A group of students in a recent History capstone course WRIT3613: History in Action were given unprecedented access to a unique primary source collection thanks to the generosity of local Toowong resident, Dr Ruth Sapsford.
Ruth allowed the students access to her late husband’s extensive collection of letters, diaries, photographs, medals, and memorabilia from the Second World War. Lionel Sapsford served as a medical officer with the Second AIF in Palestine, Egypt and Greece, before he was captured by the Germans in Kalamata in April 1941. He survived four years of captivity in Germany before he was repatriated to Australia in July 1945.
Ruth made contact with us through her neighbour, Dr Ross Johnston, a former head of the UQ History Department. Ross very generously contributed time and advice with the student projects as they got underway.
The students developed their own research projects from the Sapsford collection. Their different focuses reflected their own interests and interpretation of
the material. One student investigated how Lionel had continued his medical work in captivity, another used his diaries and letters to assess the work of the Red Cross in sustaining the health of POWs in Germany. Another explored how Lionel had tried to beat the boredom of life in a POW camp and determined that he had read some 200 books in his years of captivity.
WRIT3613 students are encouraged to present their research in a non-traditional (i.e. non-essay) form. The Sapsford students’ productions included a museum exhibition proposal, magazine articles, and an interactive website.
The group presented their completed projects to Ruth and one of her sons, Christopher, late last year (see photographs). The Sapsford family were impressed with the student’s knowledge of Lionel’s experiences, and the students all appreciated the valuable opportunity to perform ‘hands on’ historical research as they reached the end of their undergraduate studies.
