New short film 'The Letter Men' reveals secret love letters among gay soldiers WWII

wwii gay love letters

In 2008, the letters between gay soldiers were disvered. Now, they are no longer hidn, and a film has been ma about them.

Contents:

IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS

Letters between gay men are credibly rare bee they were almost always stroyed. Letters between a gay civilian and a soldier? This is an credibly rare photograph of a gay soldier and a man Paris durg World War II.

Homosexualy was illegal at that time, and beg ught the army as a gay man was so much worse. If he was found out, was likely that he would serve time prison, or even get shot by a homophobic soldier, and left for ad.

READ THIS HEARTBREAKG GAY WORLD WAR II SOLDIER’S LOVE LETTER

Two gay soldiers relaxg together uniform. Beg openly gay would not be crimalized until The Sexual Offens Act 1967. Even then, no one uld have gay sex until over the age of 21.

Not surprisgly, there were other gay men that were drafted to the army as well. For the vast majory of gay men wrg letters to one another durg that time, they actually did burn the letters. For years, they had dreams of leavg England and movg to the Uned Stat, where they uld live sunny California, which was known for beg more acceptg of homosexuals.

SECRET LOVE LETTERS OF TWO GAY SOLDIERS OM WWII MA TO MOVIE

The Newly Disvered Love Letters Between Two Gay Soldiers In World War II Will Have You In Tears. War Time Love Letters Reveal Epic Gay Love Story Kept Secret for Des.

The Newly Disvered Love Letters Between Two Gay World War II Soldiers Tell A Heartwarmg Story Of Forbidn Love. “Beg a gay filmmaker, bed wh my love for World War II history, I knew I had to tell this story, ” Vallente, the director and -wrer of the film, said. Homosexualy was illegal the U.

As a rult, rrponnce tailg gay love om that time is extremely rare. ” For Vallente, highlightg the posivy of gay love was important when producg “The Letter Men. A love letter wrten by a gay World War II soldier has been makg the rounds on the ter, and ’s givg all the feels.

