00:00 No contact with family in South Africa or elsewhere. Continues about friendship, emotional support: Eric and Gordon are friends, sees about once a week. About last significant relationship with man called Jack, describes how they met, how Jack came out to MH as bisexual, stayed with MH once a week for four years. Jack died last year around sixty, 20 years younger than MH. Describes their relationship, more a partner of convenience for each. Sources of support: Eric and Gordon. MH occasionally still plays with Gordon in old people’s homes: MH popular as he knows their music.

05:43 Eric and Gordon both straight. There must be gays in Stewarton, but only knew of two, one left and one committed suicide. Explains feelings about LGBT folk in Glasgow, how he feels accepted but no closeness to anyone. Took two poems along to LGBT Centre. MH seen as eccentric in Stewarton. Doesn’t reveal his sexuality to official bodies, member of the VIA [Visually Impaired Ayrshire group]: his sexuality is a private matter. ‘I’m just me – a human being.’ Some women friends from the time he worked in restaurants in England keep in touch, and some know he’s gay, but not discussed: ‘if they ask me I tell them: I’ve never hidden it’.

11:11 Visibility of gays: didn’t like or want to be like those who were over the top or over-effeminate. Sponsored to become member of Equity. He knew many personalities in show business: sexuality not discussed. Has always taken it for granted: those who are like it are, those not are not; but we all mixed. Film stars and actors who were thought to be gay. MH never liked feminine men so not tempted to be like them. Yet dressed up in sister’s clothes when young boy, pranced around and laughed.

17:33 Never had religious inclinations: his own family were Baptist, but father lost faith. MH went to Dutch Reformed Church school, attended congregational church and learnt to play the three manual organ. About experience of boarding school, majority Afrikaans, about his bilingualism.

22:29 Class divisions defined by skin colour in South Africa. During the war, South African forces would not accept segregation between officers and other ranks: example of Cairo, other ranks entering places deemed out of bounds. MH feels unable to have sexual relationship with non-white because of way he was brought up. He had lots of black friends: gives examples from 1950s. Segregation in South Africa and Britain: official and unofficial. In 1960s in London, the pubs were as much whites only as in South Africa, only not overtly. Needs more than legal change: change to come from people themselves. Story about MH and coloured South African in

London club being asked about belief in apartheid. Being gay not visible in same way as skin colour so doesn’t have same impact.