The Glamour Boys: The Secret Story of the Rebels who Fought for Britain to Defeat Hitler
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- Author：Chris Bryant
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Summary
We like to think we know the story of how Britain went to war with Germany in 1939， but there is one chapter that has never been told。 In the early 1930s， a group of young， queer British MPs visited Berlin on a series of trips that would change the course of the Second World War。 As Hitler rose to power， they watched the Nazis arrest their gay and Jewish friends， send them to concentration camps and murder them。
These men were some of the first to warn Britain about Hitler， repeatedly speaking out against their government's policy of appeasing him。 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hated them。 Branding them 'the glamour boys'， he had them followed， harassed， spied upon and derided in the press。 They suffered abuse， innuendo and threats of de-selection。 At a time when even the suggestion of homosexuality could land you in prison， the bravery these men were forced to show in their personal lives gave them extraordinary courage in public。 Adept at hiding their true nature， some became talented spies， while others witnessed the brutality of Hitler's camps first hand。 Four of them died in action。 And without them， this country would never have faced down the Nazis。
Based on years of archival research， this is a story of unsung bravery at a defining moment in Britain's history。
These men were some of the first to warn Britain about Hitler， repeatedly speaking out against their government's policy of appeasing him。 Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hated them。 Branding them 'the glamour boys'， he had them followed， harassed， spied upon and derided in the press。 They suffered abuse， innuendo and threats of de-selection。 At a time when even the suggestion of homosexuality could land you in prison， the bravery these men were forced to show in their personal lives gave them extraordinary courage in public。 Adept at hiding their true nature， some became talented spies， while others witnessed the brutality of Hitler's camps first hand。 Four of them died in action。 And without them， this country would never have faced down the Nazis。
Based on years of archival research， this is a story of unsung bravery at a defining moment in Britain's history。
Reviews
Andrew Marshall
，
A fascinating corner of history that I did not know much about。 The Glamour Boys was a put down to try and shut up a group of gay （or bi-sexual） MPs who spoke up about the dangers of Hitler， the need to re-arm and the folly of appeasement。 Bryant has written a complex （and well researched） group biography against the odds。 Being homosexual was illegal in the UK and most gay men were deeply in the closet and some in marriages of convenience。 However， Berlin did not enforce the penal code against A fascinating corner of history that I did not know much about。 The Glamour Boys was a put down to try and shut up a group of gay （or bi-sexual） MPs who spoke up about the dangers of Hitler， the need to re-arm and the folly of appeasement。 Bryant has written a complex （and well researched） group biography against the odds。 Being homosexual was illegal in the UK and most gay men were deeply in the closet and some in marriages of convenience。 However， Berlin did not enforce the penal code against homosexuality and for many British men - in the words of Isherwood - Berlin meant boys。 So it was a place of comparative freedom and these British MPs knew from first hand experience or from friends about the clamp down and the persecution when the National Socialist （Nazi Party） came to power。 Their attempts to raise the alarm was not only ignored but they were threatened if they did not shut up。 However， at personal cost， they fought on。Considering many of the subjects destroyed their papers - for fear of being found out and jailed - Bryant has written an engaging book。 However， I got confused which character was which and therefore did not get so personally involved with their individual stories。 I was more interested in the social history of how gay men negotiated or failed to negotiate the space between turned eye and exposure and their lives being destroyed。 I had no idea how widespread anti-Semitism had been in the UK or how ill prepared the country was for war。There is a chapter on each of the MPS war - most fought and many lost their lives。 Good to read that these men's children and grandchildren helped write the book and are proud of not just their ancestor's war record but the men they were too。 。。。more
Jason
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An interesting analysis of opposition to Chamberlain's appeasement， and the group of MPs who drove the opposition。 The details of London nightlife catering to queer men and indeed their day to day lives was quite sensitive and engaging。 The writing has a nice style。 I personally thought the （what felt like a） gossipy flourish given to some of the granular historical details sat very well with the themes dealt with in the book。 Well researched and well weaved together。 An interesting analysis of opposition to Chamberlain's appeasement， and the group of MPs who drove the opposition。 The details of London nightlife catering to queer men and indeed their day to day lives was quite sensitive and engaging。 The writing has a nice style。 I personally thought the （what felt like a） gossipy flourish given to some of the granular historical details sat very well with the themes dealt with in the book。 Well researched and well weaved together。 。。。more
