A soldier who fought in the Second World War has revealed that she's decided to live as a woman at the age of 90, after a lifetime of denying her true gender.
Patricia Davies, from a village in Leicestershire, says she has known since the age of three that she was female but lived in fear that coming out would see her ostracised from her family and community.
Despite being open with her late wife 30 years ago, Patricia - born Peter - decided to continue to live in the closet when teenagers spotted her wearing women's shoes and hurled eggs at her home.
However, last year, the pensioner finally decided to being transitioning and says she feels like she has a new lease of life after beginning to take the female hormone oestrogen and revealing her secret to her neighbours.
The retired industrial photographer, who served in the army between April 1945 and 1948, has a distant aunt who once lived to 104 years old so hopes she has 'similar genes' to keep her going so she can now enjoy life as a woman.
Patricia, said: 'It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I was living a lie.
'I have been keeping quiet. I have slowly started to tell some of my neighbours. Everybody said "don't worry, as long as you're happy".
'I've known I was transgender since I was three-years-old. I knew a girl called Patricia and I decided I wanted to be known by that name but it didn't stick.
The OAP explains that she was fixated with girls' toys during childhood and didn't want soldiers but an ironing board, a toy then considered strictly for girls.
'My mother seemed to go along with it. We went to see Peter Pan and I wanted to be a fairy. She made me a wand. She didn't say it was strange.
'I have always been attracted to women but not in a sexual way. I'm not gay. My attraction to women was that I wanted to be like them. I would have liked to be like the pin-ups.'
Despite keeping her true identity a secret, she says she wasn't miserable, explaining: 'I was never totally unhappy. I always made the most of things and looked on the bright side of things. I've always had a wicked sense of humour.
'The atmosphere [around being transgender] was not safe. People did not understand what transgender was. Really even the medical profession didn't understand it as the treatment was to give you the "electric shock treatment".
'They thought they could make you better. They didn't realise it was something that you could not cure.'
Fears that she would be treated unkindly by her local community led her to keep the closet door firmly shut, except to her late wife: 'Because of the general hostility of people I kept quiet. It wasn't until recently that I felt safe to come out and I felt an overwhelming desire that I wanted to break free. So I came out and I've not regretted it.'
Patricia served in the army from April 1945 until April 1948, leaving when she was 21 and getting married only a few months later.
During her time in the armed forces, she served in the Far East, India, East Africa and Palestine.
Patricia said: 'You took your life in your hands in the army. I lost a couple of mates and had a close shave myself.
'I had to keep my mouth shut about being transgender, you couldn't flaunt that as that would have been a disaster.
'Transgender wasn't really known in those days. I would have been classed as homosexual, which would have caused problems in the army. I would have ended up in prison. But I got through it.
'But it was alright overall and I feel quite proud having served during the war and having done military service, in particular during the trouble in Palestine.
Patricia was married to her wife for 63 years but she sadly passed away six years ago. The OAP decided to come out to her doctor last year.
The 90-year-old has since been put on hormones and the gender on her medical records has been changed to female.
Patricia said: 'There was a TV show in the 70s about a man that wanted to dress as a woman and at that point I had never even heard the word 'transgender'.
'I looked it up and there it was and I knew I was transgender. I was 60 when it all came pouring out to my wife, she was very sympathetic and helped me all the way but we agreed to keep it quiet.
'She used to buy me jewellery and she would call me Patricia. I kept it a complete secret.
'When I first came out to my wife I started to wear female shoes, some teenagers spotted it and started hurling abuse.
'They used to often throw eggs at my windows too. They did it so much I had to get the police involved. But they have grown up and gone now thankfully.
'I also started to wear female tops. People thought I was weird and bonkers but I don't care.
'I feel quite relieved, quite happy. [The best thing about coming out] is being accept as a woman. That has been something I've wanted all of my life.'
Since coming out last year, Patricia has become a member of The Beaumont Society, a support group for the transgender community as well as joining the Women's Institute.
It was the 2015 Television programme, Boy Meets Girl, which portrays transgender characters, that encouraged Patricia to make the change.
Patricia said: 'It's not 100% safe now but it's much better than it was. People that I have told seem to be very accommodating and haven't thrown abuse at me.
'I joined the Women's Institute. I socialise with them and have a natter. I'm having a great time. I have a new lease on life.
'I'm known to pretty much all the old faces in the village. I'm quite content now and I wear a skirt and blouse. I don't wear any men's clothes any more.
The reaction to her wearing feminine clothes has been positive: 'If people don't like what they see then I don't care but no one seems to be causing me any trouble. Nobody questions it though. Nobody seems to bat an eyelid, they accept me as I am.
'I've been made most welcome in the societies. I think people will benefit from being educated on this a bit more.'
