The Rise and Fall of Rotha Lintorn-Orman: From Serving in WWI to Founding Britain's First Fascist Party

Born into privilege as the granddaughter of Queen Victoria’s favourite Field Marshal, Rotha Lintorn-Orman was destined for an extraordinary life. From the early days of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide movements to working as a driver and mechanic with the Scottish Women's Hospital in Serbia during World War I, Rotha’s courage set her apart. An avid motorist and close associate of Suffragettes, she adopted a masculine style that shocked polite society. Yet, it was in the turbulent post-war years that Rotha’s story took a darker turn.

Admiring Mussolini, she founded Britain’s first Fascist party, aiming to preserve traditional values in the face of rising socialism and communism. But as more extreme factions rose, Rotha refused to embrace anti-Semitism, leading to a splintering within her movement. Scorned as a 'Boy Scout Fascist,' her political influence waned, and her personal life descended into addiction and scandal. In her final years, she sought solace in the Canary Islands, where she died, leaving little trace on the world she once sought to transform.

This fascinating biography unveils the complex and often misunderstood life of a woman who lived on the fringes of history, driven by conviction but ultimately undone by her contradictions.

Born and brought up in Bedfordshire, Anthony worked on some of the first computers used in the United Kingdom. Largely self-taught, there being few who knew too much about computers, he worked on mainly technical applications. Living and working in the Geneva area he and his wife Isabel returned to England in 1978 to set up his own consultancy.

Working on mainly military projects, he was recruited to work on projects that involved high explosives and was asked by the Chinese military to help them with the international distribution of their own commercial explosives. This occupied the remainder of his working life, resulting in Chinese high explosives being accepted all over the world.

Retiring to the north Norfolk coast, Anthony now forms part of the Sheringham R.N.L.I. lifeboat station, taking a financial role. He is also able to indulge his interest in history and politics by researching both world wars. Prior to this work he has previously published a book on Joan Clarke’s contribution to work at Bletchley Park and then at GCHQ. He is married with two children and two granddaughters.