J Grimsey
，
A very interesting story that needs to be told 。 It covers sexual orientation 。 class discrimination anti-Semitism and much more， a good thought provoking book with out being forced to woke extremes。
Jack Bates
，
If， like me， you've read dozens of biogs and autobiogs of writers， artists and 'society types' born in the late 19th and early 20th centuries， you'll find the early chapters of this rammed full of names of people you recognise。 It's tricky to get a handle on it， in some ways， because everyone's related， or sleeping with so-and-so's brother or whatever， and they're mostly posh so lots of 'em are double-barrelled and have nicknames and several people are called Ronnie。 The early chapters are full If， like me， you've read dozens of biogs and autobiogs of writers， artists and 'society types' born in the late 19th and early 20th centuries， you'll find the early chapters of this rammed full of names of people you recognise。 It's tricky to get a handle on it， in some ways， because everyone's related， or sleeping with so-and-so's brother or whatever， and they're mostly posh so lots of 'em are double-barrelled and have nicknames and several people are called Ronnie。 The early chapters are full of parties and trips on yachts and to nightclubs in London and Berlin。 It tightens up the closer we get to September 1939 though， and I quite see that it is necessary to 'set the scene'。 Anyway， the basic premise is that loads of Tory MPs in the thirties were 'unmarried' and for quite a few of them that was a euphemism。 This meant， perhaps， that they were in the ideal position to see and interpret the evidence that the Nazis weren't just a bunch of smartly-dressed charmers trying to 'make their country better'。 Not just because they were often in Berlin for some post-Weimar decadence， but because they knew people like Röhm and could see exactly where everything was heading after the Night of the Long Knives。 Reading about 'insurgent' Tories standing up in the HoC and shouting at Chamberlain about the camps and what was happening to German Jews， as well as rearmament and German expansionism， was fascinating。 There's a whole thing about Chamberlain's surveillance of the 'glamour boys' that's quite the eye-opener， as are the enormous divisions in the party， which I wasn't necessarily aware of。 A lot of research has gone into this and it's well-written， even the slightly trickier early chapters are OK， and as I say， once war is clearly inevitable it gets a lot pacier。 If you're looking for representation I think it's a really great examination of how 'queer and queerish' （mostly） men played significant roles in government and the forces （well， officer class in this case obvs） during the war。 Recommended， with that caveat about the opening chapters。 。。。more
Martin
，
The level of anti semitism entrenched in British history is disturbing。 Xenophobic feelings in the 1940's sadly still permeates British society as evidenced by Brexit。This is a well researched book telling an unknown story。。。the members of the Glamour Boys should be lauded for the stance The level of anti semitism entrenched in British history is disturbing。 Xenophobic feelings in the 1940's sadly still permeates British society as evidenced by Brexit。This is a well researched book telling an unknown story。。。the members of the Glamour Boys should be lauded for the stance 。。。more
Dan Myatt
，
An excellent insight into the lives of some very high profile gay men in a time when it was illegal to be gay。A well written and extremely well researched book filled with detail that just has you needing to know more about these men。A somewhat tragic bookat times but so is life！
David Cutler
，
An extremely interesting book about a group of queer MPs who， mainly after the Night of the Long Knives and its open homophobia， become advocates for ending appeasement。 The description of gay lives in the Thirties is sensitive and interesting， including the freedoms of Germany in the Twenties， but sometimes I felt the biographies were a little over researched。Although I completely agree it’s been an overlooked passage of history and their contributions were certainly unknown to me， I am less su An extremely interesting book about a group of queer MPs who， mainly after the Night of the Long Knives and its open homophobia， become advocates for ending appeasement。 The description of gay lives in the Thirties is sensitive and interesting， including the freedoms of Germany in the Twenties， but sometimes I felt the biographies were a little over researched。Although I completely agree it’s been an overlooked passage of history and their contributions were certainly unknown to me， I am less sure than the author that their role was quite so key to overthrowing Chamberlain。 （ Though his dirty tricks campaign against them， including calling them the Glamour Boys， was truly nasty）。 And it is a tragedy but I want go further for those that want to read it for themselves。 Recommended。 。。。more
