Patrick Lyster-Todd hid his fear when Dennis, his first love, was dying of HIV. He made the painful decision to sacrifice his career as a high-ranking officer in the Royal Navy to look after Dennis in his final days. But no one knew he was gay. No one knew he was so afraid.
There was a ban on LGBT+ people in the armed forces, so Lyster-Todd kept his relationship hidden. It was a year’s notice before he could leave the navy. Dennis died two days before his last day. No one knew.
Lyster-Todd faced homelessness and attempted to take his own life in the years that followed. Everything that mattered was gone. Three decades on, the 68-year-old is happily married and the ban has long been lifted, but scars
