Robert Row began his political career by joining the Lancaster Branch of British Union in 1934 at the age of 17. The young Bob threw himself into Blackshirt activity which in those early days attracted much angry violence from the “Red Front”. His District Leader was Bill Eaton, who was one of the few who had won the Gold Distinction Award for service to the movement.
Both Bob Row and Bill Eaton were imprisoned during the war, not for disloyalty, but to silence their voices advocating peace with honour, and with the British Empire intact. Bob wrote “There was no charge or trial, Banana republic justice replaced these, trial by jury was scrapped. So was Habeus Corpus. So much for the honour of British politicians”. Later in the war he was released from prison and saw service with the army in Palestine.
In 1946 Jewish terrorists committed the King David Hotel bomb outrage and also were responsible for the hanging of British soldiers and the booby trapping of their bodies. These attacks were aimed at the very men who had fought the Jewish arch enemy, Adolph Hitler, during the war!
Released from the army, Bob worked as an agricultural labourer in Surrey and started to write articles for the Union Movement newspaper Union. Its editor, Alexander Raven Thompson, recognised the quality of his work and in the early 1950’s asked Bob to become his deputy. With Raven’s death in 1955 Robert Row became editor of Union. This was later replaced by Action which lasted until the closure of Sanctuary Press in 1992.
Like many other Union Movement members he was the target on at least two occasions of brutal assaults by the Jewish terror gangs which operate from time to time in Britain. As a result of the first attack, in which he was one of several victims, six of the gang eventually appeared at the Old Bailey and although proved guilty received paltry fines. They thought they could silence Bob, but he took it all in his stride, and continued his work with renewed vigour.
Later , after the death of Jeffrey Hamm, he found a new home, in “The Friends of O.M.” organisation. He contributed articles to their journal “Comrade” and by this means was able to accurately project the ideas of the movement after the death of Oswald Mosley. Bob spoke occasionally at meetings organised by Union Movement, and his speeches could be very powerful and moving. He built and operated an extensive research and reference archive which was used by many groups apart from Union Movement.
If the facilities of today had been available then, computer data bases, scanners and word processors he would have been able to do so much more. His dedication to producing Action on time in the old fashion way, seems, today, like a miracle.
Robert Row died aged 83, after a minor operation. His ashes were scattered by some of his comrades in the Lancashire that he had loved when he was a boy.
