OBITUARY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21494, 18 May 1933, Page 9

OBITUARY

LADY CYNTHIA MOSLEY BELIEF IN SOCIALISM v LONDON. May 1G The death has occurred of Lady Cynthia Mosley, wife of Sir Oswald Moslev, the British Fascist leader. She passed away in the presence of her husband and relatives, after an operation on May 9 for peritonitis, which followed an acute attack of appendicitis.

The la to Lady Mosley was born in August, 1808. Her father was Marquess Curzon of Kcdlcston, a distinguished statesman and a former Viceroy of India, and her mother was a daughter of Mr. Levi Z. Leiter, an American millionaire. One of the minor titles of Marquess Curzon was that of Baron Ravensdale, and on his death in March, 1925, his elder daughter became Baroness Ravensdale. As she was not married, Lady Cynthia, as the second daughter, became heir to the barony. In May, 1920. she married Mr. (now Sir) Oswald Mosley, who two years before had entered Parliament as a Conservative, but who in 1923 was returned as an Independent, and when the first Labour Government came into office in 1924 declared himself to be a Socialist. Lady Cynthia had already shown Socialist ieanings, and had even attacked her father's policy. Early in 1926 she had a dispute in the American Courts with Mr. Joseph Leiter in regard to the trusteeship of the "Leiter millions"—the fortune estimated at £(5,000,000 accumulated bv Mr. Levi Leiter by speculations in Chicago land. "While m the United States she and her husband devoted much time to studying industrial conditions, visiting slums and factories. She was an eloquent and sympathetic speaker, but found the American workers puzzled and suspicious at the appearance of a wealthy and aristocratic Socialist. An address which she delivered in New York's East End to a gathering of factory workers, however, won them completely. Attacking monopolies and trusts, she said that capitalism had made a criminal mess of England, and that Socialism was the only remedy. , On her return to England Lady JNlosley became prominent in connection with the general strike in 1926, and was one of the speakers at a big meeting in the Albert Hall, London, on behalf of the miners' families. Meanwhile she was gradually being ostracised by the social circle in which she had beou born and brought up. lho majority regarded her and treated he! as a renegade. Viscountess Astor, she once remarkedwas one of the very few who remained friendly with her. in May, 1929, she was elected Labour M.P. for Stoke-on-Trent, but she and her husband were defeated at the last general election. Once, in addressing a crowded meeting at .Lucly IVloslcy, acldressing her hearers as "Comrades, said: —"1 was brought up in a Con- ! scrvative political atmosphere. Like many young people 1 reacted strongly and tried to find out thii»gs. I worked in an office lor 30s a week, and later earned £3. X then worked on the land and took a course in economics. .L kept my eyes open in the London slums. 1 am convinced that Socialism is remedy for the present dilemma.