Here are a few items which have appeared on eBay purporting to be BUF which they are not. First we have a Black Shirt tunic, this is so bad comment isn't really necessary.
Here are a few items which have appeared on eBay purporting to be BUF which they are not. First we have a Black Shirt tunic, this is so bad comment isn't really necessary.
Next we have a 'Union of British Fascists' belt buckle, this is said the be BUF. These have been around for a number of years and even if they are around until doomsday they still won't be BUF. I'm pretty sure this is a fantasy item.
Phew. A final bit of rubbish, this is supposed to be a British Fascist badge and banner top.... in their dreams.
A Fresh Crop of Fake and Fantasy British Union of Fascist Items
I noticed a recent proliferation of bogus items attributed to the British Union of Fascists so thought I'd resurrect this thread. If nothing else, it may help someone to avoid wasting their money on rubbish.
The e-bay vendor writes: 'This and other related items originated from a house clearance some years ago of a female party member at LEYTON BRANCH HEADQUARTERS her brothers and sister were also all in the BRITISH UNION OF FASCISTS'.
First item up is described as 'ACTION PRESS Females Uniform Tunic of SIR OSWALD MOSLEYS - BRITISH UNION FASCISTS It retains its BLACKSHIRT BUTTON & FLASH and CIRCLE PARTY BADGE' - The collar, if that is what it is, is a nothing to do with the Action Press Uniform in either its male or female versions. The tunic for women was essentially the same as the 'fencing jacket' black shirt which was worn from the start of the movement in October 1932 until the banning of uniform under the Public Order Act from 1 January 1937. The badge shown is a modern production, originally sold through a website called World Wide Relics and since been sold on E-bay. There were enameled membership badges made in the 1930s but they are different in design and fixing to the modern items. Anyone collecting in this field needs John Millican's book Mosley's Men in Black which has colour photos of all the original badges, uniforms etc.
Second Item 'A SCARCE ELECTION ROSETTE for SIR OSWALD MOSLEYS BRITISH UNION FASCISTS 1930s'. This horrible thing relates to no contemporary BUF election favour that I have ever seen. I might also add that at the time that the BUF were organising to fight elections, which was in the later 1930s, there was no Leyton branch - there was East Leyton and Leyton West. I can't recall ever seeing a genuine BUF article with such a branch property stamp.
The third item is a well known fantasy piece, which has nothing to do with the BUF or any other British fascist group. The design obviously draws on Third Reich symbolism which was not used by the British Union of Fascists, whose iconography is entirely free of 'skulls' and eagles. Nor would any British Union of Fascists badge ever be inscribed England Awake.
Finally, another horrible confection: 'An Extremely Rare Party Membership Badge of OSWALD MOSLEYS BRITISH UNION OF FASCISTS Flash & Circle to the front & makers name on the back RODEN - LONDON Also early membership number 843' - This seems to be a very crude representation of a chrome plated 'cut-out' British Union members badge, which were made from 1935 onwards. Although Roden were manufacturers of earlier BUF badges their name does not appear on any of these later circle-flash badges and BUF badges were never numbered.
Regards,
Philip
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Another fake armband?
I dare say that this is the appropriate place to post this (fake?) armband too, but I'd appreciate the members' thoughts.
I bought this, rather excitedly, at a car-boot this morning in amongst a pile of WW2 and post war militaria. The nap of the felt cloth looks to have considerable age, which may not show up in the pictures, but the lightening bolt looks thicker than the genuine examples already posted. This is also sewn at the back, rather than having elastic straps. The roundel looks to have had some sort of card backing glued to the inside before the insignia was stitched on. There are tiny white guide marks to the red felt to show size and centre point for the cutters and machinists.
Fake?
Regards,
I should note that the armband looks a lot brighter and more vibrant in the pics than in reality.
Regards,
What an interesting thread gents!
I suspect that this is probably a recent production, as the construction and embroidery is different from the original that I have (see post 61 above). However, I'll make further inquiries to be sure.
Apart from the various fakes that have been made, these have been made as film props - for example, for the mini series Mosley and the film 'It Happened Here'.
Regards,
Philip
Thanks, Philip. Appreciate it. As I say, the nap of the cloth makes it look to me as though it wasn't made yesterday, but, well, await your thoughts!
Thanks,
Hello Popski,
Bad news i'm afraid. I've consulted my expert friend who has confirmed my feeling that your brassard is a modern copy/fake. If its any consolation, the pictures that you posted may help others to avoid similar items. There's a lot of rubbish out there.
As I have mentioned before, the John Millican book Mosley's Men in Black is well worth getting.
Regards, Philip
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