Arthur Moyse

Arthur Moyse (21 June 1914 – 22 February 2003) was an Anglo-Irish anarchist, artist and writer.

Arthur Moyse
Born	(1914-06-21)21 June 1914 County Wexford, Ireland
Died	22 February 2003(2003-02-22) (aged 88)
Occupations	Artist Writer Bus conductor Soldier

Biography

Born in County Wexford, Ireland in 1914, Moyse moved to Shepherd's Bush, West London, with his family after the death of his father, who was a merchant seaman. In his youth, he was actively involved in political activity, including the 1936 battle of Cable Street in the East End of London, during which he helped to block British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley’s march through the East End.^[1][2]

During the Second World War, Moyse served with the British Army and took part in the 1944 airborne assault at Arnhem in the Netherlands. He was court-martialled twice for insubordination, which reflected his lifelong disdain for authority. After the war, he returned to civilian life as a bus conductor in West London, a job he kept for decades and refused to leave even when offered a promotion, seeing it as part of his commitment to the working class. ^[1]

Moyse was a prolific self-taught artist, known for his humorous and satirical cartoons, collages, watercolours, and pen-and-ink work. Much of his artistic output was directed at the hypocrisies of middle-class life and the establishment. From the late 1960s to the early 1980s, he was closely associated with Freedom, the British anarchist newspaper, where he wrote art criticism and contributed illustrations and political cartoons.^[1]

Moyse exhibited in various London galleries, including solo shows at the Flowers Gallery, and was a familiar figure in Soho’s radical and bohemian arts scenes.^[1] He maintained a habit of sending illustrated letters and postcards to friends, often including satirical or political messages. Among his published works are Fragments of Notes for an Autobiography, More in Sorrow, and a co-authored pamphlet Surrealism and Revolution with fellow anarchist Jim Duke. He also illustrated texts, for example Shelley’s The Mask of Anarchy.^[3]

In his later years, Moyse lived in a small, cluttered flat in Shepherd's Bush in West London, surrounded by decades' worth of newspapers, zines, and art materials. He became increasingly reclusive, especially after the death of his beloved dog, Vicki. He died in 2003 at the age of 88.^[1]

Smith (2019) expressed the fear that Moyse's huge archive of material 'has all but disappeared'. The Arts Council holds his work Private View.^[4] Chelsea Arts Club holds one of his works in its collection.^[5] And the Victoria and Albert Museum has a print by him in its collection.^[6] His artistic and written works have become collectable.

Publications

• 1963. Patrick Hughes. London: Portal Gallery.
• 1964. "From the step of a bus". Anarchy. 4 (10): 289-293. 1964. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
• 1965. (With Jim Duke) Surrealism and revolution: An anthology. London: Simian - Son of Coptic Press.
• 1965. The golden convolvulus (Second ed.). Blackburn: Screeches.
• 1968. Wildly flowering sinisterly creeping joyously twinning beautiful terrible garden world. Blackburn: BB Books. ISBN 0901141089.
• 1976. More in sorrow Six short stories. London: Kropotkin's Lighthouse Publications. ISBN 0950181676.
• 1982. Fragments of notes for an autobiography. Telford: Woody Books. ISBN 0907751105.