Naval vessels, traditionally environments characterized by intense camaraderie and prolonged separation from shore life, have historically fostered unique social dynamics. For extended periods, crew members lived and worked in close proximity, creating fertile ground for the development of deep bonds and unconventional relationships.
Unlike the transient nature of travel on planes or trains, the enclosed world of a ship allowed for the cultivation of personal connections and new ways of understanding oneself and others.
Within these isolated settings, same-sex relationships, while often contingent on the specific circumstances and duration of deployment, were not uncommon.
The concept of homoerotic platonic affection was a recognized element of life on board. This type of bond was frequently observed in environments similar to correctional facilities or boarding schools, where close quarters and shared experiences could lead to profound attachments that were considered a natural, albeit sometimes unspoken, part of the social fabric.
Interestingly, cross-dressing was also a notable aspect of expression for some sailors. These individuals, while maintaining a robust and masculine persona during their duties, might adopt the personas of famous female entertainers like Ethel Merman or Dusty Springfield during off-duty hours.
This duality allowed for a form of personal expression and escapism. The stewards' department, in particular, often contained a higher proportion of individuals who identified as gay, and they frequently formed attractions towards more traditionally masculine crew members, such as deckhands or marines.
In stark contrast to the experiences of men, women have historically constituted a significantly smaller percentage of the maritime workforce, representing only about 2 percent of all maritime personnel.
Consequently, their historical presence and the narratives surrounding their experiences are less documented. While female couples also served on ships, their relationships, whether intensely emotional or explicitly sexual, were often marked by discretion. The pervasive misogyny within naval culture at the time meant that female sailors who identified as lesbian frequently faced stigmatization, leading them to maintain a low profile and guard their privacy closely.
However, contemporary accounts suggest a significant shift, with the royal navy now actively embracing and acknowledging a growing number of openly gay and lesbian service members.
historical context of discrimination and activism
The experience of serving in the armed forces, particularly during periods of intense conflict like world war ii, was often fraught with challenges for those who did not conform to societal norms.
For individuals like Dudley Cave, a pivotal figure in the gay rights movement, the aftermath of his wartime experiences in captivity, specifically at Changi, was marked by severe physical hardship. Upon liberation, he was critically underweight, having diminished from over 170 pounds to less than 112 pounds due to malnutrition.
Beyond the physical suffering, the prevailing legal and social climate was deeply hostile. Homosexual relationships were not only illegal but also subjected to widespread homophobic discrimination.
A significant moment in Cave's personal history occurred in 1954 when he was dismissed from his managerial position at the Majestic Cinema in Wembley solely because of his homosexuality.
At the time, Cave was married, a common strategy employed by gay men seeking to suppress or conceal their true identity. However, this attempted "cure" through marriage proved ineffective. His wife, June, recognized the situation and, rather than causing further distress, offered support and understanding.
She encouraged Cave's relationship with another man, a move that ultimately led to a unique domestic arrangement. This unconventional trio not only lived together but also formed lifelong friendships, eventually establishing a cohabitative household in the Bloomsbury style in Golders Green.
Cave and his partner, Williams, maintained their relationship as lovers and dedicated gay rights advocates for four decades, their partnership concluding only with Williams's passing in 1994.
Following the war, and particularly from the early 1970s onwards, Cave redirected his energies towards addressing what he termed the "unfinished business" stemming from his wartime experiences. He became a vocal critic of the long-standing ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the armed forces.
Cave argued passionately that military leaders had callously exploited homosexual individuals during the war effort against Nazism, only to subsequently persecute them once the conflict ended.
Despite having endured personal suffering during the war, Dudley Cave was also a prominent advocate for peace and reconciliation with Japan.
This stance often drew condemnation and rejection from his former comrades who still harbored resentment from the conflict. Cave's involvement with the Peace Temple near the River Kwai and his extensive lecturing on the importance of fostering understanding and rapprochement between former adversaries highlighted his commitment to healing historical divisions.
For two decades, Cave campaigned tirelessly against the Royal British Legion's refusal to acknowledge the contributions and sacrifices of lesbian and gay individuals who had fought and died defending Britain.
He also actively challenged the Legion's opposition to the participation of gay organizations in solemn Remembrance Day ceremonies. This dedication stemmed from a deep-seated belief in equal recognition and historical accuracy.
In the early 1990s, Cave was particularly incensed by remarks made by Gp Capt D.
Mountford, the Assistant Secretary of the Royal British Legion. Mountford had publicly condemned efforts to promote the acceptance of gay people, describing them as an attempt to "weaken our society." He further declared that homosexuals had no right to object to being ostracized by Legion members.
This statement underscored the enduring prejudice that Cave and others were fighting against.
One of Dudley Cave's final public appearances occurred in November of the previous year, where he delivered a keynote address at an OutRage! event. At this gathering, he laid a pink triangle wreath, a powerful symbol honoring gay individuals who perished fighting Nazism and in concentration camps.
