'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.
