Do it For Terry

Terry Higgins was the first named person to die from an AIDS-related illness in the UK, passing away on 4 July 1982, aged just 37. 

1. A Welshman - Terry was born in Wales, on 10 June 1945 in Priory Mount Hospital, Pembrokeshire. He lived with mother Marjorie at 13 Priory Avenue in Haverfordwest and attended the local all-boys grammar school from 1956-60. Welshman, a panel on the Terry Higgins AIDS Memorial Quilt, marks Terry's Welsh heritage with a painting of him in the colours of the Welsh flag.

A painting of Terry as a boy in white, red and green - the colours of the Welsh flag

 Welshman, a panel on the Terry Higgins AIDS Memorial Quilt. 

2. Service - Terry served in the Royal Navy from 1963 to 1968, aboard many vessels, including the frigate, HMS Tartar. After five years of service, he felt it was time to leave. Wanting a quick exit, he informed a senior officer he was gay. While this was at the time a sacking offence and many LGBT+ people suffered because of these unjust rules, the reply came, "If we booted out everyone who was gay, we wouldn't have a Navy left." Denied a discharge, Terry painted hammer and sickle motifs on the ship and was formally asked to leave.

Terrence Higgins in his navy uniform.

A photo of Terry in the Royal Navy c.1968

3. A creative streak - Terry was a self-taught piano player, and wrote a book called The Living Zodiac inspired by his fascination with astrology.

Living Zodiac book cover.

    The front cover image of Terry’s book.

    4. An activist – In 1980, during the Pride March in London, Terry saw a drag queen being attacked by the police. Dressed head to toe in leather, he jumped down from the Heaven float he was on and screamed “how dare you bitches attack my friends”, confronting the police with a leather belt in hand. 

    A nightclub scene.

    Pictures from Gay News of Pride in 1980. Source: Gay News, Number 193

    5. Terry by night – Terry enjoyed clubs like The Coleherne and Bang, and later worked at gay nightclub Heaven as a barman and DJ, becoming a well-known figure in the London gay scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Terry loved dancing and had a unique way of moving, with "wiggly legs and hips". People said he could ‘outdance’ everyone around him.  

    A nightclub scene.

    Bang Nightclub,1979. Source: Robert Workman Archive

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