Love, Lust & Fighting in World War II

It can be hard to comprehend the magnitude of historical events, with World War Two a prime example of this.

By 1945, some 3 million British people had served. As such, the rich diversity of masculinity and sexuality of those men is often reduced or hidden from the history books.

With Remembrance Day approaching, we've spoken to Luke Turner, author of Men At War: Loving, Lusting, Fighting, Remembering 1939-1945, to look beneath the buttoned up uniforms and shine a light on the different kinds of men who served.

Who was the D-Day hero who later transitioned to live as a woman? Were the 1940s more of a sexual revolution than the 1960s? And what does our sidelining of much of this history tell us about our shared remembrances of the Second World War? 

This podcast was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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