It has been 50 years since an emperor, described by many as the “Father of Africa”, was overthrown by security forces known as the Derg in a “creeping coup”.
His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I was hailed around the world as a hero against fascist forces. But unbeknown to many is that the popular sovereign spent many years campaigning against Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from his West Country home in Bath, between 1936 to 1940.
University of the West of England professor Shawn Naphtali Sobers has been sharing the story of the emperor’s exile in England in a new programme for the BBC World Service.
The Ethiopian leader arrived in London’s Paddington Station to huge crowds. However, his passionate speeches against Mussolini, who had invaded Emperor Selassie’s home country, were an “embarrassment” to the UK government, which were seen as “keeping Mussolini cosy”.
Emperor Selassie was ordered to “go out to the provinces”, so he soon settled in Bath.
All of his family and staff moved to Fairfield House and quickly became the talk of the city.
Despite how “noticeable” they had been, the emperor had become “engrained” in the community, said Prof Sobers.
“He was really a people person,” he said, explaining Emperor Selassie had once refused to skip the queue for Weston-super-Mare’s Tropicana resort.
The professor, a trustee of Emperor Selassie’s former house, said the ruler had not wanted to leave his country after the Italian dictator had invaded.
“But he realised the Ethiopians with their spears just wouldn’t be able to combat that force.
“So he had to come to the West, basically to rally for liberation,” Prof Sobers added.The professor, a trustee of Emperor Selassie’s former house, said the ruler had not wanted to leave his country after the Italian dictator had invaded.
“But he realised the Ethiopians with their spears just wouldn’t be able to combat that force.
“So he had to come to the West, basically to rally for liberation,” Prof Sobers added.The professor, a trustee of Emperor Selassie’s former house, said the ruler had not wanted to leave his country after the Italian dictator had invaded.
“But he realised the Ethiopians with their spears just wouldn’t be able to combat that force.
“So he had to come to the West, basically to rally for liberation,” Prof Sobers added.
Emperor Selassie addressed the League of Nations – the precursor of the United Nations – “and gave a very passionate speech saying essentially that if it’s us today, it will be you tomorrow”, continued Prof Sobers.
He said at that point, the UK had been “keeping Mussolini cosy”.
“When the emperor originally came to England, the crowds came out at Paddington Station.
“He was really popular and he was basically an embarrassment to the British government,” Prof Sobers said.
He was told to “keep his head down” and “go out to the provinces”.
One of the reasons the emperor chose Bath was to have access to the city’s “healing waters” to treat the mustard gas burns on his hands and arms from the chemical warfare being used in Ethiopia.
He bought Fairfield House and moved in his children, as well as servants, government ministers and Ethiopian priests.
“It was a big entourage that lived in Bath, so they were very noticeable,” said the professor.
But the group became of part of the community, with Emperor Selassie’s children playing with the neighbourhood kids and inviting them round for dinner.
Prof Sobers remembered speaking to a Mrs King, who used to play with the emperor’s children, but had been “really, really embarrassed” when she had eaten dinner at their house as they had dined on gold plates and her knife would make a loud scraping sound.
Others remembered the emperor as “a man of timing”.
“Someone said that they knew if they were late for work or early for work by how far the emperor was walking down the road every morning,” said the professor.
Emperor Selassie would often be seen walking his dog Lulu on the streets of Bath, though Prof Sobers said rumours he had had pet lions in his basement of Fairfield House were not true.
The local paper ran daily updates on the emperor’s schedule and dispelled other rumours like his beard “having turned white with anguish”.
Emperor Selassie also made a point of indulging in local amusements, including Weston’s iconic Tropicana outdoor swimming pool.
Locals remembered this trip because he had refused to skip the queue when offered.
“He was like, ‘no, no, I want to queue with everyone else’,” added Prof Sobers.
The emperor did not forget about what was happening back home.
The house’s nanny Ruth Haskins once recalled someone putting a record on the radiogram, which played the sounds of war in Ethiopia.
“There was bombs and gunfire, people screaming and crying. She said when she looked at the emperor he had tears running down his face,” explained Prof Sobers, saying the nanny had remembered the tears hitting the burns on his hands and splashing off them.
“She said that’s the memory that will always haunt her,” he added.
In 1939, Mussolini officially allied with Hitler.
Emperor Selassie returned to Ethiopia in 1940 after the British helped remove the dictator.
He never forgot his time in Bath and renamed one of his palaces Fairfield in tribute to the British city.
Fairfield House in Bath regularly hosts events and guided tours to preserve his legacy.
