| Popis: |
This thesis presents a scholarly biographical study of the life of Andrew Hyslop (1903 1982). Hyslop was a school teacher and headmaster in New South Wales who enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in mid-1940. He was captured in Singapore as part of the 8th Division AIF, held in Changi and served on the Thai-Burma railway as part of F Force in 1943. Hyslop survived captivity and returned to Australia in late 1945. He continued his career as an educator in NSW and served on the Executive of the NSW Teachers' Federation during the 1950s one of the union's most divisive periods. Hyslop retired from education in 1965 and reconnected with his military service through the 2/30th Battalion Association. The focal point of this research is Hyslop s private papers, an unusually informative lode of evidence, which provide the foundations of an analysis of his military experience in the context of his life and career. Through a close examination of Hyslop s career as an educator, the thesis argues that his professional experience and identity were powerful factors shaping both his military experience and the nature of his readjustment to civilian life after 1945. In this sense, the study encompasses particular aspects of military, social and cultural history as well as the history of education in New South Wales. This study contributes to contemporary historiographical debates about the nature of captivity in the Pacific during the Second World War, the consequences of military service in Australia following the conflict and Australian education history. It makes a case for scholarly biography and microhistory as important frameworks through which the lives of ex-prisoners of war can be understood by demonstrating the nuanced manner in which Hyslop's pre- and post-war lives intersected with his experiences as a soldier and prisoner. |
