Local historian Stephen Bourne will be signing books at the Imperial War Museum and later giving a talks on gay WWI and WWII servicemen, writes Cristina Trujillo…
Born in Camberwell, Stephen Bourne specialises in hidden histories, documenting the lives and contributions of Black Britons and the LGBT+ community.
He will be signing copies of his WWI and WWII books Fighting Proud, Black Poppies and Under Fire – Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45 at the Imperial War Museum on Saturday, 14 February. The Meet the Author event runs between 11am and 2pm in the Imperial War Museum Bookshop.
On Wednesday, 25 February, Stephen Bourne will also be giving a talk at the Norwegian Church for the Rotherhithe and Bermondsey Local History Society for LGBT History Month.
The illustrated talk, called LGBT History Month Special: Fighting Proud, will describe some of the gay servicemen who feature in his best-selling book Fighting Proud – The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars.
From speculation around the sexuality of Lord Kitchener, the most famous military leader of WWI, to the love letters penned by gay Bermondsey soldier Ralph Hall during WWII, the book tells stories that are often overlooked in history.
Stephen was a voluntary independent advisor to Southwark Council and the Metropolitan Police. He also founded the Southwark Anti-Homophobic Forum in 1995, a multi-agency forum that united local senior police officers, Southwark Council and members of the LGBT+ community.
Meet the Author
When: Saturday, 14 February, 11am–2pm
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Where: Imperial War Museum Bookshop, Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ
Price: Free to attend
LGBT History Month Special: Fighting Proud
When: Wednesday, 25 February, 7.30pm–9pm
Where: St. Olav’s Norwegian Church in London, Albion St, London SE16 7JB
Price: Free to attend
