During World War II, homosexuality was not only illegal in the UK but also carried severe penalties. Engaging in homosexual acts could lead to imprisonment for up to 10 years, and members of the armed forces could even face execution for being caught in gay relationships. In this context, the love letters between queer soldiers Gordon Bowsher and Gilbert Bradley are an extraordinary find. These queer love letters, discovered after Bradley’s death in 2008, provide a rare glimpse into the secret world of same-sex relationships during a time when such love had to be hidden.

“My darling, …I lie awake all night waiting for the postman in the early morning, and then when he does not bring anything from you I just exist, a mass of nerves…  All my love forever, G.”

In these letters, the men express their longing for one another and their desire to imagine a future together. However, they also grapple with the harsh realities of the time.

In a 1941 letter, Gordon writes: “My darling boy, for years I had it drummed into me that no love could last for life… I want you, darling, seriously to delve into your own mind, and to look for once into the future. Imagine the time when the war is over and we are living together… Your own G.”

At one point, in late 1940, Gordon pleads with Gilbert to destroy the letters for fear of being discovered. “Do one thing for me in all seriousness, burn all my letters,” he writes.

Yet, in a letter just a month later, Gordon changes his mind, writing, “I have been reading over a lot of your letters, and I feel that they should all be published one day when the world becomes wiser and more broadminded. To me, our love is so great that I feel it cannot exist without all the world being aware of it. I feel that all our happiness and all our unhappiness should be shared.”

These heartfelt love letters have inspired contemporary artists like Megan Hayward and poet Emmy Clarke, who were moved by the discovery and used them as the foundation for their exhibition at ART-efact Oswestry. They combined these historic letters with modern love stories from LGBTQ+ couples, weaving together different eras of queer love letters in their work.

The exhibition, on display at Oswestry Town Museum, in Shropshire, is open on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays until 28 September, celebrating both the hidden and enduring love of queer couples. It features the work of Hayward, Clarke, and two other artists in residence.

The letters exchanged between the two soldiers are a powerful reminder that queer couples have always existed, and their love, even in the face of persecution, was as deep and real then as it is now. By preserving and sharing these queer love letters, the exhibition honours the resilience and courage of those who loved in secret and brings their stories into the light into a world we would hope Gordan and Gilbert could consider in their own words “wiser and more broadminded”.