18 Facts About Peter Wildeblood

Peter Wildeblood was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright and gay rights campaigner.

Peter Wildeblood was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality.

Peter Wildeblood was born in Alassio, on the Italian Riviera, in 1923.

Peter Wildeblood was brought up in his parents' cottage near Ashdown Forest.

Peter Wildeblood's mother was considerably younger than his father, and Wildeblood wondered whether that had affected his development.

Peter Wildeblood wrote a successful play, Primrose and the Peanuts.

Peter Wildeblood brought with him two young RAF servicemen: his lover Edward McNally, and John Reynolds.

Peter Wildeblood was arrested on 9 January 1954, and in March he was brought before the British courts charged with "conspiracy to incite certain male persons to commit serious offences with male persons".

Peter Wildeblood was charged along with Lord Montagu and Michael Pitt-Rivers, and during the course of the trial he admitted his homosexuality to the court.

Peter Wildeblood thus made a great contribution to legal reform, by providing evidence and arguments for the debate in the House of Lords where the law to decriminalise homosexuality was passed in October 1965.

Peter Wildeblood was the only openly gay witness to be interviewed and his book Against the Law served as a passionate account of the case and the need for reform.

Peter Wildeblood published a book on the case, Against the Law, in 1955, an account which detailed his experiences at the hands of the law and the British establishment, brought to light the appalling conditions in HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs, and encouraged campaigns for prison reform and for reform of law regarding homosexuality.

The book was a confessional autobiographical book and an early example of a 'coming out' text with Peter Wildeblood openly declaring 'I am homosexual'.

Peter Wildeblood reframed the context of homosexual lives, laying a pathway towards not only arguing for acceptance, but more importantly expecting equality.

Peter Wildeblood wrote a second book on the subject of homosexuality the following year, propelled by the strong response to Against the Law from people who contacted him directly to say how grateful they were for bringing the subject into the open.

Peter Wildeblood wrote two novels, The Main Chance and West End People.

Peter Wildeblood became a successful television producer and writer and was involved in a number of productions, particularly for Granada Television and then the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Peter Wildeblood moved to Vancouver, and became a Canadian citizen in the 1980s.