Love, Sex, Work and Friendship: Northern, Working-Class Men and Sexuality in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

In 1919, Oscar, a 33-year-old steel worker from Sheffield, was interviewed about his life, work and political views. He lived with his father and brothers and did ‘not a little to make [the house] artistic’; in fact his bedroom was ‘an indication that Oscar has a sense of beauty’.¹ In his free time Oscar went to the opera a few times a week, rambled on the moors with his sketchbook, visited friends, museums and galleries and went to see bands play in the local parks. He was keen to point out that Edward Carpenter, the famous socialist, sex reformer and prolific lover of northern, working-class men, was a ‘local writer and socialist with advanced views’.² Oscar made no secret of his lack of romantic interest in women. This may not seem like a description of a man who would have had high standing in his working-class community but the opposite was true. He was physically weak and often very ill but did well at a demanding, industrial job — indeed the interviewer was keen to note that despite his incapacity and distaste for his work, he was an ‘exceptionally good workman’ who was liked by his fellows.³ Despite his potentially effeminate hobbies and his lack of interest in finding a girlfriend, his prowess and level of effort at work ensured his place in the upper echelons of local, working-class society.