RV
，
Turns out I hate the Tories even when they're gay and in the past。 Turns out I hate the Tories even when they're gay and in the past。 。。。more
Derek Bridge
，
A Christmas present - and a nice one。 The part that deals with the 1920s/1930s shenanigans of a lot of Tory toffs was hard to care much about。 But what I found interesting was what I learned of Neville Chamberlain。 I had thought him a naive duffer， disastrously duped by Hitler and Mussolini。 But， while not in their league， he comes across here as a much nastier piece of work。 He was instrumental in buying up a newspaper （called， I kid you not Orwell fans， "Truth"） to discredit his opponents; he A Christmas present - and a nice one。 The part that deals with the 1920s/1930s shenanigans of a lot of Tory toffs was hard to care much about。 But what I found interesting was what I learned of Neville Chamberlain。 I had thought him a naive duffer， disastrously duped by Hitler and Mussolini。 But， while not in their league， he comes across here as a much nastier piece of work。 He was instrumental in buying up a newspaper （called， I kid you not Orwell fans， "Truth"） to discredit his opponents; he may have connived in tapping their phones; he tries to engineer their de-selection; and so on。 He may still have been naive; but he was also a small-minded sh1t！ 。。。more
Joe M-H
，
With sexuality being the thread tying together the figures who are central to this study and so little concrete evidence of their personal lives existing， it was always going to be difficult to comment on such issues with certainty， and I felt some of the speculation at times bordered on the unnecessary。 But putting that aside， this is a fascinating study of one of the most interesting periods of 20th century history。 The desire of these people to do the right thing and play the biggest part the With sexuality being the thread tying together the figures who are central to this study and so little concrete evidence of their personal lives existing， it was always going to be difficult to comment on such issues with certainty， and I felt some of the speculation at times bordered on the unnecessary。 But putting that aside， this is a fascinating study of one of the most interesting periods of 20th century history。 The desire of these people to do the right thing and play the biggest part they could in proceedings is so moving。 。。。more
Alexander Highfield
，
Respectfully challenges the dominant narrative that Churchill was the lone voice against Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement of Hitler and the Nazis。 Bryant tells the stories of a group of queer MPs who， having witnessed the early atrocities of the Nazi party， lobbied Chamberlain to take a stand against Hitler and the rise of fascism。 These MPs not only risked political ruin – no-one wanted to face another war – but faced Chamberlain’s homophobic smear campaign at a time when being outed could h Respectfully challenges the dominant narrative that Churchill was the lone voice against Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement of Hitler and the Nazis。 Bryant tells the stories of a group of queer MPs who， having witnessed the early atrocities of the Nazi party， lobbied Chamberlain to take a stand against Hitler and the rise of fascism。 These MPs not only risked political ruin – no-one wanted to face another war – but faced Chamberlain’s homophobic smear campaign at a time when being outed could have landed them in prison。 This feels timely as the mythology surrounding Churchill seems to be increasingly politicised and it’s more important than ever to reassess history and give credit to the marginalised people whose contribution has been overlooked。 Bryant passionately takes up the mantle， sensitively demonstrating the bravery of these men。 He also gives an interesting insight into the position of queer men at the time – Weimar Germany was particularly accepting of gay people， that’s why so many of the ‘Glamour Boys’， as Chamberlain dubbed these MPs， had seen first hand the impact of the rise of the Nazis。 Meanwhile， Britain was incredibly intolerant of queer people and even just being publicly accused of being gay could ruin you。 However， clandestine queer relationships did flourish in the male-dominated communities of public schools and parliament – Bryant describes these relationships in detail but， as a former public schoolboy himself， seems to relish the 'high society' of the time a bit too much for my liking。 。。。more
Lacer
，
