Combat by John Bean

John Bean has asked me to publish this article about the magazine Combat written by an old comrade of John's named Bill Baillie.

An excellent and interesting read. It traces not only the history of the Combat magazine, but also the internal ideological diferences that have been part of the British Nationalist movement for decades.






Ten years of Combat

I have taken possession of almost every issue of Combat from 1958 to 1968. Only # 16 and 37 are missing. If anybody out there has these missing copies please let me know. This parcel constitutes 41 issues, containing half a million words, or the equivalent of three bumper books.

With the passage of time many of the views expressed in Combat seem shocking. And with the benefit of hindsight its fears about the threat of Communism can be put down to the Cold War. But the original 7 points of policy of the National Labour Party are still valid.

The first issue of John Bean’s newspaper Combat appeared in the autumn of 1958. It carried the headline “Martyrs of Notting Hill” which criticised the four year jail sentences handed down at the Old Bailey to white teenagers involved in the Notting Hill race riot of September 1958. In uncompromising style it questioned the fitness of the judge to try the case.

“We do not doubt that Mr Justice Salmon is a very competent judge for dealing with cases of alleged share fiddling by financiers, but as a Jew, it is our opinion that he should not have presided over this case. The case centred on the antipathy of representatives of one race towards another, and the whole history of the Jewish race is interlaced with numerous instances of their embroilments with other races, such as the events in Germany during the Nazi regime. Justice Salmon would not be human if this case had not influenced him, unwittingly of course, in favour of coloured people, also a minority group in this country.”

This article set the tone that was to last for a decade. In fact there were four distinct phases of editorial policy, each reflecting the views and prejudices of the leading figures in the party.

For the first two years the paper served the National Labour Party that was founded by John Bean on Empire day May 24th 1958.

The NLP was committed to the following policy:

1. The old British Empire has been thrown away to be replaced by a meaningless charade called the “Commonwealth,” which as an effective world power is non-existent. In its place we advocate a new Union of the white dominions with whom we have common ties of blood.

2. The new union of British nations, allied with our racial kinsmen of Western Europe, must become the world’s third stabilising force; independent of both the American money power and the tyranny of Communism.

3. The answer to industrial unrest and Communist agitation is Workers’ Partnership. Workers’ elected representatives will participate equally with management and shareholders in the running of their industries and in the sharing of profit dividends.

4. In place of the outdated House of Lords we advocate a consultative assembly of all professions and occupations, available to give specialised advice to the House of Commons. This assembly will be elected on an occupational basis.

5. Coloured immigration must be stopped. Not only does it aggravate the housing problem, and constitute a serious threat to workers’ living standards in view of increasing unemployment but, most important, it will turn our nation into a race of mongrels.

6. Every incentive must be given to agriculture to make every acre of ground productive. Farms and farm workers’ houses are entitled to the same amenities as
enjoyed by townsfolk, e.g., electricity and main drainage, even if this has to be subsidised by the townsfolk.

7. A sound financial system should be based on the nation’s ability to produce goods.
Not on the power of the banks to create paper debts at will.

The NLP’s economic and social policies were clearly outlined in the pages of Combat. The housing crisis of the 1950s and rising unemployment were a constant theme in the early days. But an article in the very first issue revealed an obsession with the “Nordic Master Race”. In an article entitled “Race and Civilisation – History’s Warning”, John Tyndall expounded his view of history based on 19th century pseudo-science. According to JT all civilisations were founded by Nordics; even the Minoan and Egyptian civilisations that left us coloured images clearly showing them to be Mediterranean whites. He describes the racial stock of the British in glowing terms.

“The racial content of our own country, which is built by fusions of branches of this Nordic stock, is – or should we say was – probably unexcelled anywhere in the world. Here, Anglo-Saxon, Celtic, Norman and Viking strains have combined to produce what has been proved to be one of the highest levels of intelligence amongst the world’s races.”
No mention of the Iberians who were the original inhabitants of the British Isles. Professor Stephen Oppenheimer’s DNA analysis shows that most white Britons are related to the Basques of Spain and France whose ancestors colonised Britain at the end of the Ice Age. But JT probably wouldn’t have taken any notice of a scientist with the “alien” name of Oppenheimer.

It was the Nordic theory that separated the NLP from Mosley’s Union Movement. They shared virtually the same social policies and their economic policies both involved a union of the White Dominions with Europe. Union Movement stood for the whole of Europe – at least the western half that was not occupied by the Red Army – but the NLP restricted itself to northwest corner of Europe.

The three principle writers of Combat, John Bean, John Tyndall and Andrew Fountaine each had their own distinctive input. John Bean dealt with elections, campaigns and party organisation, John Tyndall concentrated on “racial hygiene” and Andrew Fountain on history and economics.

The NLP phase lasted until issue #5 of March 1960.

