A memorial plaque has been unveiled in the town of Haverfordwest to honour Terry Higgins – the first named person in the UK to die of an AIDS-related illness and the man whose death inspired the founding of Terrence Higgins Trust. This marks a significant moment in recognising Terry’s life and legacy in his hometown on what would have been his 80th birth year.
Terry Higgins spent his first 18 years in Haverfordwest. He was born on 10 June 1945 in Priory Mount Hospital, Pembrokeshire and lived with his mother in Haverfordwest, attending the local all-boys grammar school. A self-taught pianist, Terry was a keen dancer and later authored a book on astrology.
Terry left Wales to serve his country in the Royal Navy from 1963-1968, before moving to London where he worked for the Sunday Times, Hansard and as a DJ in the UK’s first gay nightclub, Heaven. In 1982, aged just 37, he became one of the first people in the UK to die of an AIDS-related illness. His friends and partner established Terrence Higgins Trust in his memory, and today the charity remains the largest HIV organisation in the UK, delivering services nationwide, including in Wales. In Wales, Terrence Higgins Trust Cyrmu is the go-to HIV charity for people living with HIV in Wales. The charity runs Tafod+, a bilingual peer-support group for people living with HIV in Wales, counselling services and health promotion in local communities. In addition, everyone in Wales has access to THT Direct, the Hardship Fund, Work and Skills and the online peer-support platform, My Community.
The unveiling ceremony, held on Tuesday 2 December, was attended by Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Jeremey Miles MS and Martyn Butler OBE, Terry’s friend who co-founded Terrence Higgins Trust in his memory. Two blue plaques – one in Welsh and one in English – have been installed at the site of the former Priory Mount Hospital where Terry was born in 1945.
The blue plaque, engraved with Terry’s name, place and year of birth, year of death and the organisation that still bears his name. Includes the immortal words:
‘In his name, Britain learned compassion and dignity in the face of AIDS and HIV’
The project is led in collaboration with Dr Simon Hancock, curator of Haverfordwest Town Museum, and Terrence Higgins Trust. You can read more about Terry’s life and legacy here.
Richard Angell OBE, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “Terry is best known for how he died, and for the grief and love for him which led to the creation of Terrence Higgins Trust. But it’s really important to remember how he lived. A proud gay Welshman, still remembered with affection in the local community, by his friends and his surviving partner. Terry deserves to be honoured in Haverfordwest, in the place of his birth, as we mark what would have been his 80th year.”
Dr Simon Hancock said: “I am delighted Terry Higgins is finally being commemorated in the town of his birth. Half of his short life was lived in Haverfordwest where he was educated and where he forged his earliest relationships “