Patricia Davies, from a village in Leicestershire, says she has known since the age of three that she was female but lived in fear that coming out would see her ostracised from her family and community.
Despite being open with her late wife 30 years ago, Patricia - born Peter - decided to continue to live in the closet when teenagers spotted her wearing women's shoes and hurled eggs at her home.
However, last year, the pensioner finally decided to being transitioning and says she feels like she has a new lease of life after beginning to take the female hormone oestrogen and revealing her secret to her neighbours.
The retired industrial photographer, who served in the army between April 1945 and 1948, has a distant aunt who once lived to 104 years old so hopes she has 'similar genes' to keep her going so she can now enjoy life as a woman.
Patricia, said: 'It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I was living a lie.
'I have been keeping quiet. I have slowly started to tell some of my neighbours. Everybody said "don't worry, as long as you're happy".
'I've known I was transgender since I was three-years-old. I knew a girl called Patricia and I decided I wanted to be known by that name but it didn't stick.
The OAP explains that she was fixated with girls' toys during childhood and didn't want soldiers but an ironing board, a toy then considered strictly for girls.
'My mother seemed to go along with it. We went to see Peter Pan and I wanted to be a fairy. She made me a wand. She didn't say it was strange.
'I have always been attracted to women but not in a sexual way. I'm not gay. My attraction to women was that I wanted to be like them. I would have liked to be like the pin-ups.'
Despite keeping her true identity a secret, she says she wasn't miserable, explaining: 'I was never totally unhappy. I always made the most of things and looked on the bright side of things. I've always had a wicked sense of humour.
'The atmosphere [around being transgender] was not safe. People did not understand what transgender was. Really even the medical profession didn't understand it as the treatment was to give you the "electric shock treatment".
'They thought they could make you better. They didn't realise it was something that you could not cure.'
Fears that she would be treated unkindly by her local community led her to keep the closet door firmly shut, except to her late wife: 'Because of the general hostility of people I kept quiet. It wasn't until recently that I felt safe to come out and I felt an overwhelming desire that I wanted to break free. So I came out and I've not regretted it.'
Patricia served in the army from April 1945 until April 1948, leaving when she was 21 and getting married only a few months later.
During her time in the armed forces, she served in the Far East, India, East Africa and Palestine.
Patricia said: 'You took your life in your hands in the army. I lost a couple of mates and had a close shave myself.
'I had to keep my mouth shut about being transgender, you couldn't flaunt that as that would have been a disaster.
'Transgender wasn't really known in those days. I would have been classed as homosexual, which would have caused problems in the army. I would have ended up in prison. But I got through it.
'But it was alright overall and I feel quite proud having served during the war and having done military service, in particular during the trouble in Palestine.
Patricia was married to her wife for 63 years but she sadly passed away six years ago. The OAP decided to come out to her doctor last year.
The 90-year-old has since been put on hormones and the gender on her medical records has been changed to female.
Patricia said: 'There was a TV show in the 70s about a man that wanted to dress as a woman and at that point I had never even heard the word 'transgender'.
'I looked it up and there it was and I knew I was transgender. I was 60 when it all came pouring out to my wife, she was very sympathetic and helped me all the way but we agreed to keep it quiet.
'She used to buy me jewellery and she would call me Patricia. I kept it a complete secret.
'When I first came out to my wife I started to wear female shoes, some teenagers spotted it and started hurling abuse.
'They used to often throw eggs at my windows too. They did it so much I had to get the police involved. But they have grown up and gone now thankfully.
'I also started to wear female tops. People thought I was weird and bonkers but I don't care.
'I feel quite relieved, quite happy. [The best thing about coming out] is being accept as a woman. That has been something I've wanted all of my life.'
Since coming out last year, Patricia has become a member of The Beaumont Society, a support group for the transgender community as well as joining the Women's Institute.
It was the 2015 Television programme, Boy Meets Girl, which portrays transgender characters, that encouraged Patricia to make the change.
Patricia said: 'It's not 100% safe now but it's much better than it was. People that I have told seem to be very accommodating and haven't thrown abuse at me.
'I joined the Women's Institute. I socialise with them and have a natter. I'm having a great time. I have a new lease on life.
'I'm known to pretty much all the old faces in the village. I'm quite content now and I wear a skirt and blouse. I don't wear any men's clothes any more.
The reaction to her wearing feminine clothes has been positive: 'If people don't like what they see then I don't care but no one seems to be causing me any trouble. Nobody questions it though. Nobody seems to bat an eyelid, they accept me as I am.
'I've been made most welcome in the societies. I think people will benefit from being educated on this a bit more.'
Music: "Bummin on Tremelo" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail, The Sun, Mirror, Telegraph
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