The Kemp Town Gays in World War II

When a local girls' school was occupied by the Admiralty during World War II, a buzz of excitement rippled through Brighton's gay community.

During the Second World War, around twenty bombs fell on Kemp Town, Brighton's gay area. The town, as it was then, was often targeted by enemy planes that offloaded bombs before they returned home across the English Channel. Brighton, famous seaside getaway, was not visitor-friendly; tourists were discouraged and barbed wire was spread over the beaches.

Hitler had planned to invade Sussex on 21 September 1940, but he postponed the operation for three days, then hesitated yet again as the Luftwaffe failed to gain superiority in the Sussex skies. Throughout that September, there was decision and then postponement... "on and off, on and off, like the water supply in Brighton that summer," said the Argus, Brighton's local paper. Finally, it was off, much to Brighton's relief, since Hitler intended turning the Royal Pavilion into his headquarters.

All the Nice Boys Love a Sailor

The pupils at Roedean School in nearby Rottingdean, to the east of Brighton (once attended by England's Princess Anne) were evacuated to Keswick in the Lake District, and the Admiralty occupied the building. The presence of so many sailors in the town proved a great attraction for the gay community of Brighton. Canadians and Australians flocked into town and there were lovers' trysts at the Clock Tower at the top of North Street. Gay men hung around outside the gates of Roedean School. They knew there were plenty of places to find privacy due to the blackout.

The Royal Navy placed one particular pub, the Star of Brunswick in Little Western Street East, out of bounds during the war. It was just too popular with the sailors. Ex-servicemen came to Brighton for their holidays and remained, making their homes here. In 1946, a London man came to Brighton to meet his first gay pals on the Men's Beach at Hove. "There was so much beauty down there," said the Londoner. "It was fantastic. Of course, they never went in the sea, they just went to be seen. It was flagrant fun."

Mixed Feelings

In 1947, the Aquarium, which is now the Sea Life Centre, became the venue for the Sussex Arts Ball. Local cross-dressers attended, including drag artist Betty Lou, all dressed up like a peacock in a sequinned costume that stood twelve feet high. A young man called Michael said: "It was absolutely beautiful. The bodywork was all done in glistening sequins and pearls."

Inevitably, some people were uncomfortable with the gay scene. One man said, of a day trip to Brighton in 1949, "Arthur, Michael, Peter and I went into a small bar which was full of about thirty-five males - the vast majority of whom appeared to be homosexuals. Frank refused to go into the bar, saying that he just didn't want to. Frank is the clandestine type of homosexual; he heartily disapproves of all varieties of "camp"; he would never be identified as homosexual."

Sources:

• "Book Review Operation Sea Lion by Richard Wheatle" Review by Gordon Thomas, The Argus, 29 March 1962.
• "The Good Old Gays" by Jamie Hakim, 3SIXTY magazine, March, 2005.
• Patrons of The Bow Street Runner, Hove.
• Adapted from LGBT Brighton & Hove by Janet Cameron, Amberley Publishing, 2010.

Copyright Janet Cameron
Published on Suite 101, 20 September, 2011.