On purchasing this special piece ‘Dear Catherine: My Uncle Roger Youd’ in memory of a courageous man who passed away from AIDS-related complications on 16 December 1985. This artwork was created not only to support the vital work of Visual AIDS, but also as a symbolic update for our friends in America.
America last heard of 29-year-old Roger Youd on 15th September 1985, when news of his court-ordered hospital detention here in England sparked a “national and international furore” causing fear, shock and outrage. They say ‘news travels fast’ and Roger’s “virtual imprisonment” at Manchester’s Monsall Hospital for having an AIDS diagnosis made headlines across the world, including the whole of America the very next day.
You can view many of the newspaper articles reporting on the detainment order thrust upon Roger and his family, and you can tune into two podcast episodes: the first analyses those newspaper accounts in detail, while the second gives voice to Roger’s brother Carlton and several of Roger’s friends, who share personal memories, reactions and the human impact of the order.
Podcast Episodes
Blog Post’s
31 Aug 2026
For Manchester Village Pride, I had the honour of taking UK AIDS Quilt block 47 to be displayed for a week; alongside it we arranged an intimate display for Manchester’s Roger Youd, which set the tone for a week of reflection and solidarity. Roger’s brother and I marched together in the Pride parade, using our place in the procession to call on Manchester City Council to offer a formal apology and the urgent need for accountability. In addition the Youd family witnessed the unveiling of two memorial plaques in honour of their Roger on Manchester’s AIDS Memorial.
This piece is a tribute to Roger Youd, a powerful reminder that behind the global headlines and his unlawful detainment order was a human life and an entire family. While journalists were busy spinning sensational headlines, Roger was quietly writing a letter to his "favourite niece," Catherine, dispensing sweet, uncle-like advice from his hospital bed.
I first learned to sew out of necessity, crudely crafting my own costumes as a drag queen. By 2025, that stitching became a form of resistance—mirroring the quiet defiance of Roger, a gay man living with HIV. I merged my craft with my HIV/AIDS activism to create eight panels for Block 47 of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, stitching grief, stories, and our shared history into fabric so they can never be forgotten. This postcard stands as a lasting memorial between one uncle and his niece, Catherine and her Uncle Roger.
- William Hampson
