100 Heroes: Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu
The gay man whose high-profile prosecution contributed to decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu -the 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu - was a British aristocrat and Conservative politician, best known for being arrested in 1954 and being convicted and imprisoned for homosexual activity.
Early life
Born in 1926, Montagu inherited his barony in 1929 at the age of two, when his father died of pneumonia.
He was schooled at Eton College and then studied at Oxford where he read Modern History.
He served as a lieutenant in the Grenadier Guards in the British military.
On coming of age, Lord Montagu took his seat in the House of Lords.
Sexuality and scandal
Montagu identified as a bisexual man.
He was arrested twice for homosexual activity.
In 1953, he was alleged to have had sex with a 14-year-old boy scout. Montague denied the offence and prosecutors failed to achieve a conviction.
In 1954 he was arrested for having sex with an RAF serviceman. Montagu denied the charges but he was convicted and imprisoned for 12 months.
This was at a time when the British government was actively persecuting gay men.
The controversy and media coverage of Montagu's trial and conviction contributed partly to the establishment of the Wolfenden Committee, which led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.
Personal life
Montagu married twice and had three children.
After a short illness, Montague died in 2015, at the age of 88.
