91-Year-Old RAF Veteran to Honor LGBTQ+ Service Members on Remembrance Sunday

A veteran of the Royal Air Force is set to commemorate LGBTQ+ individuals who served in the armed forces by placing a distinctive wreath on Remembrance Sunday. Bryan Timberlake, aged 91, who served during the 1950s, is scheduled to be one of two individuals representing the Proud Watford organization for the inaugural time at the town’s parade. He will be accompanied by another man who served in the RAF in the 1980s, in addition to other participants from the advocacy and support collective. Mr. Timberlake expressed that he was “very honoured” to represent individuals who “fought and died the same as everybody else.” He further stated, “They should be recognised as much as anybody, if not more, because not only did they have to fight those battles, but had to fight their own battles as well.” Although homosexuality was prohibited by law in the 1950s, Mr. Timberlake, who was an RAF serviceman during that period, stated that he personally did not encounter difficulties being a gay man within the military. He remarked, “I don’t remember one chap who said anything nasty towards me.” He added, “I did not flaunt myself about or anything like that, I just kept myself to myself.” He concluded this point by saying, “They soon sussed me out but were quite protective of me, strangely enough.” In an interview with the BBC, he recounted an incident he found “quite funny.” He stated, “There was a chap in the hut next to me who was particularly handsome and asked me to go to the pictures with him.” He continued, “[Afterwards] he took me to my hut and suddenly lunged towards me and gave me such a kiss, then suddenly, he stopped and stood back and realised what he’d done and scuttled off.” He concluded, “He never spoke to me again and I think he was experimenting, or had feelings for me, but was denying them.” During his service with the RAF, Mr. Timberlake performed guard duty at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, which involved marching from Hyde Park to the Haymarket. He recalled, “We were the first to be seen by the people who camped out all night along the route to get a good place.” He added, “Everybody stood up and cheered and waved and it was quite thrilling really.” Upon his return to civilian life, he pursued a “varied” career path, which encompassed employment with Boots, the fashion retailer Austin Reed, and operating a cafe in Clacton as well as a guesthouse in Blackpool. A significant portion of his life was dedicated to performing in drag under the stage name Tina Lake, retiring from this at the age of 85. He explained, “That stems from childhood because my parents used to give big parties so dressing up to me was just another part of life.” Proud Watford, an organization that supports the queer community within the town, stated that the group felt honored to have representation in the remembrance service. The group commented, “This will be the first time LGBTQ+ people who defended and died for our country will be specifically remembered by Watford.” For news pertaining to Beds, Herts, and Bucks, updates are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. This material is Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding its approach to external linking can be found.