Norah Elam
Encyclopedia
Norah Elam also known as Norah Dacre Fox, (née Norah Doherty, 1878–1961) was a radical feminist, militant suffrage
tte, anti-vivisectionist
and fascist
in the United Kingdom
. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1878 to John and Charlotte Doherty, she emigrated to England with her family and by 1891 was living in London. Norah married Charles Richard Dacre Fox in 1909.
medal.
In 1918 she stood as an independent candidate for election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
but was not elected. The same year Norah campaigned for the internment of enemy alien
s in collaboration with the British Empire Union and the National Party.. Norah Elam stated publicly in The Times that she was never a member of the Women's Freedom League (contrary to some reports)..
Norah Elam claimed to be a founding member of the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society (LPAVS). Documentary evidence of this has not been found, but it is known that she was a member from about the time of its inception circa 1900. In the 1930s she had published under the auspices of the LPAVS two pamphlets: "The MRC: What it is and How it Works" and "The Vitamin Survey". The pamphlets were widely distributed throughout the UK, including public libraries.
By the 1930s, Norah had separated from her husband, and was living with Edward Descou Dudley Vallance Elam whose surname she adopted. They lived in Sussex where they were active in the local Conservative Party
however they defected to Oswald Mosley
's British Union of Fascists
soon after its creation and Norah became prominent in the women's section. Norah was a frequent contributor to the Fascist press and in 1937 was put forward as a candidate for the British Union of Fascists for the Northampton
constituency, but the election never took place. Mosley used Norah's suffragette past to counter the criticism that National Socialism was anti-feminist saying that her prospective candidacy "killed for all time the suggestion that National Socialism proposed putting British women back in the home". In 1940 Norah and Dudley Elam were arrested as Defence Regulation 18B
detainees and Norah was interned
in Holloway Prison with several other female fascists including Diana Mosley
.
Her granddaughters, Susan and Angela McPherson, described in a BBC documentary that they had no idea until 2002 the role Elam played was at the very center of the fascist movement. Angela remembered that Elam had been a suffragette who claimed to have been close to the Pankhursts, but had never thought to try to find out anything further. A sudden decision to google Norah Elam one day started to throw up information she had not been aware of. Angela felt that she had subconsciously blocked out disturbing memories of the events and stories her grandmother told her as a child, which were to affect her family until the present day. She described Elam as a "dreadful racist." They feel that she had emotionally damaged her son turning him into a "bullying misogynist" imitation of Norah's own father.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
tte, anti-vivisectionist
Vivisection
Vivisection is defined as surgery conducted for experimental purposes on a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system, to view living internal structure...
and fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1878 to John and Charlotte Doherty, she emigrated to England with her family and by 1891 was living in London. Norah married Charles Richard Dacre Fox in 1909.
Political activity
Norah was a member of the Womens Social and Political Union and between May and July 1914 was imprisoned three times in Holloway Prison for 'acts of terrorism' and received a suffragette hunger strikeHunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
medal.
In 1918 she stood as an independent candidate for election to the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
but was not elected. The same year Norah campaigned for the internment of enemy alien
Enemy alien
In law, an enemy alien is a citizen of a country which is in a state of conflict with the land in which he or she is located. Usually, but not always, the countries are in a state of declared war.-United Kingdom:...
s in collaboration with the British Empire Union and the National Party.. Norah Elam stated publicly in The Times that she was never a member of the Women's Freedom League (contrary to some reports)..
Norah Elam claimed to be a founding member of the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Society (LPAVS). Documentary evidence of this has not been found, but it is known that she was a member from about the time of its inception circa 1900. In the 1930s she had published under the auspices of the LPAVS two pamphlets: "The MRC: What it is and How it Works" and "The Vitamin Survey". The pamphlets were widely distributed throughout the UK, including public libraries.
By the 1930s, Norah had separated from her husband, and was living with Edward Descou Dudley Vallance Elam whose surname she adopted. They lived in Sussex where they were active in the local Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
however they defected to Oswald Mosley
Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, was an English politician, known principally as the founder of the British Union of Fascists...
's British Union of Fascists
British Union of Fascists
The British Union was a political party in the United Kingdom formed in 1932 by Sir Oswald Mosley as the British Union of Fascists, in 1936 it changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists and then in 1937 to simply the British Union...
soon after its creation and Norah became prominent in the women's section. Norah was a frequent contributor to the Fascist press and in 1937 was put forward as a candidate for the British Union of Fascists for the Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
constituency, but the election never took place. Mosley used Norah's suffragette past to counter the criticism that National Socialism was anti-feminist saying that her prospective candidacy "killed for all time the suggestion that National Socialism proposed putting British women back in the home". In 1940 Norah and Dudley Elam were arrested as Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B
Defence Regulation 18B, often referred to as simply 18B, was the most famous of the Defence Regulations used by the British Government during World War II. The complete technical reference name for this rule was: Regulation 18B of the Defence Regulations 1939. It allowed for the internment of...
detainees and Norah was interned
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
in Holloway Prison with several other female fascists including Diana Mosley
Diana Mitford
Diana Mitford, Lady Mosley , was one of Britain's noted Mitford sisters. She was married first to Bryan Walter Guinness, heir to the barony of Moyne, and secondly to Sir Oswald Mosley, 6th Baronet, of Ancoats, leader of the British Union of Fascists; her second marriage, in 1936, took place at the...
.
Her granddaughters, Susan and Angela McPherson, described in a BBC documentary that they had no idea until 2002 the role Elam played was at the very center of the fascist movement. Angela remembered that Elam had been a suffragette who claimed to have been close to the Pankhursts, but had never thought to try to find out anything further. A sudden decision to google Norah Elam one day started to throw up information she had not been aware of. Angela felt that she had subconsciously blocked out disturbing memories of the events and stories her grandmother told her as a child, which were to affect her family until the present day. She described Elam as a "dreadful racist." They feel that she had emotionally damaged her son turning him into a "bullying misogynist" imitation of Norah's own father.