David Irving

David John Cawdell Irving (born March 24, 1938) describes himself as a self-taught historian who, from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, was a leading British author on World War II with works such as Hitler?s War and The Destruction of Dresden. Irving is also one of the most accomplished and successful proponents of Holocaust denial. In the mid-1980s, he started openly associating with neo-Nazi and extremist groups, and his reputation began to wane. In the late 1990s, he sued the prominent Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt for having listed him as a Holocaust denier in her book Denying the Holocaust. After a much publicized trial, Irving lost the case and was found to be a Holocaust denier by the court.

Early life

Born in Essex, England, his father John James Cawdell Irving was a commander in the Royal Navy, his mother Beryl an illustrator. During the Second World War, his father was an officer aboard the light cruiser HMS Edinburgh. On May 2, 1942, while escorting Convoy QP11 in the Barents Sea, she was sunk by the German U-456. Irving's father survived, but after the incident cut off all ties with his wife and their children.

Related Topics:
Essex - England - Commander - Royal Navy - Second World War - HMS ''Edinburgh'' - May 2 - Barents Sea

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Irving first gained notoriety as a student at Imperial College London, where he studied physics. He wrote for the student newspaper and served as the editor of the London University Carnival Committee?s journal, Carnival Times. Here, Irving made allegations such as ?the national press is owned by Jews,? and contributed to a variety of extremist features, including racist cartoons, a defence of South African apartheid, and an appreciative view of Nazi Germany, http://www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/irving.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_America&xpicked=2&item=Irving as a result of which Irving was removed from his editorial duties.

Related Topics:
Imperial College London - Jew - Racist - South Africa - Apartheid - Nazi Germany

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