Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, said the announcement “addresses a historic injustice”.
Those found guilty of being homosexual sometimes went on to a serve a prison term, typically several months long. In some instances, medals were physically ripped from a service person’s uniform after a conviction at court martial. About 200 to 250 were thrown out each year because of their sexuality, and frequently had their service medals removed.
By law, gay men and lesbian women were banned from serving in the British military until 2000.
