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

Contents:

• IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS
• LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS
• READ THIS HEARTBREAKG GAY WORLD WAR II SOLDIER’S LOVE LETTER
• GAY WWII SECRET LETTERS GA HOLLYWOOD TERT
• THE NEWLY DISVERED LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN TWO GAY WORLD WAR II SOLDIERS TELL A HEARTWARMG STORY OF FORBIDN LOVE
• SECRET LOVE LETTERS OF TWO GAY SOLDIERS OM WWII MA TO MOVIE
• "COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS
• WWII GAY SOLDIERS ROMANCE REVEALED LETTERS
• THE NEWLY DISVERED LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN TWO GAY SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR II WILL HAVE YOU IN TEARS

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. 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.

LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

GAY WWII SECRET LETTERS GA HOLLYWOOD TERT

"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.

"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.

THE NEWLY DISVERED LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN TWO GAY WORLD WAR II SOLDIERS TELL A HEARTWARMG STORY OF FORBIDN LOVE

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.

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

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.

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.

"COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS

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. 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.

WWII GAY SOLDIERS ROMANCE REVEALED LETTERS

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.

THE NEWLY DISVERED LOVE LETTERS BETWEEN TWO GAY SOLDIERS IN WORLD WAR II WILL HAVE YOU IN TEARS

Historians cred the work of Turg and his fellow -breakers at Bletchley Park Buckghamshire wh shorteng the war by up to two years, savg untls 1952 he was nvicted for homosexual activy and agreed to ‘chemil stratn’ – hormonal treatment signed to rce libido - to avoid prison. An qut rerd a verdict of suici, although his mother and others mataed that his ath was the two world wars, gay people the armed forc uld be given a 'dishonourable discharge' for the mere fact of beg attracted to members of the same sex.