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Leadership of Australian Pows in the Second World War

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University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection 1954-2016 University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2015 Leadership of Australian POWs in the Second World War Katie Lisa Meale University of Wollongong Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses University of Wollongong Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorise you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this work may be reproduced by any process, nor may any other exclusive right be exercised, without the permission of the author. Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. A court may impose penalties and award damages in relation to offences and infringements relating to copyright material. Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the University of Wollongong. Recommended Citation Meale, Katie Lisa, Leadership of Australian POWs in the Second World War, Doctor of Philosophy thesis, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, 2015. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/ 4620 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] LEADERSHIP OF AUSTRALIAN POWS IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy From UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by KATIE LISA MEALE, BA (Hons)/LLB (Hons), Grad Dip, Grad Cert RE Faculty of Law, Humanities and the Arts School of Humanities and Social Inquiry 2015 i ii iii iv CONTENTS Certification iii Abbreviations vi Abstract vii Acknowledgment ix Dedication xi Introduction 1 Chapter 1: Leadership, Sources, Case Studies and Literature Review 18 Preface: Authoritarian Leadership 61 Chapter 2: Lieutenant Colonel Frederick (Black Jack) Gallagher Galleghan 64 Chapter 3: Captain Reginald James Newton 89 Chapter 4: Squadron Leader Roger Bushell 116 Preface: Transformational Leadership 146 Chapter 5: Wing Commander Harry Melville Arbuthnot Day 151 Preface: Democratic Leadership 178 Chapter 6: Positional and Informal Democratic Leadership 184 Preface: Self-Sacrificial Leadership 225 Chapter 7: The Self-Sacrificial Leadership Style of Medical Officers on the Burma-Thailand Railway 231 Chapter 8: Group, Positional and Emergent Self-Sacrificial Leadership in Volatile and Extreme Captive Settings 268 Preface: The Collapse of Leadership Structures 300 Chapter 9: The Collapse of Formal and Informal Leadership Structures 302 Conclusion 335 Bibliography 353 v ABBREVIATIONS Australian Imperial Force (AIF) British Directorate of Military Intelligence (MI9) GOC (General Officer Commanding) Intelligence School 9 (IS9) MBE (Member of the British Empire) MO (Medical Officer) MOC (Man of Confidence) NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) OBE (Order of the British Empire) OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht) POW (Prisoners of war) RAF (Royal Air Force) RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) RAN (Royal Australian Navy) SBO (Senior British Officer) MOC (Man-of-Confidence) SMO (Senior Medical Officer) vi ABSTRACT This thesis is a study of one common aspect of the Australian POW experience across the Pacific and European theatres of the Second World War; leadership. The leadership of POWs is examined through a series of case studies based on three different types of leaders; positional (rank), professional (Medical Officers or chaplains) or emergent. Dependent on their leadership type, these men were responsible for a formal or informal group. Formal groups consisted of the POW population within a camp, compound, prisoner battalion or marching group. Informal groups were usually mates or acquaintances who found themselves in the same camp compound, working or marching group. Two other similar structures existed across the Pacific and European theatres; camp types and conditions. Four common camp types existed; transit, permanent, working camps or forced movement. There were three common camp conditions; relatively stable, volatile and extreme conditions. Using this contextual framework this thesis’ examination of POW leadership is structured through an examination and analysis of a leader’s dominant behavioural style that he adopted in making his decisions and in the way he formed relations with and interacted with men and the captor. The work of leadership theorists, sociologists and behavioural scientists have informed the structure and composition of this study, but its disciplinary focus and methodology are historical. Four leadership styles are examined in this thesis; authoritarian, transformational, democratic and self-sacrificial. The authoritarian leadership style was adopted by POW leaders in both theatres, albeit for very different reasons. Democratic and self- sacrificial leadership styles were unique to the context of captivity in relatively stable conditions in Europe and volatile and extreme captive settings in the Pacific Theatre. The only transformational leader examined in this thesis comes from the European theatre. The relatively stable conditions in Air Force Officer Camps combined with the particular circumstances and character of this individual, enabled this leadership style to be adopted. For each leader examined in this thesis key questions have been posed. The manner in which they were selected for their leadership position, their behaviour and decisions as a POW leader and their interaction with and the relationship they formed with their vii respective formal or informal group and the captor. These questions are posed and considered using a variety of examples of the leader’s behaviour and his reactions to the respective challenges of leading men within their captive context. Irrespective of the style a leader adopted, or the conditions they endured, a leader’s ability to maintain his legitimacy from the perspective of his formal or informal group members impacted on his ability to perform and, in some cases, maintain his leadership positon. Some of the leaders examined in this thesis realised the fundamental importance of the group’s perception of their decisions and the reasons for their decisions. These men worked hard to maintain the trust of their group. Others, either through choice or the nature of the volatile and extreme circumstances of their captive setting, chose to put their own interests and survivorship above the collective needs of their group. These leaders lost the trust of their men and in some cases their leadership position collapsed. The final chapter of this thesis examines what happened when the breakdown of leadership structures occurred in both formal and informal groups. This thesis therefore, is essentially a study of human dynamics within the unique setting of POW camps. It considers what behavioural and leadership traits allowed positional leaders to retain legitimacy in captivity and the behaviour which led positional leaders to lose their leadership legitimacy. When the latter occurred, professional and/or emergent leaders responded to the physical and psychological needs of the group who, particularly in the Pacific Theatre, were powerless against the demands of their captor. viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This thesis began its development at the Australian National University under the supervision of John Knott, with assistance from Peter Stanley and Douglas Craig. I acknowledge their thoughts and ideas on this project. This thesis was completed under the supervision of John McQuilton at the University of Wollongong. John has displayed endless patience and perseverance with a research student juggling full-time secondary teaching and the challenges of a doctorate. I am very thankful for his guidance, encouragement and dedication to the completion of the thesis. This project would not have been finished without his support. This thesis is grounded in archival research. This would not have been possible without the assistance of staff of the following libraries and archives: the Imperial War Museum, the National Archives of the United Kingdom, the National Library of Australia, the National Archives of Australia reading rooms in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney, the NSW State Library, Australian National University Library, Australian Defence Force Academy Library, Canberra University Library and the Research Centre at the Australian War Memorial. I am very grateful for the time given by Oriel Hucker who read through the final versions of the chapters looking for editing mistakes. To my colleagues at St. Pius X College Chatswood in the History Department and wider school community who have supported an increasingly frazzled and stressed colleague, I offer my heartfelt thanks. In particular I wish to thank Sandy Towns for reading various versions of chapters and always finding something positive to say. Melissa Colefax, Tina DeSouza and Sarah Sumner for their patience and friendship.
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