An RAF veteran will pay tribute to members of the LGBTQ+ community in the armed forces by laying a special wreath on Remembrance Sunday.

Bryan Timberlake, 91, from Watford, will be joined at the ceremony by Willi Dixon, who served in the Royal Army Pay Corps in the 1980s.

Mr. Timberlake said he was “very honored” to represent people who “fought and died like everyone else.”

“They should be recognized as much as anyone, if not more, because not only did they have to fight these battles, but they also had to fight their own battles,” he said.

Although homosexuality was illegal in the 1950s, Mr Timberlake, who served in the RAF at that time, said he personally did not find being gay in the services difficult.

“I don’t remember a single guy saying anything mean to me,” he said.

“I didn’t put myself out there or anything like that, I just kept to myself.

“They understood me quickly but were quite protective of me, strangely enough.”

Speaking to the BBC, he said he found one incident “quite funny”.

“There was a guy in the cabin next to me who was particularly handsome and asked me to go to the movies with him,” he said.

“(Then) he took me to my hut and suddenly rushed up to me and gave me such a kiss, then suddenly he stopped and stepped back and realized what he had did and ran away.

“He never spoke to me again and I think he was experiencing or had feelings for me, but he was denying them.”

As part of his RAF duties, Mr Timberlake stood guard at Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953 and had to march from Hyde Park to Haymarket.

“We were the first to be seen by the people who camped all night along the road to find a good spot,” he said.

“Everyone stood up and clapped and waved and it was really, really exciting.”

After returning to civilian life he had a “varied” career, including working for Boots, fashion retailer Austin Reed – and running a cafe in Clacton and a guest house in Blackpool.

He spent much of his life performing in drag under the name Tina Lake, and did not hang up his tiara until he was 85.

“It comes from childhood because my parents had big parties, so dressing up for me was just another part of life,” he said.

Proud Watford, which supports the city’s queer community, said the group was honored to be represented at the remembrance service.

“This will be the first time Watford has specifically remembered the LGBTQ+ people who stood up and died for our country,” he said.