Book Review: Crossing the Lines

Historian Brent Coutts brings to light the previously untold history of New Zealand homosexual soldiers in World War Two, relating the surprising story of three ordinary men living through extraordinary times.

Crossing the Lines is the first history of New Zealand homosexual soldiers in World War Two. Award-winning teacher and historian Brent Coutts brings their experiences to life through the extraordinary experiences of Harold Robinson, Ralph Dyer and Douglas Morison, three men who shared a queer identity and a love of performance.

As female impersonators in the Kiwi and Tui concert parties in the Pacific, they found a place to live as gay men within the military forces, boosting the morale of personnel in the Pacific Campaign and, along the way, falling in love with some of the men they met.

After 10 years of multiple first-hand interviews and painstaking archival research, Coutts discovered there was a surprising level of acceptance of homosexuality by the military, considering its illegal status. “We assume people had to keep their sexuality hidden and yes, discretion was necessary, but homosexual soldiers had a fairly open experience regarding being gay during the war,” says Coutts.

Harold Robinson, a ballet dancer, found a role as the batman (personal servant) of Major John Marshall, who later became New Zealand’s prime minister. “He’s gone down in history as being one of our conservative PMs, yet, during the war, he had a batman who crossed-dressed.”

Coutts discovered from court-martial files that very few prosecutions were carried out on grounds of homosexuality. “Of thousands of court-martials, there were just eight prosecutions involving 10 gay men among the surviving records, “has said”.

Crossing the Lines reveals Harold’s friendship and later marriage to Auckland socialite and lesbian Freda Stark. “Harold met Freda in Auckland, just as he was about to leave for Egypt. Freda sent him food parcels. Later [following the war], Harold got a soldier’s bursary to attend

the Sadler’s Wells Ballet School in London where Freda joined him. They got married and tried for a few months to have a normal relationship.”

This richly illustrated account, which includes rarely seen photos, is principally a story of mateship. It follows the men from their formative pre-war lives to their experiences living in post war London, where they embraced the many new possibilities available. It is a story of the search for love and belonging, and the foundation of the queer community today.

Brent Coutts is a University of Otago graduate living in Auckland. He is the author of Protest in New Zealand (2013), Re-Reading the Rainbow (2017) and Pacific History (2018), which focus on themes of social justice, identity and decolonisation. In 2009 he was awarded a teaching fellowship from the Royal Society Te Apārangi, which allowed him to begin research into New Zealand soldiers’ experiences during WWII.

Crossing the Lines was published on 03 August 2020 by Otago University Press.