RAF veteran, 91, to lay wreath for LGBTQ+ community

An RAF veteran will honour members of the LGBTQ+ community who served in the armed forces by laying a special wreath on Remembrance Sunday.

Bryan Timberlake, 91, who served in the 1950s, is one of two men who will be representing the Proud Watford group for the first time at the town's parade.

He will be joined by another man who served in the RAF in the 1980s, along with other members of the campaigning and support group.

Mr Timberlake said he was "very honoured" to represent people who "fought and died the same as everybody else".

"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," he said.

Despite homosexuality being illegal in the 1950s, Mr Timberlake, who served in the RAF during that time, said he personally did not find it difficult to be a gay man in the services.

"I don't remember one chap who said anything nasty towards me," he said.

"I did not flaunt myself about or anything like that, I just kept myself to myself.

"They soon sussed me out but were quite protective of me, strangely enough."

Speaking to the BBC, he said he found one incident "quite funny".

"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 said.

"[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 never spoke to me again and I think he was experimenting, or had feelings for me, but was denying them."

As part of his RAF duties, Mr Timberlake stood guard at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, and had to march from Hyde Park to the Haymarket.

"We were the first to be seen by the people who camped out all night along the route to get a good place," he said.

"Everybody stood up and cheered and waved and it was quite thrilling really."

After returning to civilian life, he had a "varied" career including working for Boots, the fashion retailer Austin Reed - and running a cafe in Clacton and a guesthouse in Blackpool.

He spent a large part of his life performing in drag under the name of Tina Lake, only hanging up his tiara at the age of 85.

"That stems from childhood because my parents used to give big parties so dressing up to me was just another part of life," he said.

Proud Watford, which supports the queer community in the town, said the group was honoured to be represented in the remembrance service.

"This will be the first time LGBTQ+ people who defended and died for our country will be specifically remembered by Watford," it said.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.