View source for 43 Group

{{Distinguish|Colombo '43 Group}}
{{Short description|English Anti-Fascist Group}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox organization|
| name = 43 Group
| formation = {{start date|1946|04}}
| dissolved = {{end date|1950|06|04|df=y}}
| image = 
| caption = 
| type = [[Anti-fascism]]
| purpose = 
| location = [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom|UK]]
| affiliations = 
}}
The '''43 Group''' was a British [[Anti-fascism|anti-fascist]] group set up by [[British Jews|Jewish]] ex-servicemen after the [[Second World War]]. They did this when, upon returning to [[London]], they encountered [[British Fascism|British fascist]] organisations such as [[Jeffrey Hamm]]'s [[British League of Ex-Servicemen]] and later [[Oswald Mosley]]'s new [[fascist]] party, the [[Union Movement]]. The activities of these fascist groups included [[antisemitic]] speeches in public places, and from the rank-and-file fascists, violent attacks on [[London Jews]] and Jewish property.<ref name=Hillman2001>{{cite journal | doi = 10.1080/713999428 | author = Hillman, N. | year = 2001 | title = 'Tell me chum, in case I got it wrong. What was it we were fighting during the war?' The Re-emergence of British Fascism, 1945-58 | journal = Contemporary British History | volume = 15
 | issue = 4 | pages = 1–34 | s2cid = 143994809 }}</ref> Group members broke up [[far-right]] meetings, infiltrated fascist groups, and attacked the fascists in [[street fighting]].<ref>Adam Lent [https://books.google.com/books?id=gSj86UFzvh4C&pg=PA19 "British Social Movements Since 1945: Sex, Colour, Peace and Power"]. Macmillan p19, {{ISBN|0-333-72009-1}}</ref> 

Their newspaper, ''On Guard'', was published from 1947 to 1949.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=We fight fascists : the 43 group and their forgotten battle for post-war Britain|last=Sonabend|first=Daniel|year=2019|isbn=978-1-78873-324-3|location=London|oclc=1108710216}}</ref>

==Early history and activities==
The name "43 Group" came from the number of people in the room of [[Maccabi World Union|Maccabi]] House (a Jewish sports centre in [[Hampstead, London]]) during the group's founding meeting in April 1946.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2009/jan/27/holocaust-memorial-day-43-group-public-event|title=Stand Up to Hatred - survivors of the 43 Group reunited at Holocaust Memorial Day public event|last=Gould|first=Mark|date=2009-01-27|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-31|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Those who convened the initial meeting included:
* [[Morris Beckman (writer)|Morris Beckman]], served in the [[Merchant Navy]] during World War II. He lived through two torpedo attacks during the War.
* Gerald Flamberg, a middleweight boxing champion and member of [[156th Parachute Battalion (United Kingdom)|156 Battalion]]. Flamberg won the [[Military Medal]] at Arnhem during [[Operation Market Garden]];<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gerry Flamberg, 1922-2007, Campaigner |author= |website=The Jewish Lives Project |date= |access-date=4 October 2021 |url= https://www.jewishlivesproject.com/profiles/gerry-flamberg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jews at the Battle of Arnhem|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/ww2/Arnhem.html|work=Jewish Virtual Library|access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref>
* Leonard Sherman, a martial arts expert and member of the [[Welsh Guards]];
* Alec Carson, who flew [[Hawker Hurricane]]s in the [[Battle of Britain]].
The organisation had two aims: to prevent fascist activities by physical force if necessary, and to pressure Parliament into making racial incitement a criminal offence.<ref name=":1" />

The 17-year-old [[Vidal Sassoon]] joined the group and later joined the [[Israeli Defence Forces]] to fight in the [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]]. Sassoon later founded a multinational hair styling business.<ref>Anita Singh (21 April 2008). [https://web.archive.org/web/20080415023645/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2008%2F04%2F14%2Fnsassoon114.xml "Vidal Sassoon: Anti-fascist warrior-hairdresser"]. ''The Daily Telegraph''. London. Retrieved 27 April 2008.</ref><ref>[http://israelvets.com/pictorialhist_acquiring_arms.html "Pictorial History: Acquiring Arms and Personnel"]. Aliyah Bet & Machal Virtual Museum. Retrieved 27 April 2008.</ref>

