Australian Army Journal

HISTORY
‘A Homosexual Institution’:
Same-sex Desire in the Army During
World War II
At the opposite end of the spectrum from romantic love, group sex was not unknown
among the kamp men of Port Moresby — but rarely within the crowd itself. The ‘girls’,
as they often called themselves, were attracted to ‘men’ — a category that
included heterosexuals, bisexuals and, in the rare cases where they report sex with
other homosexuals, they were homosexuals who were masculine in presentation
and identity (‘butches’ is the term used, in contrast to the ‘girls’ or the ‘bitches’). 68
Truck parties, in which one or more of the ‘girls’ was driven by a group of men to
the beach or into the bush to service them sexually are also reported. 69
That at least some ostensibly heterosexual servicemen — both Australian and
American — sought out the company of the kamps indicates some level of wider
acceptance for the ‘girls’ even if only for sexual relief. There are other examples
in which obviously effete men were tolerated by fellow soldiers — Donald Friend’s
diaries tell of ‘a character known as Phyllis ... [who had] plucked eyebrows, camp
voice, big bum and wavy hips and flapping hand gestures.’ 70 Barry, who served
with the RAAF, remembers a ‘very camp’ man with dyed hair who went by the
name of ‘Petal’, 71 while another Air Force man had a friend who ‘got away with
being a bit on the trissy side’. 72
But effeminate behaviour in an otherwise masculine world could also incur a
different set of circumstances — from teasing and bullying as some of the
New Guinea ‘girls’ describe, to ostracism and violence. In this world, the
‘butches’ found it easier to fit in, even if the ‘bitches’ found solace in fellowship.
Anderson’s memoirs suggest that effete behaviour, rather than homosexual
activity as such, was regarded with particular distaste. When one soldier put on
a ‘sissy voice’ the possibility of (homo)sex was quickly terminated despite one
soldier flashing his large erection to his mates. A few days later, this same group of
mates got drunk on ‘jungle juice’, compared penis size, and then paired off before
disappearing into the night. With the correct gender codes in place, they simply
claimed they were too drunk to remember what had happened the night before. 73
Lawson Glassop’s novel, The Rats in New Guinea, also reveals how effeminate men
posed a threat to the military’s masculine traditions. Newcomer John Hemilton,
a former radio announcer renowned for his ‘fruity’ voice, posed a direct threat to
the unit according to the book’s main character, Mick Reynolds. ‘Surely Hemilton
was not a queen’, Reynolds thought. ‘That was one thing you feared — having a
queen in your section.’ 74 The use of the word ‘fear’ here is particularly telling, as
Garry Wotherspoon has observed. 75
Australian Army Journal
Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 35