MOD admits destroying records of gay veterans sacked from military

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has acknowledged it did destroy records of service personnel who were discharged for being gay, after several veterans requested copies of their files and were told they no longer existed.

Many personnel were discharged from the services before the year 2000, once their sexuality had been revealed.

In a statement, the MOD said the "policy followed at the time" the records were deleted was to remove references to the former offences and investigations from service records.

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It said: "There was a legal duty to ensure these records were erased from individuals' service records."

Watch: Looking back in 2020 – two decades after the LGBT ban was lifted in the military.

A spokesperson added: "The historical policy prohibiting homosexuality in the Armed Forces was abhorrent and we deeply regret LGBT+ members serving in defence suffered injustice as a consequence.

"Our priority now is to understand the full impact of the historic ban and find appropriate ways to address the wrongs of the past."

An independent review was launched in January into the experiences of LGBT military members who served before a ban on gay personnel was lifted.

The review forms part of the Government's Veterans' Strategy Action Plan but is also hoped to guide defence toward a culture of total LGBT acceptance.

The MOD has now provided guidance on how contributors can give audio testimony.

The Government says it has already taken steps in returning medals to those who were stripped of formal recognition within the Armed Forces but wants to take lessons from the review forward.