his work which included sexually explicit erotic poetry. 1895 saw a high-profile case involving three homosexual men in Liverpool which culminated in the hanging of William Miller, a 27-year-old sailor, at Watson Prison. Miller had been lodging with Edward Moyse, a wealthy local bookshop proprietor, and his young apprentice John Needham, who were both homosexuals. Over time Miller had become violently jealous of the pair and proceeded to batter Moyse to death with a fire poker as well as attempting to take Needham's life. Miller had also turned his attentions on finding Moyse's money. After surviving the attack, Needham was able to raise the alarm, inform the police and positively identify Miller, who was later tried and hanged for murder. 20th century 1910s–1920s According to the research by Dr Jeff Evans, in the couple of decades that followed World War I, police managers and their governing bodies in Liverpool were choosing to punish homosexual sex crimes in an even more severe and disproportionate manner than previous years. In the period between 1919 and 1939, Liverpool continued to be the location with the most number of homosexuals being sent to trial compared to anywhere else in Lancashire. Evans notes that Liverpool was flourishing as a large and busy port with a booming commercial sex industry, but argues that this was not necessarily the case why so many gay men were being prosecuted. Evans argues that Liverpool was an exceptional case within Lancashire where a more explicit 'moral agenda' was taking place to stamp out homosexual sex acts. There was also a marked increase in the number of cases where the most serious charge of 'gross indecency' was being pursued. 1930s In his interview with Our Story Liverpool, a local LGBT history project, the late artist Yankel Feather recounts his experiences of cottaging in public toilets off Princes Road in the 1930s. Due to the lack of openly gay clubs and bars at this time, many gay men visited lavatories as a means of meeting others in secret for both sex and company. Yankel explains how life was still very difficult and how men would make the most of whatever pleasures they could get in life. During the second World War, he goes onto describe how a 'gay identity' had not yet developed and how the word 'queer' was still being used to describe 'difference'. 1940s–1960s A number of contributing factors at