The initial membership was around 300 people. The group grew to include many hundreds of men and women, not all Jewish.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Remembering the 43 Group |url=https://tribunemag.co.uk/2019/01/remembering-the-43-group |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=tribunemag.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> Many among them had been  decorated for bravery, including the [[Victoria Cross|VC]] (Petty Officer [[Thomas William Gould|Tommy Gould]]<ref>Mark Gould (22 February 2009). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/last-reunion-for-war-heroes-who-came-home-to-fight-the-fascists-1628953.html "Last reunion for war heroes who came home to fight the fascists"]. ''The Independent''. London. Retrieved 3 March 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Tommy Gould VC |date=7 December 2001 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/naval-obituaries/1364554/Tommy-Gould-VC.html |work=The Daily Telegraph |location= London |access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref>), DSO, DFC, DSM, and MM. The organisation was sometimes portrayed by its enemies as a front for either Jewish [[terrorist]]s or [[communist]]s, but in fact it was mostly composed of British ex-servicemen.{{cn|date=June 2020}}

The group published ''On Guard'', from July 1947 to December 1949, an anti-fascist paper which often published intelligence gathered by Group spies. As well as covering the activities of Oswald Mosley and the British fascists, ''On Guard'' reported on the activities of fascists all around the world and racist injustices in countries including the USA and South Africa.<ref name=":0" />

==Relationship with other organisations==
The 43 Group was viewed by established Jewish organisations, such as the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]], as counterproductive.<ref name=":1" /> The Board of Deputies of British Jews worried that the 43 Group's activities could damage the Jewish community's reputation, especially in light of the terrorist acts and [[guerrilla warfare]] carried out by militant [[Zionist]] groups such as the [[Irgun]] in [[Mandatory Palestine|British Mandate Palestine]].<ref>Todd M. Endelman [https://books.google.com/books?id=SMOQkrUtqkwC&pg=PA233 "The Jews of Britain, 1656 to 2000"] University of California
Press, 2002, p233 {{ISBN|0-520-22719-0}}</ref> However it also had prominent supporters, both political and social.  Left-wing Labour MPs such as [[Denis Pritt|D. N. Pritt]], [[John Platts-Mills|John Platt-Mills]], and [[Woodrow Wyatt]] were keen supporters, while entertainment giants [[Jack Solomons|Jack Solomon]] and [[Bud Flanagan]] regularly donated significant sums to the organisation.<ref name=":1" />

However, the 43 Group never sought to replace the more traditional groups who preferred debate and discussion, but who had failed to stop the BUF, partly due to the non-cooperation of the then [[Home Secretary]], [[James Chuter Ede]].<ref>[http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/OutPut/Page691.asp House of Commons] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927125339/http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/OutPut/Page691.asp |date=27 September 2011 }} {{Vague|date=January 2009}}</ref> Rather, 43 Group sought to prevent the Union Movement mobilising and gathering support, remembering that the [[Nazi Party]] had gained prominence in a similar fashion as the [[Sturmabteilung|Brownshirts]] on the streets of post-World War I Germany.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-10-18 |title=Jules Konopinski obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/obituaries/article/jules-konopinski-obituary-wm99xhb99 |access-date=2024-12-31 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Dissolution and impact==
The 43 Group was voluntarily disbanded on 4 June 1950, as various Jewish organizations and influential individuals members considered that the immediate threat had passed.<ref>Daniel Sonabend "We Fight Fascists: The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-War Britain" ''Verso Books'' (October 2019) {{ISBN | 978-1788733243}} P.307</ref><ref name=":2" /> Although Mosley's Union Movement remained active throughout the 1950s, it was not until 1962, when [[Colin Jordan]] and his [[National Socialist Movement (UK, 1962)|National Socialist Movement]] unfurled an enormous banner in [[Trafalgar Square]] bearing the words "Free Britain from Jewish Control" that former 43 group members formed the [[62 Group]] in the former group's image and British fascists again encountered any significant privately organised street-level resistance.<ref name=":2" />

The overall effect of 43 Group is unclear. Morris Beckman argued that it was crucial in stopping a resurgence of fascism in post-war Britain. The 43 group was undoubtedly an inspiration to other militant [[anti-fascist]] groups such as the [[62 Group]] and [[Anti-Fascist Action]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fowlie |first1=Craig |date=2020 |title=The Case for Militant Anti-Fascism |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0031322X.2020.1769328 |journal=Patterns of Prejudice |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=463–467 |doi=10.1080/0031322X.2020.1769328 |s2cid=225694206 |access-date=30 June 2021|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 2004, the group was the subject of [[BBC Radio 4]] programme ''A Rage in Dalston'', part of [[The Archive Hour]] series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009x383|title=The Archive Hour, A Rage in Dalston|website=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-01-31}}</ref> 