This was an interesting and moving book about a specific bit of history I did not know about and it also filled me in more about the appeasement before the second world war， of which I knew little。 The Glamour Boys were a group of politicians who opposed appeasement in the run-up to the war。 The term ‘Glamour’ was used as a slur， as a significant portion of this group were gay， and there was rampant homophobia at the time。 The book starts with how Germany， at first in the inter-war years， was a This was an interesting and moving book about a specific bit of history I did not know about and it also filled me in more about the appeasement before the second world war， of which I knew little。 The Glamour Boys were a group of politicians who opposed appeasement in the run-up to the war。 The term ‘Glamour’ was used as a slur， as a significant portion of this group were gay， and there was rampant homophobia at the time。 The book starts with how Germany， at first in the inter-war years， was a relatively progressive， relatively safe place for homosexuals。 So it was the gay politicians who were amongst the first to see the changes taking place within the country and what was happening to the Jewish people。 So when the British government seemed determined to appease Hitler （and ugh， I had not realised quite how bad the antisemitism was in the UK at the time）， it was the Glamour Boys， or insurgents as they were also known， took some considerable personal risks to try and face the government。 When war did break out， many of the Glamour Boys went to fight。 。。。more
JJKew
，
Chris Bryant handles an amazing amount of historical research effortlessly， and weaves multiple strands together into a fresh insight into what I used to study at school ' the causes of the second world war。' Really enjoyed it， both for content and style。 Chris Bryant handles an amazing amount of historical research effortlessly， and weaves multiple strands together into a fresh insight into what I used to study at school ' the causes of the second world war。' Really enjoyed it， both for content and style。 。。。more
Brynmore Wilkins
，
This is a fantastic book。 So nicely written。 The detail & research involved is an achievement in itself。 Historical Soho & it’s secret nightlife are fascinating。 I was watching Berlin Babylon at the same time as reading this excellent book。 I got completely sucked into pre-nazi Germany and all that pre-war Berlin had to offer。 It’s about a bunch of gay MPs that blew the whistle on the Nazi threat， when the British press were practically endorsing them & homosexuality was illegal。
Andrew Mash
，
Appalling。 Well written and interesting。 A confusing cast of characters， many of whom would be utterly unappealing today。 But appalling because of the anti semitic sentiments so many mps expressed even during the war， and the attitudes to homosexuality。
Mr R
，
Fascinating study of the role of gay and queer conservative MPs in the run up to the second world war - written by a Labour MP。 Who - existing in a world of incredibly fragile privilege - played a key role in persuading the UK to confront Nazism and how this political position was fed by their queer identity and experience。 Such experiences of the incredibly liberal Weimar Republic compared to the intolerance of the UK。 Friendships with gay leaders of the Nazi storm troopers and the Jewish commu Fascinating study of the role of gay and queer conservative MPs in the run up to the second world war - written by a Labour MP。 Who - existing in a world of incredibly fragile privilege - played a key role in persuading the UK to confront Nazism and how this political position was fed by their queer identity and experience。 Such experiences of the incredibly liberal Weimar Republic compared to the intolerance of the UK。 Friendships with gay leaders of the Nazi storm troopers and the Jewish community of Berlin and what this meant through the night of the long knives and krystalnacht。 。。。more
Willem Ginckels
，
An excellent read， I was enthralled from beginning to end。 A timely reminder and vindication too。 Thank you， Mr Bryant。
Dr。 Andrew Higgins
，
Really enjoyed and was very moved by this account of a group of MPs who tried to alert the then UK government of Neville Chamberlin about the growing danger of Germany in the 1930’s and were dismissed as ‘the glamour boys’ because of their sexual preferences。 Chris Bryant does a brilliant job of forensic research and brings to light many documents that have remained until now unpublished offering an incredible story of these band of brothers who went on to fight in the very war they sought to pr Really enjoyed and was very moved by this account of a group of MPs who tried to alert the then UK government of Neville Chamberlin about the growing danger of Germany in the 1930’s and were dismissed as ‘the glamour boys’ because of their sexual preferences。 Chris Bryant does a brilliant job of forensic research and brings to light many documents that have remained until now unpublished offering an incredible story of these band of brothers who went on to fight in the very war they sought to prevent。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Christopher Jones
，
Note to self: This is EVERYTHING and MORE that I want a book to be INCREDIBLY BRILLIANT ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Jools Woodward
，
