Reading a lot recently about the British/Anzac POWs who were imprisoned by the Imperial Japanese army after the fall of Singapore in conditions that almost defy description.
When I say 'defy description' I mean that the privations suffered by the prisoners of the Japanese cannot be compared to the hardships suffered by those Allied captives imprisoned by the Axis in Europe, (Soviet captives excepted.) Captives of the Japanese WERE EXPECTED TO PERISH. Hundreds of thousands did. Japan was not a signatory to The Geneva Convention. European captives of the Japanese were starved as standard, worked to death as policy, denied basic medical care or material, tortured and often executed for minor infractions and brutalized as a matter of course.
(May I say that those historical atrocities in no way reflect today's society or attitude in Modern Japan. It was a different time.)
In the course of my reading, I discover one Bobby Spong, an unusually named British soldier who gained considerable fame as a female impersonator in the theatrical shows the POWs produced to entertain themselves. So convincing indeed was he as a woman that on one occasion a production was halted by the Japanese in order that he be 'examined' to confirm he was indeed male.
It is reported that this young soldier went so far as to continue dressing as a girl off-stage, including during his work as a hospital orderly. Despite the mores of the time, it seems that he was allowed considerable latitude in terms of hair-length, make-up and dress, such was his morale-boosting effect upon men who had not seen a woman in years.
He is I believe (loosely?) portrayed in the novel 'King Rat' by James Clavell, (himself a POW survivor) although his character does not appear in the 1965 movie version.
Bobby Spong is mentioned only in brief in several of the later written accounts of POWs of that time. There is almost nothing about him on the Web. (One photo exists.) At least one survivor suggests that Spong was of course gay as we understand the term today, and yet, it seems he suffered no discrimination or abuse. There is no indication that he was ever sexually involved with a fellow POW, although given the attitudes of the time, (homosexuality was not only illegal but quite literally unspeakable) such suggestion would be unlikely.
In an aside that moved me to real tears, a survivor recounts how Bobby Spong would often sit with hospital patients who were dying, offering kindness, compassion and comfort to these unfortunate doomed soldiers in their last hopeless hours. So convincing was he that even these dying men would cover themselves in his presence in a gesture of respect and modesty. To them he WAS a woman.
Bobby Spong survived his five-year imprisonment. Returning to England in 1945 after his liberation his troopship transport capsized in open sea and sank with the loss of all on board.
I honour his memory here because I can. Not a GAY hero, I feel, but a hero who happened to be gay.
So many gay men returned home after war service and attained great fame in British stage, screen and later TV. Many of these were men who had served as concert-party entertainers, (Stan Baxter, Kenny Williams to name but two) others like Denholm Elliot and Alec Guinness were fighting soldiers... Bobby Spong was both. (I wonder what he would have become.)
In my posts I very often make bad, sometimes offensive, hopefully satirical observations. Not today. I'll say this, though. Somebody more talented than I should tell this man's story.
xx Stephen
"There is no death. Only a change of worlds.” - Chief Seattle [Seatlh], Suquamish Chief
Men like Bobby Sprong were indeed changers of worlds. -Milik
More wisdom from an ancient people that is poignant for that which you speak.
"I am a red man. If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man he would have made me so in the first place. He put in your heart certain wishes and plans, in my heart he put other and different desires. Each man is good in his sight. It is not necessary for Eagles to be Crows. We are poor... but we are free." - Sitting Bull, Hunkpapa Sioux
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"When it comes time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." - Chief Aupumut in 1725, Mohican.
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"We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable spirit." - Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker
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"I think over again my small adventures
My fears, those small ones that seemed so big
For all the vital things I had to get and reach
And yet there is only one great thing
The only thing
To live to see the great day that dawns
And the light that fills the world."
- Unknown Inuit
@ Millie...
North American Native Americans had an acommodation for GAY males. They were called BERDACHE in the LAKOTA language and FULLY ACCEPTED into society...
(Now, let's not be silly... They WERE expected to live as female, (including taking a Warrior husband if they wanted.) So if, like now, you were just a regular gay guy you might have been limited... ("Um fucks MEN but Um likes to go on War Parties???") *I'M BEING FACETIOUS!* BUT AT LEAST THEY GOT THE CONCEPT!!!)
The BOBBY SPONG thing put a WORM in my head. (All REAL society breaks down, ALL REAL VALUES COLLAPSE FOR ALL BUT THE STRONGEST!!!) Because the others DIED...
And HE SURVIVED AND WAS A FUCKING BEAUTY!!! (And one of the strongest...)
(A writer, I THINK of him... Do you think he thought, "Well we're all going to starve to death so I might as well just be me... For once.")
He's been FLITTING around my brain. (A LOT of people didn't GET IT!!!) But HE became himself in that hellish place...) Beautiful Gay Kind Boy.
I WANT to write about him.
xx SF
@ Milik
You are so correct. Most famously of course, in Classical Greek culture, same-sex unions for both men and women were viewed as the epitome of true love. It's NOT a concept I agree with, as it happens, (I do love my girls...) but it IS a concept that exists to this day, most obviously and unbelievably in ISLAMIC countries. (I've SEEN it...)
One day it will be about the LOVE and not he (or she) who gives it. Or who they give it to. Or how they express that love.
They'll look back on us and LAUGH...
(And we all know that the opposite of hate is indeed laughter.)
xx SF
Everyone: "Then what's the opposite of LOVE, Steph???"
Me: "The opposite of love is INDIFFERENCE, darlings... For to LOVE is to care, and to not care is to be indifferent to love. And love is all we got. HATE is not the opposite of anything, it's an EMPTY valueless feeling. (In IRISH GAELIC there is no word for 'hate'.) Now, Mummy's Tired... Let her weep."
Awesome, simply awesome, an example to all.
TY for this post! What a great story....how did you learn of of Bobby?
Being a hero has nothing to do with sexual ororientation. That was a horrendous period in history. Heros come in many shapes and sizes but the key ingredient is selfless sacrifice. I was asked to write a piece reciently on modern day heros. I choose to write about single moms. They give of themselves and don't recieve medals or public acclimation.