During his speech, Cave expressed profound disappointment that, even in the late 1990s, ceremonies commemorating gay service members were still being denounced by the British Legion as "distasteful" and "offensive," highlighting the slow pace of societal change and acceptance.
Peter Tatchell, reflecting on the life and activism of Dudley Scott Cave, a soldier and gay rights campaigner born in London on February 19, 1919, and who died there on May 19, 2002, noted the absence of overt same-sex relationships in some contexts.
However, he also raised the question of whether individuals would have been prepared to fight for their country regardless of their orientation. Tatchell recalled that the navy was swift to dismiss individuals if they were discovered engaging in homosexual acts. This was further clarified through military law, with a manual from 1954 detailing offenses.
understanding military law and offenses
The manual outlines the various military offenses that individuals subject to military law could be charged with.
These sections covered not only breaches of discipline but also offenses committed against the persons and property of fellow soldiers. The scope of these regulations was broad, encompassing almost any act that could be considered an offense committed by a soldier in their capacity as a service member or in relation to another service member.
Crucially, a soldier was not solely defined by their military role; they also remained a citizen subject to both civil and military law.
An act deemed an offense under civilian law was equally an offense when committed by a soldier.
This meant that soldiers could be tried and punished for civil offenses by civilian courts, in addition to military proceedings.
To ensure comprehensive jurisdiction over soldiers, military courts were empowered to try and punish them for civil offenses.
This included acts that, if committed in England, would be punishable under English law. The definition of sodomy, as per the legal framework, involved carnal knowledge of an animal or carnal knowledge of a human being "per anum." Penetration was a necessary element for carnal knowledge, mirroring the legal definition of rape.
Furthermore, any male person over the age of fourteen who allowed himself to be subjected to such an act was considered guilty of the same offense.
The law also criminalized acts of gross indecency between males, whether committed in public or private, or the procurement of such acts. Publicly engaging in grossly indecent acts in the presence of two or more people, or the public exposure of one's person or the exhibition of disgusting objects, were also classified as offenses.
While the referenced manual dated from 1954, the legal framework remained largely unchanged by the time of world war ii.
War diaries from the era provide evidence of disciplinary actions. For example, a war diary entry for the CRASC, 4th Division, in 1944, mentioned a disciplinary investigation into an incident of alleged sodomy within the 4th Division Supply Column, RASC. The individual accessing these records intended to review the relevant sections from the 4th Division Supply Column's war diary for further details.
In another anecdotal account, someone recalled their father, who had served in the military and later became a psychiatric charge nurse, mentioning observations of symptoms resembling those of DS during the trenches.
This remark was made when the speaker was a teenager, but their father's subsequent medical knowledge lent a degree of credibility to the observation.
personal accounts and observations
Myles Hilyard, an officer in the Sherwood Rangers, is noted for not having concealed his homosexuality.
His obituary in The Telegraph is somewhat reserved, but his memoirs, titled "It Is Bliss Out Here," reportedly detail his attempts to seduce soldiers. Another personal account describes a father who served alongside a man described as the bravest in his unit.
This individual, a medic, was noted for his bravery in treating soldiers under mortar fire and for taking command of situations even when the chain of command was disoriented in their foxholes.
Further research into American sources sheds light on the experiences of those who received "Blue Discharges," a type of administrative discharge given for homosexuality.
Many of these individuals later relocated to California, with a particular concentration in San Francisco. This migration pattern is explored in resources such as Allan Berube's book, "Coming Out Under Fire: GLBT: WWII." The question was raised whether similar experiences or discussions of homosexuality surfaced within the confines of Colditz prison, though no direct evidence had been encountered in existing literature.
The subject of homosexuality within the military is most likely to be officially documented in disciplinary records.
A review of court-martial records for a book project revealed only two cases involving homosexual offenses. One was within the 50th Division, possibly the 8th Armoured Brigade, and the other in the 9th Australian Division. This suggests that "unnatural practices" were relatively rare offenses, at least in frontline divisions.
The prevalence in garrison and service units stationed in areas like India and Egypt remains unknown.
MacDonald Hull's novel, "A Man From Alamein," briefly touches upon the subject, referencing a Bren gun team suspected of having a relationship beyond mere camaraderie.
Hull's narrative implies a laissez-faire attitude, suggesting that as long as they performed their duties, their personal lives were secondary. William Manchester's recollections from the wartime Marine Corps include incidents where a veteran sergeant major was disciplined and imprisoned for homosexual conduct.
James Jones extensively addresses similar themes in the initial two volumes of his wartime novel trilogy, "From Here to Eternity" and "The Thin Red Line." If Jones's accounts are accurate, some pre-war U.S.
regular servicemen reportedly earned extra money from gay individuals in Hawaii. However, within the ranks, gay servicemen were generally viewed as problematic and disciplinary risks, often being reassigned to less desirable duties as quickly as possible.
This perspective aligns with rumors circulating elsewhere, including reports concerning Guardsman Higgins, as documented in the Online Collection of the National Army Museum in London.