Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop’s medals and wartime letters stolen from his granddaughter’s Melbourne home
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Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop was an Army surgeon who served during World War II.
He was born in Wangaratta, Victoria Region, in 1907 and was working as a surgeon in London when he enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Corps in November 1939.
Dunlop was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in Java, Indonesia in 1942 and his unit was transferred to Singapore that same year.
On 20 January 1943 his ‘Dunlop Force’ moved to work on the Thailand-Burma Railway. The railway was built by Japanese prisoners of war using slave labor.
More than 22,000 Australians were forced to work on the railway in appalling conditions. Some 2,800 Australians died during its construction.
Edward ‘Weary’ Dunlop (pictured left in 1945) was an Army surgeon who saved the lives of Australian POWs working on the Thailand-Burma railway.
Of Dunlop’s time on the Thailand-Burma Railway, the Australian War Memorial says: “He remained there until the end of the war, working tirelessly to save wounded, sick and malnourished men.
“Many times he put his own life at risk when faced with the brutality of his Japanese captors.
“Although he was not the only medical officer to act in this selfless manner, his name would become a legend among Australian POWs and an inspiration for his own survival.
“Throughout his captivity and at great personal risk, Dunlop recorded his experiences in his journals.”
Mr Dunlop continued to study medicine after the war and worked to build connections between the Australian and Asian medical communities.
He was especially interested in the long-term health of war veterans, particularly those who had been Japanese prisoners of war.
Mr Dunlop continued to perform life-saving surgeries on Australian soldiers while imprisoned in Japan (pictured is a painting of Mr Dunlop amputating a soldier’s leg)
He was president of the Prisoners of War Trust Fund from 1969 to 1977 and promoted reconciliation with Japan.
Mr Dunlop received a number of awards including: the Order of the British Empire (1947), Knight of the Bachelor (1969), Companion of the Order of Australia (1987), Knight Grand Cross, Order of St John of Jerusalem (1992), Knight Grand Cross (1st Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Royal Crown of Thailand (1993).
In 1977 Dunlop was named Australian of the Year, was one of the Australian Great 200 in 1988 and was knighted in 1969.
Dunlop died at his home in July 1993, after suffering from pneumonia.
More than 10,000 people attended his state funeral.
Fountain: Australian War Memorial