A Study of Working-Class Men Who Desired Other Men in the North of England, c.1895 - 1957 Helen Smith Department of History A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2012 Abstract This thesis is the first detailed academic study of non-metropolitan men who desired other men in England during the period 1895-1957. It places issues of class, masculinity and regionality alongside sexuality in seeking to understand how men experienced their emotional and sexual relationships with each other. It argues that fluid notions of sexuality were rooted in deeply embedded notions of class and region. The thesis examines the six decades from 1895 to 1957 in an attempt to explore patterns of change over a broad period and uses a wide variety of sources such as legal records, newspapers, letters, social surveys and oral histories to achieve this. Amongst northern working men, ‘normality’ and ‘good character’ were not necessarily disrupted by same sex desire. As long as a man was a good, reliable worker, many other potential transgressions could be forgiven or overlooked. This type of tolerance of (or ambivalence to) same sex desire was shaken by affluence and the increased visibility of men with a clear sexuality from the 1950s and into the era of decriminalisation. The thesis analyses patterns of work, sex, friendship and sociability throughout the period to understand how these traditions of tolerance and ambivalence were formed and why they eventually came to an end. Although the impact of affluence and decriminalisation had countless positive effects both for working people in general and men who desired other men specifically, the thesis will acknowledge that this impact irrevocably altered a way of life and of understanding the world. This thesis is 80,813 words. Contents ! List of figures !Acknowledgements 1. Introduction! Why the north? !!!!!!!!1 Periodisation !!!!!!!!!4 Sexuality !!!!!!!!!!11 Class !!!!!!!!!!16 Sources and Methodology !!!!!!!24 !Court records !!!!!!!!27 !Newspapers !!!!!!!!28 !The Edward Carpenter Archive !!!!!31 !Social research and oral history interviews !!!!36 !Other sources !!!!!!!!38 Structure !!!!!!!!!!39 Summary !!!!!!!!!!40 2. ‘The love that dare not speak its name’? Public understandings of same-sex desire in the north, 1895 -1918 !! ! ! 43 The role of the press !!!!!!!!46 Sheffield’s newspapers and the trials of Oscar Wilde !!!50 Manchester’s newspapers and the trials of Oscar Wilde !!!65 Prosecutions for homosexual offences !!!!!69 Arrests that went to the assize courts !!!!!!70 Local policing, local attitudes !!!!!!!76 Differences between the Northern and North-Eastern Assizes !!79 Guilty or not guilty? !!!!!!!!81 Conclusion !!!!!!!!!85 3. ‘Well then, give me a kiss and say no more about it’: Personal experiences of masculinity and same-sex desire in the north, 1895 - 1918 !!!!!!!!!! 87 Northern masculinity !!!!!!!!88 Edward Carpenter and his northern comrades !!!!100 George Hukin !!!!!!!!!106 George Merrill !!!!!!!!!111 The O’Brien incident !!!!!!!!115 Who was being prosecuted for homosexual offences? !!!124 Where were men being prosecuted? !!!!!!127 Conclusion !!!!!!!!!!131 4. ‘The wife does not take any active interest in the matters that mostly appeal to me’: Personal experiences of masculinity and same-sex desire in the north, 1919 - 1938 !!!! 135 Working-class culture in the north !!!!!!135 The Equipment of the Workers !!!!!!! 139 !The ‘Well-equipped’ worker !!!!!!144 ! The ‘Inadequately-equipped’ worker !!!!!151 !The ‘Mal-equipped’ worker !!!!!!153 !How did the north cope with the depression? !! ! ! 157 !The Altrincham trial !!!!!!!162 !Conclusion !!!!!!!!180 !5. ‘They are not criminals sir’: Public understandings of !same-sex desire in the north, 1919 - 1938 !!! 183 !Prosecutions for homosexual offences !!!!183 !Policing in the north !!!!!!!189 ! Differences between the Northern and North-Eastern Assizes !197 ! Guilty or not guilty? !!!!!!!198 ! Who was being prosecuted for homosexual offences? !!200 !Where were men being prosecuted? !!!!!204 !The strange tale of Boy - an obscene libel trial !! ! ! 212 ! The Manchester Guardian !!!!!! 214 ! The Sheffield Independent !!!!!! 218 !Conclusion !!!!!!!!220 !6. ‘I can’t help it. Every time I see a cock I go funny’: Personal !experiences of masculinity and same-sex desire in the north, !1939 - 1957 !!!!!!!! 223 !The Rotherham and Barnsley trials !!!!!226 !Depositions !!!!!!!!243 !!George Pescod !!!!!!!244 !!Richard Hartley !!!!!!!245 !!Albert Courteney and Roy Smith !!!!247 !!James Moorhouse and Roy Peatman !!!!252 !Personal experience !!!!!!!254 !!Fred Dyson !!!!!!!255 !!Terry Sanderson !!!!!!!258 !!Tales From Out in the City !!!!! 262 !Conclusion !!!!!!!!!267 ! 7. ‘Every effort is being made to prevent the spread of this !vice’: Public understandings of same-sex desire in the north, !1939 - 1957 !!!!!!!! 