Queer Treasures of the Manchester Central Library – 4‘

A Fable of Love and War: A Romantic Poem’ (1925) by Ralph Nicholas Chubb

This is the fourth of a short series of articles about queer treasures that are currently found in the Archives held at Manchester Central Library.

Born in Hertfordshire in 1892, Ralph Nicholas Chubb completed his studies at Cambridge before signing up as a volunteer to fight in the First World War in 1914. He was already aware of his own fondness for male company, having experienced various crushes and a relationship with a younger male whilst at school. As with many other young recruits, life before the war had not prepared them for the horrors that real-life combat would expose them to. After entering the army, he was soon promoted to the rank of captain and was mentioned in despatches at Loos. Continuing exposure to violence and extreme stress though subsequently affected his mental health and he was invalided out of the army with severe neurasthenia before the end of the conflict.

Of his many wartime experiences, one proved pivotal and turned him thereafter into a lifelong pacifist. Chubb had become attracted to a ‘curly-haired, seventeen-year-old son of a blacksmith’ whom he subsequently saw being killed by enemy fire. As Timothy D’Arch-Smith writes in his book on the Uranian Poets, ‘Love in Earnest’ –

His death symbolized for Chubb all the horrors and taboos of society. The boy, a beloved object, was not only forbidden by law to be loved by an adult male but was legally sacrificed by the same laws in the service of his country. (p223)

After leaving the army, he studied for a period at the Slade School of Art and successfully exhibited his artwork in various London galleries.

In 1921, he left London to live with his sister, Muriel, and brother, Lawrence, in Curridge in Berkshire. Together with Lawrence, Ralph built a crude printing press from discarded wood and began to write and print his own books – ‘A Fable of Love and War’ was Ralph’s third book and the last that he produced on the press. It is decorated with woodcut illustrations he himself produced. After ‘Fable’, Chubb experimented with other printing methods before settling on lithography, which allowed him to produce some of the rarest, and most artistic, homoerotic books of the 20^th century.

‘A Fable of Love and War’ is a poetical celebration of the story of a relationship between two soldiers – one a seasoned warrior, the other a younger fighter who is attracted to him. Mirroring Chubb’s trauma at the loss of the blacksmith’s son, the younger soldier is brutally killed in battle. However, the poem ends on a note of hope, pointing towards his as-yet-unborn child who may well survive and inhabit a better, more accepting world.

Arthur Martland (c) 2025

Once-a-year jab for HIV protection passes early safety trial

An annual jab to protect against HIV infection has successfully passed an early safety trial, according to research published in The Lancet medical journal.

The drug lenacapavir passed a critical Phase I testing trial and now may become a highly effective and convenient form of HIV prevention.

Lenacapavir works by stopping HIV from replicating inside cells. PrEP delivered with a daily pill or bi-monthly injections already drastically reduces the risk of contracting or spreading HIV.

The lenacapavir trial consisted of 40 people without HIV receiving a muscle-directed shot of the drug. No major side effects or safety concerns were recorded, and after 56 weeks the medicine was still detectable in their bodies.

“By decreasing dosing frequency and providing an additional PrEP option for people who want or need PrEP, yearly dosing of lenacapavir has the potential to further decrease current barriers to PrEP by increasing the uptake of, persistence on, and, therefore, scalability of PrEP,” researchers said.

In a statement to the BBC, Richard Angell of the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said, “PrEP as a daily pill has been a game-changer in our HIV response. The prospect of ‘safe’ annual injectable PrEP is as exciting as it is transformational. It’s great to see these early results that suggest injectable PrEP might be effective for up to 12 months.”

Angell noted there is inequality in who gets access to treatment and who doesn’t.

“The oral pill is still not available in prisons, online, or in community pharmacies,” he said. “We need to get ready for its rollout now and fund sexual-health clinics to do so.”

Around 40 million people are living with HIV, 65% of them in Africa, according to the World Health Organisation.

Trials going forward must have more diverse participants, the researchers told the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections.

Women and HIV: Personal Stories of Activism

Throughout 2025, George House Trust is proud to present a series of events celebrating the rich history of HIV activism in Greater Manchester.

Their next event, Women and HIV: Personal Stories of Activism, will bring together inspiring women who have been at the forefront of positive change in the field of HIV in Greater Manchester.

Join us for an uplifting evening that will highlight stories from the archive while addressing current issues affecting women and HIV today.

The event will take place at SISTER (Renold Building, 81 Sackville Street, Manchester M1 3NJ) and will begin at 6pm.

Complimentary food and drinks will be provided.

Register here.