AN AMAZG TROVE OF WWII GAY LOVE LETTERS WAS JT DISVERED"MY DARLG BOY, THERE IS NOTHG MORE THAN I SIRE LIFE BUT TO HAVE YOU WH ME NSTANTLY." {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}LIFEBY CODY GOHLFEBARY 20, 2017/12:12 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}OSWTRY TOWN MMBY CODY GOHLFEBARY 20, 2017 / 12:12 PM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"AN AMAZG TROVE OF WWII GAY LOVE LETTERS WAS JT DISVERED","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-02-20T17:12:49.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-02-20T17:12:49.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"CODY GOHL","ARTICLESECTN":"LIFE"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}A RECENTLY DISVERED LLECTN OF WAR-TIME LETTERS HAS UNVERED A GAY ROMANCE THAT WAS KEPT SECRET FOR S.OSWTRY TOWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE LETTERS WERE FOUND BY MEMORABILIA LLECTOR MARK HIGT WHILE HE WAS SURG THE WEB FOR PIEC OF ARY MAIL. THE NOT TELL THE STORY OF A YOUNG SOLDIER NAMED GILBERT BRADLEY AND HIS SWEETHEART, REFERRED TO SIMPLY AS "G."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHEN HIGT WAS FIRST READG THE MSAG, HE ASSUMED BRADLEY'S LOVER WAS A WOMAN—HOWEVER, HE SOON REALIZED THAT THE "G" STOOD FOR GORDON BOWSHER AND THAT BRADLEY WAS LOVE WH A MAN.OSWTRY TOWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE 62-YEAR-OLD LLECTOR HAS AMASSED OVER 300 LETTERS WRTEN OM GORDON TO GILBERT BETWEEN 1939 AND 1944, AN AMOUNT HE SAYS IS CREDIBLY RARE GIVEN THAT HOMOSEXUALY WAS ILLEGAL GREAT BRA UNTIL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"THE VALUE OF THE LETTERS LI THE FACT MOST LOVE LETTERS OM HOMOSEXUALS AT THE TIME WERE BURNED, BEE IF THEY WERE FOUND, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ED AS EVINCE," HE EXPLAED TO {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"THE STORY REALLY HAS A LIFE OF S OWN, ’S A FANTASTIC LOVE STORY TO RIVAL THE TANIC."OSWTRY TOWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FROM WHAT HIGT WAS ABLE TO GATHER, THE PAIR FIRST MET ON A HOEBOAT HOLIDAY WHEN BOWSHER WAS DATG BRADLEY'S NEPHEW. THEY QUICKLY STCK UP A RAPPORT AND FELL TO A PASSNATE ROMANCE. WHEN WAR BROKE OUT A YEAR LATER, THE TWO MATAED THEIR NNECTN THROUGH LETTERS WHILE BRADLEY WAS ON THE ONT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WEDNDAY JANUARY 24TH {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MY DARLG,{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}... I LIE AWAKE ALL NIGHT WAG FOR THE POSTMAN THE EARLY MORNG, AND THEN WHEN HE DO NOT BRG ANYTHG OM YOU I JT EXIST, A MASS OF NERV...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}ALL MY LOVE FOREVER,{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}WHILE THE UPLE WERE QUE OPEN WH ONE ANOTHER THEIR LETTERS, THEY STILL WANTED TO KEEP THEIR RELATNSHIP PRIVATE OM HETEROSEXUAL FAY MEMBERS WHO HAD "NO NCEPTN" OF WHAT KD OF LOVE THEY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FEBARY 12 1940, PARK {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MY OWN DARLG BOY,{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THERE IS NOTHG MORE THAN I SIRE LIFE BUT TO HAVE YOU WH ME NSTANTLY...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}...I N SEE OR I IMAGE I N SEE, WHAT YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER'S REACTN WOULD BE... THE RT OF THE WORLD HAVE NO NCEPTN OF WHAT OUR LOVE IS - THEY DO NOT KNOW THAT IS LOVE...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THEY EVEN DREAMED OF THE FUTURE, SPECIFILLY OF MOVG TO CALIFORNIA AFTER THE WAR TO BUILD A LIFE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FEBARY 1ST, 1941 K . C. GLOUCTER REGIMENT, PRRS ROAD, {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MY DARLG BOY,{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}FOR YEARS I HAD DMMED TO ME THAT NO LOVE ULD LAST FOR LIFE...{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}I WANT YOU DARLG SERLY TO LVE TO YOUR OWN MD, AND TO LOOK FOR ONCE TO THE {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IMAGE THE TIME WHEN THE WAR IS OVER AND WE ARE LIVG TOGETHER... WOULD NOT BE BETTER TO LIVE ON OM NOW ON THE MEMORY OF OUR LIFE TOGETHER WHEN WAS AT S MOST GOLN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}YOUR OWN {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}UNFORTUNATELY, THEIR LOVE WOULD NOT LAST THE WAR AND THEIR RRPONNCE END 1945. BOWSHER EVENTUALLY MOVED TO CALIFORNIA TO BEE A HORSE TRAER AND BRADLEY SETTLED BRIGHTON AFTER PLETG TRAG {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}THE LETTERS WERE FIRST PUT UP FOR SALE AFTER BRADLEY'S ATH 2008 AND ARE NOW ENTIRELY OWNED BY THE OSWTRY TOWN MM, WHERE HIGT IS A {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN ADDN TO DISPLAYG THE LETTERS THE MM, HIGT PLANS TO RPORATE THEM TO A BOOK ABOUT BRADLEY'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"I’VE TRANSCRIBED EVERY LETTER AND I’VE EVEN GOT HOLD OF A PICTURE OF GILBERT," HE SAID. "I PLAN TO MAKE A BOOK ABOUT GILBERT’S LIFE, BUT TOLD THROUGH THE EY OF OTHERS. IT’S JT A BETIFUL STORY."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

The text of the gay World War II soldier’s letter reads:. What do you thk about this gay World War II letter?

‘SLEEP WELL MY LOVE’: A BETIFUL TRAGIC GAY LOVE LETTER FROM WWII!

In 2008, hundreds of love letters between two gay WWII soldiers, Gilbert Bradley and Gordon Bowsher, were disvered and then sold to Owtry Town Mm.

Durg WWII, soldiers who were disvered as gay uld be imprisoned, or much worse. At the time, homosexualy was a crime (still is some parts of the world), and gay sex while servg the armed forc punishable by ath. And yet may have remaed undisvered, like so many gay relatnships throughout history, if not for an quisive mm curator, Mark Higt, who bought three of their letters on eBay.

” as a young woman—a girliend or fiancée—an unrstandable assumptn: “Most homosexual upl would get rid of anythg so crimatg, ” says gay rights activist Peter Rose. It may seem gay relatnships weren’t mon “back then, ” but that’s not te. A recently disvered llectn of war-time letters has unvered a gay romance that was kept secret for letters were found by memorabilia llector Mark Higt while he was surg the web for piec of ary mail.

NEW SHORT FILM 'THE LETTER MEN' REVEALS SECRET LOVE LETTERS AMONG GAY SOLDIERS WWII

"When Higt was first readg the msag, he assumed Bradley's lover was a woman—however, he soon realized that the "G" stood for Gordon Bowsher and that Bradley was love wh a 62-year-old llector has amassed over 300 letters wrten om Gordon to Gilbert between 1939 and 1944, an amount he says is credibly rare given that homosexualy was illegal Great Bra until 1967.

"The value of the letters li the fact most love letters om homosexuals at the time were burned, bee if they were found, they would have been ed as evince, " he explaed to Metro. Image urty of ONE Natnal Gay & Lbian Archiv at USC Librari.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* WWII GAY LOVE LETTERS

Secret Love Letters of Two Gay Soldiers om WWII Ma to Movie - History Htle .

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