Endearing， charming， gritty and inspirational。 This book managed to summon numerous emotions and has taught and enlightened me about these queer wartime heroes that are mentioned。 Superbly well written and I found it difficult to put down！ I can't wait to revisit it！ Thank you so much Chris Bryant MP for creating and bringing to light these amazing peoples stories and sharing their lives with us。 Thank you！ 🙏 Endearing， charming， gritty and inspirational。 This book managed to summon numerous emotions and has taught and enlightened me about these queer wartime heroes that are mentioned。 Superbly well written and I found it difficult to put down！ I can't wait to revisit it！ Thank you so much Chris Bryant MP for creating and bringing to light these amazing peoples stories and sharing their lives with us。 Thank you！ 🙏 。。。more
carlson wellington
，
Very movingChris Bryant has written a brilliant account of the brave men who faced homophobia and anti semitism in their own country and challenged the appeasement of Hitler。
John
，
Very interesting account of something I knew almost nothing about。 I had no idea how many gay and queer politicians there were in the 1930s， nor how influential they were。 This is a fascinating account of how they had to hide in plain sight due to the laws against homosexuality， despite apparently many people in positions of power being gay。 The first third of the book is mainly setting the scene and showing how common homosexuality was then， and it can get a bit bogged down in listing names of Very interesting account of something I knew almost nothing about。 I had no idea how many gay and queer politicians there were in the 1930s， nor how influential they were。 This is a fascinating account of how they had to hide in plain sight due to the laws against homosexuality， despite apparently many people in positions of power being gay。 The first third of the book is mainly setting the scene and showing how common homosexuality was then， and it can get a bit bogged down in listing names of people I'd never heard of who were suspected or confirmed gay。 But when the main MPs （the Glamour Boys） start visiting Germany and interacting with the nazis it gets far more interesting。 Bryant doesn't sugar coat the Glamour Boys， pointing out many of them were originally supportive of the nazis， before becoming violently opposed。 For instance， apparently many nazis were gay， even openly， until they were purged from the party。 I didn't know just how cozy the UK government was with the nazis， nor the amount of outright support they got， and this book doesn't shy away from calling out them for that。 It lays out clearly Chamberlain's stance， including his anti-semitism， which many others shared and continued with during the war。 I had never heard of this before， had always assumed the anti-nazis were anti-anti-semites， but apparently not。The political dealings leading up to the war and Churchill's ascendancy were the best bits and I wish those and the accounts of the Glamour Boys during the war had been longer and more detailed。 It felt a bit rushed by the time it got there， and didn't even mention if Churchill's government changed the way queer people were treated at all， which seems a glaring omission。It was a really interesting read tho， and a fascinating untold story， that would have been five stars if it there was more of the later parts and less of the beginning。 。。。more
Stephen Whq
，
The universal assumption is that queers did not fight in the second world war。 Bryant reveals a rich story of gay and bi men （and a few lesbians） between the 20s and 40s， including a group of MPs who cottoned on to Hitler in the Thirties。 Not flawless， they became a thorn in Chamberlain's side arguing for armed readiness against the Nazis。 In part as liberal Berlin， a favourite holiday destination， seemed to be welcoming， and also awareness of antiSemitism and the scale of what began to Jews as The universal assumption is that queers did not fight in the second world war。 Bryant reveals a rich story of gay and bi men （and a few lesbians） between the 20s and 40s， including a group of MPs who cottoned on to Hitler in the Thirties。 Not flawless， they became a thorn in Chamberlain's side arguing for armed readiness against the Nazis。 In part as liberal Berlin， a favourite holiday destination， seemed to be welcoming， and also awareness of antiSemitism and the scale of what began to Jews as Hitler came closer to power。 The tag， the Glamour Boys， was a deliberate smear and included a number of MPs who were not as far as we know anything but straight。 Each of these men feared exposure and yet fought in parliament， and in time， on the field of battle。 Four of the 21 MPs who died for their country were gay。By focusing on MPs， inevitably in that era women's stories play less of a role than I might have liked。 But there are other books to be written。 And it shows that the history we are taught is not taught once and as fixed as stone。。。 but is always a process of editing what is told。And you take away how many MPs were unmarried and the subject of rumour， the scale of tacit relationships and cover stories。。。 even at the peak of persecution， there was a lot of it about。 。。。more
Paul
，
