He continued to travel to Newington Causeway all through the Blitz from his beautiful home, known as Belfield House, in north London which he shared with his partner, Pat Walter. In spite of damage from air raids, and the loss of gas and electricity, Dr Clarke kept the surgery open for his patients.
He had opened his surgery in 1920 and kept it going until his retirement in 1965. This was the surgery of a popular family GP, the Barbadian Dr Cecil Belfield Clarke. Nearby, many buildings in Newington Causeway were demolished except No. At the height of the bombing, the Elephant and Castle area of south London was practically razed to the ground. The London Blitz continued until May 1941. He was survived by his lover Gerald Hamilton who, to the day he died, kept a framed photo of his “husband” by his bedside.
He is often mentioned in the popular BBC TV series “Strictly Come Dancing”. Tragedy cut short Ken’s life in 1941 when a bomb hit the Café de Paris and killed Snakehips at the age of 26.
His “swing” music was popular in West End clubs, such as the Café de Paris, as well as recordings and on BBC Radio. The London-born Reginald Foresythe became famous in the 1930s for his innovative jazz compositions but, in 1941, he joined the Royal Air Force, though he insisted of having his officer’s uniform made for him by his personal tailor.Īlso in the world of music the Guyanese bandleader Ken “Snakehips” Johnson had become one of the most famous Black men in Britain by the time the war broke out. He remained a prisoner of war for four years. They became lovers but in 1940, Nelson joined the army and went to France with the British Expeditionary Force where he was captured by the Germans. He then became an artist’s model and in 1938, befriended the Bloomsbury Group painter Duncan Grant. The Jamaican Granville “Chick” Alexander managed to survive this way but in his spare time he also volunteered for Air Raid Precaution (ARP) duties as a stretcher bearer when the Blitz began on September 7, 1940.Īlso from Jamaica was Patrick Nelson who had arrived here to work as a “gentleman’s valet”. To earn a living, some danced in cabaret shows in West End nightclubs, while others worked as artists’ models. It is out there, and it can be found with diligent research.ĭuring the Second World War, Black gay men existed in all walks of life. Either homophobia or reluctance on the part of the interviewer or interviewee to explore the subject has meant that crucial information has been lost. It is disappointing that only fragments about the lives of Black gay men in British history have surfaced. His books include Under Fire – Black Britain in Wartime 1939-45 (The History Press, 2020) and Fighting Proud – The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served in Two World Wars (Bloomsbury, 2019) Stephen Bourne is a historian and writer. During World War Two, Black gay men existed in all walks of life in Britain * Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.