Review: ‘A British Fascist in the Second World War’, C. Baldoli, B. Fleming, Bloomsbury, London, 2014

The review comments the war diary, edited by Claudia Baldoli and Brendan Fleming, of James Strachey Barnes, of which the original handwritten copy is held at the Archivio Centrale dello Stato in Rome. The diary is a personal report of dramatic events from the beginning of 1943 to the end of 1945. The structure of the book follows the pages of the diary day by day, paying specific attention to reporting Barnes’ words and sentences, putting the uncertain ones in square brackets to avoid any possible misunderstanding. A helpful introduction at the diary guides the reader through the historical context and, at the same time, allows us a better understanding of Barnes’ life and world. The work provides an unusual view of two intensive years, revealed through the ideas and memories of a British man who had moved to Italy and become a committed Fascist.