Fighting proud : the untold story of the gay men who served in two world wars / Stephen Bourne.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bourne, Stephen, 1957 October 31- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gay military personnel--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Gay military personnel.

World War, 1914-1918--Participation, Gay.

World War, 1914-1918.

World War, 1939-1945--Participation, Gay.

World War, 1939-1945.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (158 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

First edition.

Distribution:

[London, England] : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

Place of Publication:

London, England : I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd, 2019.

Summary:

"In this astonishing new history of wartime Britain, historian Stephen Bourne unearths the fascinating stories of the gay men who served in the armed forces and at home, and brings to light the great unheralded contribution they made to the war effort. Fighting Proud weaves together the remarkable lives of these men, from RAF hero Ian Gleed - a Flying Ace twice honoured for bravery by King George VI - to the infantry officers serving in the trenches on the Western Front in WWI - many of whom led the charges into machine-gun fire only to find themselves court-martialled after the war for indecent behaviour. Behind the lines, Alan Turing's work on breaking the 'enigma machine' and subsequent persecution contrasts with the many stories of love and courage in Blitzed-out London, with new wartime diaries and letters unearthed for the first time. Bourne tells the bitterly sad story of Ivor Novello, who wrote the WWI anthem 'Keep the Home Fires Burning', and the crucial work of Noel Coward - who was hated by Hitler for his work entertaining the troops. Fighting Proud also includes a wealth of long-suppressed wartime photography subsequently ignored by mainstream historians. This book is a monument to the bravery, sacrifice and honour shown by a persecuted minority, who contributed during Britain's hour of need."--Publisher's description.

Contents:

1 Lord Kitchener

2 Unfortunate Fellows

3 Edward Brittain

4 James Whale, R. C. Sherriff and Journey’s End

5 Ralph and Monty: The Man I Love

6 Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant Major

7 Prisoners of War Part 1: Dudley Cave

8 Prisoners of War Part 2

9 Rum, Bum and Concertina

10 Terri Gardener: Behind Enemy Lines

11 The Killing Skies

12 Richard Rumbold: The Flyer

13 Ian Gleed: The Hero

14 Hector Bolitho: The Writer

15 Brief Encounters in the Blackout

16 Against the Law

17 Lily Law Goes to War

18 Noël Coward and In Which We Serve

19 ‘Snakehips’ Swings into the Blitz

20 Brian Desmond Hurst ‘Old Twank’

21 1914–1918

22 1939–1945

23 My Friend Ken.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-228) and index.

ISBN:

9781350986411

1350986410

9781350143227

1350143227

9781786732156

1786732157

9781786722157

1786722151

OCLC:

1128168067