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Robert-Ely

A veteran interview with

Robert Ely

Robert Ely, had reached the rank of Warrant Officer First Class in the Parachute Regiment when he was thrown out of the services after his sexual orientation was discovered. His case, which went to court in the 1980’s was supported by LGBT rights group Stonewall and helped to change British military attitudes to homosexuality for ever.

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About Robert Ely

Credits

Interviewed by:
Martin Bisiker

Transcripts:
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Home | Veterans | Robert Ely

A veteran interview with

Robert Ely

Robert-Ely

Robert Ely, had reached the rank of Warrant Officer First Class in the Parachute Regiment when he was thrown out of the services after his sexual orientation was discovered. His case, which went to court in the 1980’s was supported by LGBT rights group Stonewall and helped to change British military attitudes to homosexuality for ever.

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Cite this interview:

MLA Style:
Ely, Robert. A Veteran Interview with Robert Ely. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee, n.d. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/robert-ely/. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
APA Style:
Ely, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Robert Ely [Interview by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Retrieved March 8, 2026, from https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/robert-ely/
Chicago Style:
Ely, Robert. n.d.. A Veteran Interview with Robert Ely. Interview by Martin Bisiker. Legasee. Accessed March 8, 2026. https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/robert-ely/
Harvard Style:
Ely, R. (n.d.). A Veteran Interview with Robert Ely. [Interviewed by Martin Bisiker]. Legasee. Available at https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/robert-ely/ (Accessed: 8 March 2026)
Vancouver Style:
Ely, R. A Veteran Interview with Robert Ely [Internet]. Interview by M. Bisiker. Legasee; n.d. [cited 2026 Mar 8]. Available from: https://www.legasee.org.uk/veteran/robert-ely/
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Bernadette 'Bernie' Dolan worked with the Royal Engineers Postal and Courier Services.

Bernie's interview begins with her retelling the story of how she never wanted to join the army, but as she was too short to join the police, she found herself at the army recruitment office instead. She was posted to Mill Hill in London to train with the postal and courier services. Bernie handled classified mail and transported important documents during the height of the Cold War and IRA threats. In 1978 Bernie was posted to Northern Ireland where she was flown with mail to different barracks and sites all over the country. She remembers experiencing an explosion in the barracks, and in that moment realising that no one was safe from the bombings. After Ireland, Bernie returned to Mill Hill, then Dusseldorf where she ran a post office on the Rhine. She was then posted to the Falklands and responsible for organising soldier's mail as it came into the port. On her return home she was promoted to Quartermaster, and later Sergeant Quartermaster in the Royal Artillery Regiment in Warwickshire. It was at this point in her career that she began to feel the WRAC shifting, and was sad to leave in 1994 when the Corps disbanded. Bernie shares her story because she believes it is important to document history and portray what has happened in the past.
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Photo Gallery icon 11 Photos
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