269 !Prosecutions for homosexual offences !!!!272 !Differences between the Northern and North-Eastern Assizes !273 !Guilty or not guilty? !!!!!!!275 !Local policing in the 1940s and 1950s !! ! ! ! 277 !The press !!!!!!!!!281 !!News of the World !!!!!!282 !!The Manchester Guardian !!!!! 288 !!The local press !!!!!!!295 !The impact of affluence on northern working-class men !!297 ! The Uses of Literacy !!!!!!! 299 !The research of Ferdynand Zweig !!!!!305 !Conclusion !!!!!!!!311 ! 8. Conclusion !!!!!!!! 313 ! Bibliography !!!!!!!!325 List of figures Figure 2.1.!A comparison of men in London and the north who !!appeared in court for homosexual acts, !!1895 - 1918. !!!!!!!71 Figure 2.2.!A comparison of prosecution figures for the Northern !!and North-Eastern Assize circuits, 1895 - 1918. !!80 Figure 2.3.!Guilty and not guilty verdicts in prosecutions for !!homosexual offences in London, 1895 - 1918. !!82 Figure 2.4. !Guilty and not guilty verdicts in prosecutions for !!homosexual offences in the north, 1895 - 1918. !!83 Figure 2.5.!Guilty and not guilty verdicts in the two northern assizes! !!circuits. ! !!!!!!!84 Figure 3.1.!Working-class boys bathing in Endcliffe Wood, Sheffield. !93 Figure 3.2.!A fancy dress parade at Beighton, Sheffield. !!!95 Figure 3.3.!The hot room at Glossop Road Baths. !! ! ! 97 Figure 3.4.!The affectionately named ‘Iron Duke’ urinal, 1908. !!98 Figure 3.5.!The Grand Hotel, 1910. !!!!!!98 Figure 3.6.!The Norfolk Arms. !!!!!!!99 Figure 3.7.!George Hukin in a sentimental pose with Edward !!Carpenter. !!!!!!!!106 Figure 3.8.!George Merrill as a young man. !! ! ! ! 112 Figure 4.1.!The Sheffield Rag Fairy. !! !! !! 137 Figure 4.2.!Rag Week parade, 1926. !! !! !! 138 Figure 4.3.!A ‘Harem girl’ dancing to an organ grinder. !!!139 Figure 5.1.!A comparison of men in London and the north who !!appeared in court for homosexual acts, 1919 - 1938. !185 Figure 5.2.!A comparison of prosecution figures for the Northern !!and North-Eastern Assizes circuits. !!!!197 Figure 5.3.!Guilty and not guilty verdicts in prosecutions for !!homosexual offences in the north, 1919 - 1938. !!199 Figure 7.1.!A comparison of men in London and the north who !!appeared in court for homosexual acts, 1939 - 1957. !! 272 Figure 7.2.!A comparison of prosecution figures for the Northern !!and North-Eastern Assizes circuits. !!!!274 Figure 7.3.!Guilty and not guilty verdicts in prosecutions for! !!homosexual offences in the north, 1939 - 1957. !!276 Acknowledgements There are many people to thank for their kind support and encouragement during the completion of this thesis. As my supervisor, Adrian Bingham has offered unparalleled help and guidance, and his support has ensured that the whole process of completing this thesis has been a pleasure. I would also like to thank Mary Vincent, my secondary supervisor, for reading drafts and offering very helpful advice. I am extremely grateful for the supportive culture of Sheffield’s history department which has provided inspiration, the research funding that enabled my research trips and many valued friendships. Special thanks go to Matt Carnell and Laura King for giving me advice, listening to me talk over my research and for providing the friendship that has kept me sane. I would like to thank the staff at Barnsley Archives, Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive, Manchester Archives, Rotherham Archives, Sheffield City Archives, The National Archives, Trafford Local Studies Centre and University of Sheffield Library and Archive for their help in researching this project. Special thanks are also due to my non-historian friends Emma, Jon, Martin, Cath, Rachel, Laura and Amy for sticking with me throughout this process, my parents, John and Sue Keating, for their love, support and belief in me and to Darren for making it all worthwhile - during the completion of this thesis and for the last nine years. I could not have done it without you. Final thanks must go to my much missed grandparents, Sheila and Melvern Attree. Without them, I doubt this thesis would exist. Chapter One: Introduction This thesis is the first detailed academic study of non-metropolitan men who desired other men in England during the period 1895-1957. It is distinctive not only for this reason but for the fact that it places issues of class, masculinity and regionality alongside sexuality in seeking to understand how men experienced their emotional and sexual relationships with each other. This thesis rejects the idea that the majority of working men in the north of England subscribed to a coherent sexual identity - even by the late 1950s. In fact notions of sexuality and sexual identity are not useful ways of thinking about the period and region under