Issue # 6 of June 1960 supported the British National Party, a union of the National Labour Party with Colin Jordan’s White Defence League. The WDL had a HQ at 74 Princedale Road in West London. This was bequeathed to CJ by Arnold Leese the pre-war leader of the Imperial Fascist League. The marriage lasted just two years and ended in acrimonious divorce. John Bean retained Combat and most of the members but Colin Jordan got the Spearhead gang and the house. 74 Princedale Road was sold in 2011 for over £2 million – long after Colin Jordan had moved on.

Combat entered its second phase with a front page article on immigration entitled “The Black Invasion.”

“By its criminal folly in refusing to place any restrictions whatsoever on this influx into Britain, the Tory government, more concerned with not giving offence to Pandit Nehru, Dr Nkrumah and other leaders of the Black Commonwealth than looking after our children’s’ future, are ensuring that the racial strife we see enacted in South Africa comes to Britain. Full support is given to this policy by both Labour and Liberal Parties. Yet when did they ask the people their views on this burning issue?”
For the first time the paper featured an article by Colin Jordan entitled “Jewish Economic Conquest.”

“Every now and again someone says to us “Why don’t you keep the Jews out of it? You would get much more support if you did.

Only ignorance or cowardice would enable us to do this, since the Jews have put
themselves smack in the middle of the British political picture by the enormous power that they have acquired here, and the consequent influence they exert over the country’s policies, including the suicidal toleration of mass coloured immigration. Those who are unaware of the power of the Jews should recognise their obligation to enquire and consider. Those who are scared of the Jews – whatever euphemism they may invoke for their condition – should reflect that you can only make true progress by converting people to the truth, however slow and hard that may be, not by converting yourself at the expense of truth to the current misconceptions of the public.”

Issue # 8 of November 1960 contained the first instalment of Andrew Fountains’ “The Meaning of an Enemy.”

“This is the first of two articles in which the author deals with what is perhaps the greatest tragedy ever to beset Europe: the destruction if its spiritual unity that existed for over a thousand years and its replacement by carefully nurtured enmities between the leading European nations. In showing the irreparable harm caused by perpetuating these illogical enmities, we are led to the nature of the true enemy.”
In fact the proposed two articles eventually stretched to eighteen instalments thatappeared in almost every issue until # 36 of December 1965; a long and bitter
denunciation of liberal democracy that left no stone unturned.

Combat had always been critical of the Jews. Long before the merger with Colin Jordan it had highlighted Jewish involvement in finance capitalism but it now embarked on an overtly anti-Semitic policy. Issue #10 of February 1961 was devoted to Jewish matters and dismissed the Eichmann Trial as a Jewish propaganda stunt. The moderate and the hard-line wings of the party finally split in 1962. Colin Jordan together with members of his paramilitary organisation “Spearhead” founded the National Socialist Movement on Adolf Hitler’s birthday, April 20th.

Issue # 17 of June 1962 was the first of the third phase of Combat. It carried an article by John Bean entitled “Stay Out of the Common Market.” JB’s case against the Common Market was that it would harm the white dominions and that it was a financier’s racket.
“This is not slogan shouting, this is fact. Every spokesman of finance in Britain and Europe is for the Common Market, as also are the Americans who have been the driving force behind the idea. Practically every day a glance at the pages of the Financial Times will show news of yet another American company that has opened a European subsidiary in order to “exploit the advantage of the European Common Market.” We repeat, this is not a concept of the European soul for the advancement of Europe but a bankers’ racket for the advancement of profit.”
But as well as distrusting the bankers John Bean was also worried about mass migration from the South.
“Then there is that part of the Rome Treaty that provides for free movement of labour within the Common Market. We believe in the common struggle and common links of the European people’s but as racialists our blood brothers are the Northern Europeans and not the Sicilians and Southern Europeans who could flood into Britain under the Common Market,”
Even when removed from the divisive influence of John Tyndall and Colin Jordan, John Bean was still tied to the Master Race. Of course the Common Market was a commercial success as predicted by the financial pundits. But the mass migration from Italy never happened. Like many of the scare stories put out by the anti-Europeans the vision of millions of Italians pouring over the Alps and across the Channel was pure fantasy.
The only mass migration from Europe came fifty years later with the arrival of the Poles. But despite the fact that they are overwhelmingly fair-haired and blue-eyed, their presence in Britain is bitterly opposed by the current nationalist parties.
We are all children of our time; subject to prevailing prejudices and attitudes. But with experience and education we can all improve. By 1966 John Bean seems to have had a change of heart. In issue # 38 his editorial is entitled “Let’s Keep Nordicism in Perspective.”

