Tom’s Divided Life

My Policeman

This flow traces Tom Burgess’s movement between same-sex desire, public respectability, marriage, and eventual withdrawal from both relationships.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Policeman’s Ambition A Policeman’s Ambition from "My Policeman". A Policeman’s Ambition A chosen profession After National Service, Tom Burgess trains to become a policeman, taking pride in a job that offers responsibility…

A Policeman’s Ambition from "My Policeman". A Policeman’s Ambition A chosen profession After National Service, Tom Burgess trains to become a policeman, taking pride in a job that offers responsibility…

A Policeman’s Ambition A chosen profession After National Service, Tom Burgess trains to become a policeman, taking pride in a job that offers responsibility and status. A vulnerable position His career also makes respectability essential, leaving him exposed when supervisors expect him to marry and the force faces scandal.

The World Patrick Opens The World Patrick Opens from "My Policeman". The World Patrick Opens New interests Through Patrick Hazlewood, Tom Burgess encounters art, music, theatre, and unfamiliar ways of thinking about ordinary…

The World Patrick Opens from "My Policeman". The World Patrick Opens New interests Through Patrick Hazlewood, Tom Burgess encounters art, music, theatre, and unfamiliar ways of thinking about ordinary…

The World Patrick Opens New interests Through Patrick Hazlewood, Tom Burgess encounters art, music, theatre, and unfamiliar ways of thinking about ordinary life. A private attachment Their conversations develop into intimacy, but Tom keeps this relationship distinct from the public future he is expected to choose.

A Respectable Proposal A Respectable Proposal from "My Policeman". A Respectable Proposal Choosing marriage Tom Burgess proposes to Marion Taylor while privately maintaining his attachment to Patrick Hazlewood.

A Respectable Proposal from "My Policeman". A Respectable Proposal Choosing marriage Tom Burgess proposes to Marion Taylor while privately maintaining his attachment to Patrick Hazlewood.

A Respectable Proposal Choosing marriage Tom Burgess proposes to Marion Taylor while privately maintaining his attachment to Patrick Hazlewood. Protection and concealment Marriage offers a socially legible identity and a possible shield for his career, but it cannot make his desire disappear.

Resignation and Retreat Resignation and Retreat from "My Policeman". Resignation and Retreat Career ends Tom Burgess resigns from the police before he can be forced out, then takes work as a factory security guard.

Resignation and Retreat from "My Policeman". Resignation and Retreat Career ends Tom Burgess resigns from the police before he can be forced out, then takes work as a factory security guard.

Resignation and Retreat Career ends Tom Burgess resigns from the police before he can be forced out, then takes work as a factory security guard. A relationship silenced He does not visit Patrick Hazlewood in prison, and the couple’s shared catastrophe becomes something he and Marion Taylor cannot discuss.

Old Age and Silence Old Age and Silence from "My Policeman". Old Age and Silence A settled routine Decades later, Tom Burgess remains physically active but emotionally withdrawn, while his marriage to Marion Taylor has…

Old Age and Silence from "My Policeman". Old Age and Silence A settled routine Decades later, Tom Burgess remains physically active but emotionally withdrawn, while his marriage to Marion Taylor has…

Old Age and Silence A settled routine Decades later, Tom Burgess remains physically active but emotionally withdrawn, while his marriage to Marion Taylor has become a quiet arrangement. A reluctant response Patrick Hazlewood’s illness finally draws Tom to his bedside, where he reads Marion’s manuscript aloud rather than continuing to avoid the past.

Spring 1957

Autumn 1957

Early 1958

After Patrick Hazlewood’s arrest in 1958

Peacehaven, November 1999