Roger relates how the gay scene in Norwich was only for those 'in the know' and, for those not following the rules, definitely a 'closed-shop'.

Roger recalls, in this short extract, the discreet and very private 'gay party scene' in and around Norwich in the 1950s. He refers to one particular stately home, now owned by the National Trust, which had a reputation for hosting parties attended by members of the Horse Artillery and guardsmen - the latter always well known for 'being available'. Roger even remembers a solicitor in London who ran an 'agency' known as 'rent-a-boy', though Roger and his friends referred to it as 'rent-a-whore'.

Those invited to the men-only parties were generally in their twenties or thirties, and the fact that no women were allowed, Roger believes, reflects how segregated society was at the time. He also remembers that Norwich's gay scene was also strictly demarcated, so you had to be either gay or not. If you were known as gay but were seen about town with a woman on your arm, you were immediately ostracised. You would no longer be admitted to gay parties or any other gay gatherings. Rogers says there were probably good reasons for this since police harassment and entrapment happened a lot, and that the 'gay community' of Norwich had to protect itself from exposure. Once barred, and Roger says he knows several people who were, and with no gay bars or clubs in Norwich, one had no option but to move away. By following these rules, Roger says, one gave up on some freedoms but gained much more in return.

Roger was born in Norwich in 1937. Evacuated to Swaffham, also in Norfolk, he recalls seeing a lot of bomb damage and explosions of V1 terror weapons. He also remembers having wonderful parents and a very understanding grandmother, Rose, and an entertaining great-uncle Sid.

Roger was called up for National Service and chose to go into the RAF, where he trained as a nurse, eventually specialising in psychiatric nursing once he left the RAF. Roger was partnered to Noel for 41 years, until the latter's death two years before this interview for GLAM.

Roger recalls some ribald tales of the gay life in both Norfolk and London and as well as describing some fascinating characters, like Black Anna, who owned a pub in Norwich until the mid-1970s. Roger also describes how he and Noel became deeply involved in the city's high-Anglican church, St John the Baptist church, at Timber Hill.