“Last month we were invited to address a meeting of the Ealing Young Mothers’ Association on the policy of the BNP. When it came to question time we could not help noting that our three most hostile questioners, spouting New Statesman jargon on the “evils of racial distinction,” were all blue-eyed, fair-haired, long-headed examples of Nordic womanhood. Equally, we could not help noticing that the two ladies who leapt to our defence – literally – in supporting the view that there are inherent differences between the European and the Negro were both far removed from the accepted definition of an “English Rose.” In fact it turned out that one young woman was Spanish and the other although an Australian was obviously of Italian or Greek descent by her complexion and colouring.

And what does this prove exactly? Perhaps nothing, but to the writer – who, incidentally would pass as nothing else but Nordic – it was just another personal example of the futility of the line of thought held by many good racial nationalists that we can afford to differentiate between Europeans of the North and Europeans of the South.”
In July 1962 Colin Jordan held a National Socialist rally in Trafalgar Square under a huge banner saying “Free Britain From Jewish Control. The rally was wrecked by a screaming mob of anti-fascist who had decided to crush any sign of opposition. On September 2nd 1962 Union Movement and the BNP both had rallies in East London. Both events were attacked by militant anti-fascists. Mosley was beaten up, 54 people were arrested and several Union Movement supporters sustained injuries. Union Movement had more than a hundred members at their meeting but the BNP’s forty members were totally overwhelmed at their rendezvous point in Balls Pond Road. Political violence is never pretty but those of us who were there will never forget it. The “Battle of Balls Pond Road” was reported in issue # 18.

“Although on points this was the first BNP defeat by our Red opponents, it was a defeat with honour. The blood spilt by our members was not in vain, because in a number of newspapers the following morning, and on ITV the same night of the battle, millions of Britons became aware for the first time of the nature of the “anti-fascists.” Millions read such reports as the following brief extracts from the Daily Telegraph.”
“Mr Jack Lelieve, 39, the party’s national secretary, was beaten up by five men. One of his attackers hit him with the broken-off back of a chair. Then when he fell to the ground they started kicking him.”

“Ten bodies sprawled in the road. As ambulance men gave first aid some of the crown spat at injured men.”

But the BNP picked itself up, dusted itself down, and started all over again. Its highpoint was its election result in Southall in October 1964. John Bean got 3,410, 9.2 % of the poll. This has been surpassed in recent times but it was then the highest vote ever obtained by a patriotic candidate. This was reported in issue # 29.

“Whilst the Southall result cannot be hailed as a “victory,” the significance of the BNP’s potential of being a great force can be gauged from the fact that we completely eclipsed five other patriotic candidates who stood – the total of all five only reached 2,000 – and that the Communists, with a national daily paper, and virtually accepted by our national press as a respectable body, only averaged 1,000 votes in each of their seats.”

The last issue of Combat as a BNP newspaper was # 39 of 1966. As well articles on immigration and the progress of the party it covered tax reform, the housing crisis and the economy. It also featured a column called “Under the Flat Stones by Ted Budden.
“One sunny Sunday a couple of years ago I was strolling past Trafalgar Square when a frightful din assailed my ears. There was Nelson standing on his column, and his column was standing on its plinth, and on this plinth was standing the most noisome collection of garbage in Christendom; not, as you might think, pigeon droppings, but the vocal elite of the Anti-Apartheid Movement. They were attended as usual by the Young Communists, Young Liberals, Young Socialists, Young Israeli Pioneers and many adult specimens of the genera.

And so it happened that drawn by morbid curiosity to the repellent spectacle I encountered Babs Castle as, fresh from the warm embraces of a number of dark gentlemen she clambered daintily down from the plinth. Babs, as you know, was lately Minister of Largess and is currently Minister of Traffic Jams, but at the time she was plain Babs, Belle of the Comintern.

I fell in step beside the glamorous time traveller. “Tell me Babs,” I enquired. “How does it feel to be a traitor to your race?” She stopped and fixed me with a beady eye. “The human race is my race!” she shrilled and nimbly avoiding an egg flung by a passing patriot jumped into a waiting taxi before I had time to cast doubt upon her claim.

I was reminded of this trifling incident recently by a remark of that prim little man Michael Stewart, the Foreign Secretary, or if you prefer aliens’ office boy. Referring to those of us who still feel kinship for our brothers in Rhodesia the stunted man-o’ power declared; “Mankind is my kith and kin.”

Not dissimilar to Mrs Castle’s observations, you will note, and the kind of fashionable twaddle that is guaranteed to launch a thousand bleeding hearts.

Nevertheless, let us examine these fatuous statements a little more closely, for if Mrs Castle and Mr Stewart feel no special loyalty for their own race and their own kin then, by logical progression they can feel no special responsibility or loyalty for the people of Blackburn and Fulham who elected them to Parliament – in fact they could as well be the members for Accra and Moscow. And come to think of it!”
Issue # 40 supported the National Front – a union of the BNP, the League of Empire

Loyalists and the Racial Preservation Society. The editorial freedom enjoyed by John Bean since the split with Colin Jordan ended. The last four issues of Combat were
heavily influenced by the Empire Loyalist faction of the National Front. John Bean’s idea of a European Confederation was kicked into touch. He commented:
“It will be seen that with the possible exceptions of the point on the Commonwealth and, in my view, the unfortunate dropping of the BNP proposal of a European Confederation, NF policy is basically the same as that of the BNP.”

