A few got off with a reprimand and warning from their commanding officer. Even soldiers caught having gay sex rarely suffered severe punishment. Faced with the danger of German invasion and the need to maximise combat strength, military chiefs unofficially waived their objections to homosexuals in uniform. With Britain seriously threatened by the Nazis, the forces weren't fussy about who they accepted".Ĭave's experience was typical of the sudden relaxed attitude towards lesbians and gays in the services. There was none of the later homophobic uproar about gays undermining military discipline and effectiveness. "It didn't seem to bother the military authorities. "People were put in the army regardless of whether they were gay or not", according to Cave's recollections. Indeed, homosexuality was grounds for dismissal from the forces and for harsh imprisonment.īut Private Cave never faced any questions or warnings concerning homosexuality when being interviewed by recruitment officers and completing his enlistment forms. I am glad I served but I am angry that military homophobia was allowed to wreck so many lives for over 50 years after we gave our all for a freedom that gay people were denied", said Cave.ĭuring WW2, and until 1999, there was an official ban on lesbians and gays serving in the armed forces. "They used us when it suited them, and then victimised us when the country was no longer in danger. Having risked his life during WW2, and nearly died in a Japanese POW camp, Cave was angry that once the war was over Britain's gay soldiers were persecuted and jailed by the military authorities. I retell it here, in remembrance of a good friend. Of these, it's likely that at least 250,000 were gay or bisexual (based on projections from the 1990-91 National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles which found that six per cent of men report having had homosexual experiences).Ī friend of mine, Dudley Cave, who died a few years back, was one of these many gay soldiers.Ĭonscripted in 1941, aged 20 he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a driver.īefore his death, he told me his story, with a mixture of pride and sorrow. Over five million men served in the British armed forces during World War 2. PETER TATCHELL tells the moving story of a gay soldier during WW2, PRIVATE DUDLEY CAVE.