Oral Histories – Proud to Serve

The second of a series of oral histories that we are publishing throughout February 2013 (LGBT History Month) focuses on being gay in the armed services before the ban on gays serving was lifted in 2000.

Martyn tells how much he loved his job as a chief in the Royal Navy, he joined at 17 in 1981 but five years later he was betrayed and ended up being discharged form the job he loved just for being gay. Jeanie then shares her story of being a corporal in the army – turning a blind eye to homosexuality and hiding letters under the lino.

Both Martyn and Jeanie speak about  the SIB (Special Investigation Branch) and the covert tactics they used to catch homosexuals out.