The Glamour Boys: How a group of queer MPs fought the good fight against Hitler

In his book ‘The Glamour Boys’ Chris Bryant tells the story of a group of gay MPs who were openly supported by Churchill and fought back against the Nazis. Ed Prideaux reports

Jack Macnamara was given a guided tour of Dachau and wrote ‘I have never seen human beings so cowed’ (TopFoto)

Hitler’s march through Europe appears unstoppable. Having invaded Czechoslovakia and annexed Austria, the Third Reich is placing British “appeasement” under chronic and humiliating duress. Prime minister Neville Chamberlain, the policy’s architect who is convinced of the public’s appetite for peace, is worried. His agreements with Hitler aren’t working.

And while he commands a strong current of support among Tory MPs – and an overwhelming coalition majority against Labour – a secret group of MPs is sowing discord behind the scenes. Calling for war and sounding repeated alarms about Hitler’s ambitions and abuses, the group is proving a nuisance. Chamberlain’s not sure what they’re planning but his master of dark arts, Sir Joseph Ball, is keeping tabs.

They call them the glamour boys – so-named because around one-quarter of their membership is homosexual, bisexual, or somewhere in between. Chamberlain and Ball are careful not to make public accusations without substance but “glamour” – with the phrase helpfully repeated in Westminster circles and by favoured journalistic connections – carries much of the curse. Glamour means effeminacy, vanity, anything to sustain Britain’s homophobic stains at the time. And despite Chamberlain’s escalating sabotage campaign, the glamour boys are only growing in influence. It’s just a matter of time before the guns start firing.