FOR QUEEN AND COUNTRY Comes to Edinburgh Fringe Next Month

He spied on the Nazis in occupied Paris, was captured, tortured, escaped back to Britain and despite injury parachuted back into France to fight with the Resistance.

The exploits of Major Denis Rake, which earned him the Military Cross, the French Croix de Guerre and the title Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur, might normally be expected to be famous among the tales of WWII heroism.

Actor Neil Summerville, who plays the major in a Fringe production called For Queen and Country, believes there's a reason why he remains in the shadows.

Neil said: "It's such a great story, especially in a country that still has so much nostalgia for our survival through World War II - Rake exemplified the Bulldog Spirit and should be very well known.

"But there is a problem. This is the story of a gay man who performed deeds of heroism but then went off and led a happy life after the war, so his story didn't end in acceptable tragedy.

"Stories like that of Alan Turing became acceptable because people with prejudice and bigotry could say 'thank you very much for your service, but in the end you still got your comeuppance'."

Summerville, who like Rake had a love of theatre and performance from early boyhood, ardently believes that stories like these need to become embedded in our culture.

Rake was a gay musical comedy performer before the war and recruited to the Special Operations Executive (SOE) precisely because social and legal prejudice was so great that LGBTQI+ people were already accustomed to lives of secrecy.

He was told by his handlers that the need for discretion was absolute and that he had to blend in - instead he became a drag queen entertaining German officers in a Parisian nightclub. It worked and his spying was successful. However, circumstances turned against him, he attempted to get away but was captured and endured brutal interrogation before escaping to freedom with the help of a priest.

Rake returned to France in 1944, working alongside celebrated fellow SOE operative Nancy Wake to help the Resistance pin down huge numbers of German troops - preventing them from opposing the D-Day landings.

Later Rake became valet to Hollywood actor Douglas Fairbanks Jr before returning to the stage, often as an entertainer on cruise liners.

The play, which brings him to life through comedy, drama and song, is set around 1960 towards the end of remarkable career.

Summerville, described in WhatsOnStage as "A wonderfully nuanced performer", said: "Rake lived through times when being gay was incredibly challenging - something I have sympathy with, growing up as a gay teenager in the late 70s when there was so much hate, and then through the HIV-AIDS crisis.

"And while so much has been achieved on big issues, like legal acceptance, all the nitty gritty of micro-aggressions are still there. What worries me is that these are the seeds that can grow into homophobia at an individual level and also into state homophobia.

"That's why stories like this need to be told, and told as many times as possible. Rake should be known and admired, he didn't do things because he was especially brave or from an ideology - it was because he had an overwhelming sense of wanting to do the right thing."

The show is taking place as part of this year's Army@TheFringe.

A spokesperson for the Army LGBT+ Network said: "This is a striking tale of a truly courageous individual. An exemplar of how our national security relied then, as it does now, on harnessing the talents of our people and the potential that comes from a truly diverse workforce. We eagerly anticipate Major Drake's story being brought to life at Army@TheFringe."

Listings details

• Venue: Army@TheFringe, Hepburn House, East Claremont Street (Venue 358)
• Time: 20:30
• Duration: 65 mins
• Dates: 5-7, 9-14 August
• Prices: £12 (£10 concessions)
• Suitability 12+ (guideline)
• Booking: www.armyatthefringe.org/theatre

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