This is a largely untold slice of queer history。 The Glamour Boys were a group of largely Conservative MPs who opposed appeasement in the 1930s， supporting Churchill’s stance in Parliament。 They were all either homosexual or bisexual at a particularly difficult time to be gay because of the way the law was applied and the still looming shadow of Wilde。 It is written by Labour MP Chris Bryant， who has an interesting background himself， long campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights。 The first civil partnersh This is a largely untold slice of queer history。 The Glamour Boys were a group of largely Conservative MPs who opposed appeasement in the 1930s， supporting Churchill’s stance in Parliament。 They were all either homosexual or bisexual at a particularly difficult time to be gay because of the way the law was applied and the still looming shadow of Wilde。 It is written by Labour MP Chris Bryant， who has an interesting background himself， long campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights。 The first civil partnership ceremony held in Westminster was that of Bryant and his partner。 I also remember an appearance on Gaydar wearing just his pants in 2003 （I kid you not）， which was not usual for a sitting MP and the right wing press having a field day。 This isn’t his first outing as a historian and this is well researched and detailed。 The Glamour Boys were 17 strong， but Bryant focuses on ten of them: Rob Bernays， Victor Cazalet， Robert Boothby， Jack MacNamara， Harry Crookshank， Ronnie Cartland （Barbara’s younger brother）， Ronnie Tree， Harold Nicolson （Vita Sackville-West’s husband）， Philip Sassoon and Jim Thomas。 Five of them were dead by the end of the war and they are largely forgotten。 Their name was coined by Neville Chamberlain and his dirty tricks team and was meant to be deliberately ambiguous as all of them were very aware that because of their sexuality there was always a danger from the police and justice system。 They were all familiar with Germany， having taken full advantage of the sexual liberality of the Weimar Republic。 Bryant takes the reader through the lives of each of the characters from the late 1920s to the end of the war。 As they were all familiar with Germany they noticed the changes in the culture and political climate in the early 1930s when the Nazis became more prominent。 The Night of the Long Knives in 1934， when many prominent gay Nazis were killed， confirmed how thing were going。 Many still had friends in Germany and were aware of the rising anti-Semitism and the concentration camps。 This led the Glamour Boys to realise that fascism had to be opposed and they sided with Churchill in arguing against appeasement in Parliament。 This meant that they were taking a very unpopular stance in Parliament and in the country as well as always in danger of prosecution because of their sexuality。 Chamberlain， who doesn’t come out of this well， set up a dirty tricks department to discredit them and tapped their phones; they had to be very careful。 A couple of them were Jewish and that added even more to the dangers they faced。 Bryant maps in detail the role they played in opposing appeasement and goes as far as to say:“Had it not been for the Glamour Boys’ campaign against Chamberlain we would never have fought， let alone won， the Second World War。”Bryant did a great deal of research for this book and discovered that a good deal of information had either been ignored or erased。 Barbara Cartland destroyed most of her brother’s papers before she died。 So Bryant had to do detective work and piece together information from many sources to put this together。 There are lighter moments as well。 Bryant runs through a number of the meeting places for gay men （many of them in the military） in London， including the basement bar at the Ritz， which became known as the “Pink Sink”。 The army often provided something of a refuge for gay men at the time and Bryant does describe the complex net of relationships that went to protect gay men in some areas of army life。 Cazalet was in charge of an anti-aircraft battery during the first part of the war and it became known as the “Buggers Battery” amongst other things。 Cazalet， Bernays， Cartland and MacNamara all died in action during the war: Sassoon died of natural causes。 Bryant has uncovered a story that was little known and little told and has done a good job of telling it。 。。。more
Sophie
，
This was interesting - detailing the lives of a group of queer or queer-adjacent British MPs who played a role in arguing against the appeasement of Hitler and for arming Britain in preparation of a war against Germany。 As a German， I learned a lot about the Third Reich， WW2 and the holocaust in school and also read a lot for myself， but it was always a German-centric narrative。 I knew what appeasement was， and knew that fascism wasn’t just a German and Italian thing， but I admit I wasn’t aware This was interesting - detailing the lives of a group of queer or queer-adjacent British MPs who played a role in arguing against the appeasement of Hitler and for arming Britain in preparation of a war against Germany。 As a German， I learned a lot about the Third Reich， WW2 and the holocaust in school and also read a lot for myself， but it was always a German-centric narrative。 I knew what appeasement was， and knew that fascism wasn’t just a German and Italian thing， but I admit I wasn’t aware quite how far spread the “appeal” of it was in Britain。 （I hope it’s obvious that that isn’t meant to suggest that since everyone was doing it Germany shouldn’t have to take responsibility - despite its failings when it comes to de-Nazification， I am proud of German Erinnerungskultur and the fact that we at least try to face up to our history。） So I found it quite enlightening to read about that time from a British perspective。My favorite parts were however about queer life in a society that tried to make it impossible for queer people to find happiness （or exist）， and how there still were places and a community。 This is something I have come to long for， and I think it is extremely important to tell these stories。I wasn’t a fan of the glorifying of the military， but then I never am。 I also found it very difficult to keep track of the people and the time sometimes and would have appreciated a simple thing like a date at the bottom or top of each page （ever since I read a biography that had that I want all books that deal with history to have that， because it is extremely helpful）。 I’ve decided to stop rating books for now - thinking about star ratings is something I don’t want to spend my time on。 I’d rather spend it trying to formulate my thoughts。 。。。more
Líam P
，
Really enjoyed this book， a deep dive into a history which feels both prescient and ancient。 Those MPs whose public lives and private passions were often in flux， at a time when history itself seemed to be a never-ending journey towards war。 Background stories to the Second World War are very common， with entire shelving units taken up with them。 "The Glamour Boys" provides the usual narrative wrapped in something quite different: the lives of queer men whose insight into Berlin and Germany shou Really enjoyed this book， a deep dive into a history which feels both prescient and ancient。 Those MPs whose public lives and private passions were often in flux， at a time when history itself seemed to be a never-ending journey towards war。 Background stories to the Second World War are very common， with entire shelving units taken up with them。 "The Glamour Boys" provides the usual narrative wrapped in something quite different: the lives of queer men whose insight into Berlin and Germany should have been invaluable but were treated with suspicion and doubt。 Very enjoyable read。 。。。more
Corey Terrett
，
I'm not a huge fan of history non-fiction but as soon as I saw this I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad I did。 This is an interesting， forensic， thoughtful and brilliant read。 I'm not a huge fan of history non-fiction but as soon as I saw this I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad I did。 This is an interesting， forensic， thoughtful and brilliant read。 。。。more
Joe
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Really excellent read - wasn't aware of this story at all before I heard Chris Bryant interviewed on History Extra podcast。 Fascinating story of gay， mainly Conservative MPs and how they fought for Britain to stand up to Hitler and prepare for war。 It was particularly interesting to see how complex their relationships were - being unable to marry， most had a patchwork of long-term lovers， intimate male friends and then more casual partners - I guess touching on what we'd now call 'open relations Really excellent read - wasn't aware of this story at all before I heard Chris Bryant interviewed on History Extra podcast。 Fascinating story of gay， mainly Conservative MPs and how they fought for Britain to stand up to Hitler and prepare for war。 It was particularly interesting to see how complex their relationships were - being unable to marry， most had a patchwork of long-term lovers， intimate male friends and then more casual partners - I guess touching on what we'd now call 'open relationships'。 I also hadn't realised how set Chambelain and his supporters had been on appeasement and how they manipulated newspapers and other institutions to their ends。 I had always seen Chamberlain as naive and optimistic but actually it seems he was power-mad and arrogant and willing to run Britain's reputation through the mud to secure his own power。 After hearing so much about 'blitz spirit' in the past year， it seems we've forgotten this very different side to our role in world war two - a very shameful episode for the country， selling Austria and Czechlovakia down the river。Another shock in the book is the prevalence of anti-Semitism in the country and particularly in the Conservative party - very shocking considering how sanctimonious we can be about how we won the war and defeated the evils of Hitler - when anti-Semitism was happily running almost unchecked through our own national institutions。 。。。more
Marinello
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You don’t frequently get queer history books and you most certainly don’t get history books that argue how gay men saved us from Nazi slavery。Which， on its own， makes this a remarkable read。 Infinite kudos to Chris Bryant for this astounding research that systematically proves how the Second World War was won also by men ostracised by society and law， but whose style， heroism and genius made all the difference。
Julian B
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