prison, but was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Due to his pro-Nazi
views, Domvile was interned
during World War II
under Defence Regulation 18B
from 7 July 1940 to 29 July 1943. His experience in internment increased his anti-semitism and led him to develop a conspiracy theory
about an organisation he called 'Judmas' ("the Judaeo-Masonic combination, which has wielded such a baneful influence in world history").
Domvile was a prolific diarist. When internment was imminent he hid the latest (56th) volume of his diaries in his garden where it was not discovered by the authorities.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1878–1971) was a distinguished Royal Navy officer who turned into a leading British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Pro-German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
anti-Semite in the years before the Second World War.
Domvile was the son of Admiral Sir Compton Domvile and followed his father into the Royal Navy. Before the First World War he was Assistant Secretary to the Committee of Imperial Defence
Committee of Imperial Defence
The Committee of Imperial Defence was an important ad hoc part of the government of the United Kingdom and the British Empire from just after the Second Boer War until the start of World War II...
, and during the war he commanded destroyers and cruisers in the Harwich Force. After the war he became Director of Plans, and Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean before becoming, in 1925, commanding officer of the battleship Royal Sovereign
HMS Royal Sovereign (05)
HMS Royal Sovereign was a Revenge-class battleship of the Royal Navy displacing and armed with eight guns in four twin turrets...
.
He became director of the Department of Naval Intelligence from 1927 to 1930, then commanded the Third Cruiser Squadron from 1931 until 1932, and served as President of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich from 1932 to 1934.
Domvile had already visited Germany in 1935, being impressed by many aspects of the Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
government, and was invited to attend the Nuremberg Rally of September 1936 as a guest of the German Ambassador Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
. He became a council member of the Anglo-German Fellowship
Anglo-German Fellowship
The Anglo-German Fellowship was a group which existed from 1935 to 1939 and aimed to build up friendship between the United Kingdom and Germany; it was widely perceived as being allied to Nazism...
, and founded the Anglo-German organisation The Link
The Link (organisation)
The Link was established in July 1937 as an 'independent non-party organisation to promote Anglo-German friendship'. It generally operated as a cultural organisation, although its journal, the Anglo-German Review reflected the pro-Nazi views of Admiral Sir Barry Domvile, and particularly in London...
. He supported St. John Philby
St. John Philby
Harry St John Bridger Philby CIE , also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah , his Arabic name, was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer...
, the anti-semitic
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
British Peoples Party
British Peoples Party (1940s)
The British People's Party was a British far right political party founded in 1939 and led by ex-British Union of Fascists member and Labour Party Member of Parliament John Beckett.-Origins:...
candidate in the Hythe
Hythe (UK Parliament constituency)
Hythe was a constituency centred on the town of Hythe in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons until 1832, when its representation was reduced to one member...
by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
of 1939 and visited Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
that summer, attracting some criticism.
In June 1940 his mistress, Mrs. Olive Baker, was arrested for distributing leaflets in favour of the Nazi radio broadcasts to Britain. She tried to commit suicide in prison, but was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Due to his pro-Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
views, Domvile was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
under Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. The complete technical reference name for this rule was: Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations 1939. It allowed for the internment of...
from 7 July 1940 to 29 July 1943. His experience in internment increased his anti-semitism and led him to develop a conspiracy theory
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
about an organisation he called 'Judmas' ("the Judaeo-Masonic combination, which has wielded such a baneful influence in world history").
Domvile was a prolific diarist. When internment was imminent he hid the latest (56th) volume of his diaries in his garden where it was not discovered by the authorities.
Books
- 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
- Look to Your Moat (A history of British naval and merchant seamen)
- The Great Taboo: FreemasonryFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
- Straight from the Jew's Mouth
- Truth about Anti-SemitismAnti-SemitismAntisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...