In September 2015, it was announced that [[BBC2]] and [[NBC]] were co-developing a six-part drama series alongside surviving members of The 43 Group and produced by The Tenafly Film Company and Tiger Aspect Drama,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/nbc-bbc-miniseries-britain-nazi-jews-1201605481/ | title=NBC Developing WWII Miniseries with BBC About Jews Who Fought Nazis in Britain | date=29 September 2015 | first=Elizabeth | last=Wagmeister | work=Variety | access-date=29 June 2018 }}</ref> but the series was not made.<ref>{{Cite news |title=For these Jewish vigilantes, the war against fascism didn't end in 1945 |last=Hennigan |first=Adrian |newspaper=Haaretz |date=25 November 2019 |url= https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/.premium.MAGAZINE-for-these-jewish-vigilantes-the-war-against-fascism-didn-t-end-in-1945-1.8167662}}</ref>

==Historical Marker==
Placed by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, U.K. Branch, organised by Martin Sugarman, financed by Jerry Klinger (JASHP), and the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, at the site of the 43 Group Headquarters. The marker is located about 1/4 mile from Trafalgar Square in London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/former-secret-london-hq-of-jewish-anti-fascist-group-commemorated/|title=Former secret London HQ of Jewish anti-fascist group commemorated|first=Michelle|last=Rosenberg|website=www.jewishnews.co.uk|date=14 February 2023 |accessdate=8 April 2023}}</ref>

[[File:43 Group.jpg|center|thumb|British Post-WW2 Jewish antifascist fighters]]

"At 4 Panton Street was the Headquarters of the mostly Jewish ex-servicemen and Women's organization. The 43 Group They confronted the British Neo-fascist movement in 1946-50 and early 1960s to rid Britain of Antisemitism and all hatred. Be strong and of good courage (Joshua 1:9) Hebrew (The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation U.K. Branch and AJEX UK)"

[[File:Ridley Rd 2.jpg|center|thumb|Ridley Rd 2]]

December, 2023, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, U.K. Branch, together with the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women, organised by Martin Sugarman, placed the Ridley Rd. Marker.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/ridley-road-the-43-group-fighting-neo-fascism-hatred-ignorance-and-bigotry/|title=Ridley Road – the 43 Group, fighting Neo-Fascism, Hatred, Ignorance, and Bigotry &#124; Jerry Klinger &#124; The Blogs}}</ref> The Ridley Rd. area was the key area where the hatred, bigotry and racism of the British Neo-Nazi/Fascist movement was confronted by the 43 Group. 

The Text reads: 

"This Ridley Road plaque marks a key site where the mainly Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women anti-Fascist organization 'The 43 Group' Confronted the British Neo-Fascist movement in 1946-50 and early 1960s to rid Britain of antisemitism and all hatred."

"Be Strong and of Good Courage (Joshua 1:9)
(The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation UK Branch and AJEX UK)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/ridley-road-plaque-honours-the-43-groups-anti-fascist-triumph/ | title=Ridley Road plaque honours the 43 Group's anti-Fascist triumph | date=20 December 2023 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Anti-fascism]]
* [[62 Group]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Morris Beckman: ''The 43 Group.'' Centerprise Publication, June 2000 {{ISBN|0-903738-75-9}}
* Daniel Sonabend: ''"We Fight Fascists". The 43 Group and Their Forgotten Battle for Post-War Britain.'' Verso Books, October 2019 {{ISBN | 978-1788733243}}
* (in German) Daniel Sonabend: ''Die 43 Group wurde ein Opfer ihres eigenen Erfolgs.'' [[Jungle World|jungle world]], Berlin, #36, 2020, september 3, p. 17

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120208154847/http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20120105 ''Voices on Antisemitism''], Interview with Vidal Sassoon from the [[United States Holocaust Memorial Museum]]
* [http://www.movinghere.org.uk/galleries/histories/jewish/politics/politics.htm#SWW_Politics London's Jewish community after the war]
* [http://pubs.socialistreviewindex.org.uk/sr180/beckman.htm Morris Beckman: My favourite books]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173553/http://www.schnews.org.uk/book-reviews/the-43-group.htm Review of Beckman's book]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081228012056/http://www.lasthours.org.uk/archive/interviews/morris-beckman-and-the-43-group/ Interview with Morris Beckman]
* [http://www.j-grit.com/resisters-the-43-group-british-antifascist-organization.php The 43 Group - UK Jewish Anti-Fascist Organization - J-Grit.com]

[[Category:Anti-fascist organisations in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Anti-fascism in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Jewish British history]]
[[Category:Jewish anti-fascism]]