But a look at the first three “Objectives of the National Front” shows how far removed the new policies were from the old.

1. To replace what is known as the “Commonwealth” by a modern British world system which, while ensuring the sovereign independence of each nation, would work for the closest co-operation between the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Rhodesia, and in which, if they so desired, the Republics of South Africa and Ireland would each occupy an honoured place.

2. To permit the association with this new world system of approved Afro-Asian countries on terms acceptable to its founding members.

3. To achieve for the system adequate economic and agricultural self-sufficiency to make possible the creation of the financial and military strength needed to guarantee its freedom both from Communist domination and from coercion by the power of the international money-lending houses and their financial and political agencies.

No mention of Europe; the Empire Loyalists had written off 500 million Europeans. Even in 1966 the idea of South Africa or Ireland joining a new “British World System” was laughable. Both nations had fought long and hard to shake off imperialism. And what Afro-Asian countries would have joined such a union? It may have been possible to unite with the White Dominions but all of them were industrialising and would not have restricted their exports to a British market in return for manufactured goods. The old trading patterns were already breaking down and the rise of Japan as an industrial power was already far advanced. The dream of a resurrected Commonwealth was, and is, a nonstarter.

The last issue of Combat # 43 came out in spring 1968. John Bean penned an article entitled “Vietnam – Can we stay Neutral.” His answer was that we couldn’t and should support America. He stressed that this was his own opinion.

“It is the opinion of Combat (but not necessarily the National Front, as we are an independent publication) that America must either withdraw completely from Vietnam or move in with all her might to win. In balance we favour the latter step because we do not accept that if Ho Chi Minh controlled all Vietnam he would be some sort of Asian Tito. With China’s help, Communist rule would be extended all over Indo-China – and China and North Vietnam are already supporting Communist rebels in Laos and Cambodia, then to Siam, Burma, Malaya, Indonesia until by the end of the century Australia would be facing the threat of a land-hungry, completely Communist Asia.
The importance of the outcome of Vietnam upon which the whole struggle for
survival of the Western nations – the whiteman, if you like – is such that we can no longer afford to sit on the fence.”

John Bean wasn’t the only one to believe in the domino theory in 1968. We know now that Communism would collapse by 1991, but at the time it seemed a very real threat.

Fortunately we had a Labour government under Harold Wilson that was tottering on the brink of bankruptcy and could not afford to go to war. But for that accident of history we would have sent in our troops and lost thousands of men in a war that was effectively lost at Dien Bien Phu in 1954

In the same issue an article by Denis Pirie entitled “Britain’s Fraudulent Democracy” called for a more representative system of government.

“Two classes of people would object to this basic progressive reform of our unwritten constitution. Firstly the old party politicians who would naturally resent any form of curtailment of their personal power, With the existence of a public referendum mechanism they could hardly continue their old games of promising the electorate one thing and then breaking their promises with impunity.

The second type of objector is the self-styled “progressive” liberal. He objects for a different reason. He is perfectly satisfied with the status quo because he knows that in the establishment parties, his liberal friends are firmly entrenched in key positions. He knows full well that many of the measures his friends in government introduce would never be accepted by the general public if their views had weight.”

Let the last word be with John Bean, an article headlined “Nigeria to Join Common Market” warned that Nigeria and the former French African colonies had applied to join the Common Market.

“Will the next step be to give them “free movement of labour,” as the treaty of Rome specifies? Although there are some genuine patriots who still think that the Common Market is a good idea in that it would signify a unity of fellow Europeans, with independence from both American-based financiers and the Soviet Union, it is little bits of accumulated evidence like this that shows that it is but a step in the plan for a One World Government.”

This article was written 43 years ago but the same propaganda is still being used by the Euro-sceptics. Despite our total subjection to NATO and GATT they are still worrying about “sovereignty.”

The pages of Combat from 1958 to 1968 chart the course of the NLP/ BNP. They cover the collapse of the British Empire and the massive demographic upheaval in the UK. Many of its predictions never came to pass. Communism did not take over the world and we were not inundated with unemployed Italians. But it was dead right about Third World immigration. When the immigration issue finally dominated the media headlines it was not the work of a prescient revolutionary nationalist but by the Tory free trader Enoch Powell who had pioneered the importation of Third World labour in the early Sixties. Powell made his “Rivers of Blood” speech at Birmingham in April 1968 just as the final issue of Combat was being printed.