Letters reveal the stori of gay soldiers world wars | Daily Mail Onle

Contents:

• LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS
• BRA’S GAY WAR POETS
• 300 LOVE LETTERS DISVERED BETWEEN TWO GAY MEN DURG WWII TELLS HEARTBREAKG STORY
• THE UNTOLD GAY HISTORY OF BRA’S FIRST WORLD WAR POETS REVEALED
• THE GAY LETTERS : A CIVIL WAR RRPONNCE

LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS

But more than 70 years later, was disvered that G stood for Gordon, and Gilbert had been love wh a the time, not only was homosexualy illegal, but those the armed forc uld be shot for havg gay sex. The letters, which emerged after Mr Bradley's ath 2008, are therefore unual and shed an important light on homosexual relatnships durg the do we know about this forbidn love affair?

BRA’S GAY WAR POETS

The rt of the world have no nceptn of what our love is - they do not know that is life as a homosexual the 1940s was credibly difficult. Gay activy was a urt-martial offence, jail sentenc for so-lled "gross cency" were mon, and much of society strongly disapproved of same-sex was not until the Sexual Offenc Act 1967 that nsentg men aged 21 and over were legally allowed to have gay relatnships - and beg openly gay the armed servic was not allowed until letters, which emerged after Mr Bradley's ath 2008, are rare bee most homosexual upl would get rid of anythg so crimatg, says gay rights activist Peter Rose. "There is a gay history and isn't always negative and tearful, " he says.

"But spe all the awful circumstanc, gay men and lbians managed to rise above all and have fascatg and good liv spe everythg. "Such letters are extremely rare bee they were crimatg - gay men faced years prison wh or whout hard labour, " he says.

300 LOVE LETTERS DISVERED BETWEEN TWO GAY MEN DURG WWII TELLS HEARTBREAKG STORY

"There was even the possibily that gay soldiers uld have been shot. They dited their youth to fendg a untry that was often reluctant to accept the way they lived their liv - even at the risk of gettg now the credible stori of the gay men who fought the two world wars has been revealed a new book on the 50th anniversary of the crimalisatn of clu the love letters of First World War sweethearts, workg-class Ralph Hall and middle-class soldier Montague Glover, who began a long-term relatnship the 1930s. Both men served the Army om 1914-18, while Hall joed the RAF durg World War Two, and the uple rned durg peacetime and risked imprisonment for their relatnship up until to manpower shortag, gay men were unofficially allowed to serve the armed forc, and around 250, 000 of some 5 ln Brish men who durg the Send World War are timated to have been gay or is spe the law sayg gay recs uld be dismissed wh a dishonourable discharge for the mere fact of beg gay, and imprisoned or even shot for 'gross cency' if they engaged homosexual acts.

A wave of nvictns followed the close of the war 1945, cludg of the Bletchley Park breaker Alan Turg, who killed himself 1954 after beg found guilty of homosexual activy two years on July 27, 1967, homosexual acts between two men over the age of 21 private were legalised unr the Sexual Offenc Act.

The amazg stori of the gay men who fought the two world wars has been revealed a new book - on the 50th anniversary of the crimalisatn of homosexualy. The thor of Fightg Proud, Stephen Bourne, said: 'When I started to look closely at the experienc of gay men the Send World War, I realised that, spe homophobia, and the fact that homosexualy was agast the law, gay men were accepted to the armed servic, they were tegrated and some stanc, beme 'masts' on board their ships, their regiments or their RAF crew' Soldiers who were disvered to be homosexual uld be urt martialled and thrown out of the servic. Other gay men were sent to prison, and there was even the possibily of beg shot.

THE UNTOLD GAY HISTORY OF BRA’S FIRST WORLD WAR POETS REVEALED

However, Mr Bourne believ the armed forc were driven by manpower shortag to turn a bld eye to homosexual recs durg the world wars. He also said attus to gay men were harsher durg the First World War, although many were accepted by their ras even then. Homosexual men Bra were fally protected by law as homosexual acts between two men over the age of 21 private were legalised This image, taken 1917, shows the theatril pany of HMS Er.

Social and cultural activi on board ships gave gay men the chance to tegrate wh their ras. Mr Bourne add: 'Some gay men who joed up did face hostily to beg wh, but found that if they ed humour they uld overe homophobic attus and make iends'Other fascatg tal Fightg Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served Two World Wars clu that of Journey's End playwright, R.

THE GAY LETTERS : A CIVIL WAR RRPONNCE

Dpe the risks of beg ught, many gay men were known to be gay and accepted by their ras Fred Barn was an English mic hall sger who was openly gay and known for his signature song, 'The Black Sheep of the Fay'.

Mr Bourne said: 'I am certa that some gay men would have been accepted by their heterosexual ras on the ont-le, and the trench, but if they were found out the punishment was harsh, pecially the officer class' Pictured: A World War Two postrd pictg two gay soldiers. Mr Bourne said he chose to wre his book to make up for the lack of gay histori, particularly at way.

Homosexuals on the ont le were often accepted by their ras and were often most likely to experience prejudice om the officer class, he wrote Published by I. Tris, Fightg Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served Two World Wars by Stephen Bourne is now available to buy on Amazon for RRP £17. 99 Alan Turg: The hero breaker fally given a pardon after his 1950s nvictn for beg gay Alan Turg, who was nvicted of homosexual activy 1952 but pardoned by the Queen 2013Almost 60 years after he killed himself wh cyani, gay Enigma breaker Alan Turg was given a Royal pardon for the nvictn which stroyed his was requted by the then Jtice Secretary Chris Graylg, who scribed Turg as a natnal hero who fell foul of the law bee of his sexualy.