John William Gott [SEP] convicted of
John William Gott
John William Gott (1866 – 4 November 1922) was the last person in Britain to be sent to prison for blasphemy. His was also the last public prosecution. Later prosecutions were purely private.
Biography.
A trouser salesman from Bradford, he led the Freethought Socialist League, working with Thomas Stewart and Ernest Pack. Gott believed that Christian influence was undermining attempts to achieve socialism. Gott and his supporters promoted virulent and public attacks on Christianity. He boasted that his organisation was "responsible for
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- 1915–1917 Lieutenant-General Walter Congreve
- 1917–1918 Lieutenant-General Frederick McCracken
- March 1918 – April 1918 Lieutenant-General Beauvoir De Lisle
- Jun 1940 – Feb 1941 Lieutenant-General Richard O'Connor
- Apr–Sep 1941 Lieutenant-General Noel Beresford-Peirse
- Sep 1941 – Feb 1942 Lieutenant-General Reade Godwin-Austen
- Feb–Aug 1942 Lieutenant-General William Gott
- Aug–Dec 1942 Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks
- Dec 1942 – Dec 1943 Lieutenant-