Sir
Ernest
Edward 'Weary'
Dunlop 12 July 1907 - 2 July 1993 - DOCTOR
Introduction
"Weary Dunlop",
byname of Sir Ernest Edward Dunlop, (born July 12, 1907, Wangaratta,
Victoria, Australia—died July 2, 1993, Melbourne), Australian physician, one
of the most famous Australian World War II veterans, remembered for the
compassionate medical care and leadership he provided for fellow prisoners
of war (POWs) captured by the Japanese.
The second of two sons born to a family of Scottish heritage, Dunlop spent
his early years on a farm near Stewarton, Victoria, before his family
relocated to Benalla, Victoria. After working as a pharmacist’s apprentice,
he attended pharmacy school in Melbourne, graduating in 1928. During this
period he also served part-time in the army, until 1929.
Education:
Dunlop attended Stewarton Public School and Benalla
High School.
Dunlop had been a school cadet, and he continued his part-time army service
until 1929, when his service ceased under pressure from his pharmacy
studies. He re-enlisted in 1935 and was commissioned into the Australian
Army Medical Corps on 1 July with the rank of Captain.
"Commencing a pharmacy apprenticeship in
1924 at Benalla Dunlop moved to Melbourne in 1927 and attended the Pharmacy
College. Excelling in his studies, he won a scholarship in 1930 to Ormond
College, Melbourne University to study medicine.
There his last name, the same as that of a well-known manufacturer of
automobile tyres, earned him the nickname “Weary,”
though explanations of the derivation of that nickname vary. Some sources
identify it as a kind of cockeyed synonym for “tires,” which is itself a
homophone in British spelling: “tyres” (rubber wheel coverings) and “tires”
(feels fatigue). Other sources point to the Dunlop company’s familiar
marketing of tires touted for their durable “wear.”
While studying at the University of Melbourne, Dunlop distinguished
himself as a member of its rugby union team. He also played for the
Australian national team (once each in 1932 and in 1934) and eventually
became the first native of Victoria to be inducted into the Wallaby
(Australian rugby union) Hall of Fame. Moreover, Dunlop was a champion boxer
while a student.
Dunlop acquired the nickname ‘Weary,’ yet tired and weary he was not. An
industrious and hard-working student, he was known to keep long hours, often
surviving on little sleep. Despite this, his passion for life and a larrikin
streak attracted him to participate in the richness of college life. During
Ormond College’s commencement revels, he rode into the city on the back of a
lorry dressed as a fairy, his willingness to be involved in all manner of
escapades ensuring his popularity. Dunlop also demonstrated a passion for
defending moral causes that would stay with him for the rest of his life. In
1932 he was part of a group of angry students who manhandled the communist
activist Sam White at a university debating society meeting, Dunlop having
perceived that White had tarnished the university’s reputation.
Tall—six feet four inches (193 cm)—and strongly built, Dunlop was
accomplished in sport, securing a half-Blue for boxing (1931) and a Blue for
rugby union (1932). He was the university’s amateur heavyweight boxing
champion for 1932, and represented Australia in the third rugby Test against
New Zealand in July that year. Fearing that he might lose ground in his
studies, he declined a place in the Australian team in 1933, but played
again in the first Test against New Zealand in 1934.
He excelled at university and graduated in 1934 with first class honours.
After receiving his medical degree in 1934, Dunlop rejoined the military in
1935 as a captain in the Australian Army Medical Corps. Two years later he
received a master of surgery degree from the University of Melbourne. He
then continued his medical studies in England at St. Bartholomew’s Medical
School, and in 1938 he was inducted into the Royal College of Surgeons. When
World War II broke out, Dunlop was still in England, practicing as an
emergency medicine special surgeon at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.
Employment:
He joined the
Royal Melbourne Hospital as a junior resident in 1935 and was appointed
Senior Surgical Resident in 1936; in 1937 he joined the Children's Hospital
as Resident. In 1937 he graduated as Master of Surgery from Melbourne
University.
War Experiences
An enthusiastic citizen-soldier, Dunlop was appointed captain, Australian
Army Medical Corps, in 1935. Commissioned in the Australian Imperial Force
on 13 November 1939 in London, he was posted in January 1940 to the medical
section of the AIF’s Overseas Base in Palestine, and promoted in May to
major. In the Greek campaign (April 1941) he served as AIF medical liaison
officer between the British headquarters in Athens and the corps
headquarters in the forward areas, gaining a reputation for fearlessness.
Having assisted with the withdrawal to Crete, he was evacuated to Egypt in
early May because of illness. The next month he was posted as senior surgeon
of the 2/2nd Casualty Clearing Station at Tobruk, Libya. In July he assumed
temporary command of the CCS, which moved to Egypt later the same month.
Obtaining approval for a mobile operating unit—a concept he had long
advocated—he raised and, from November, briefly commanded No. 1 Mobile
Operating Unit, before returning to the 2/2nd CCS.
The unit arrived in Java in February 1942 and formed the nucleus of No. 1
Allied General Hospital, which opened at Bandoeng (Bandung) that month.
Dunlop was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel (substantive, 1945) and
placed in command. Staff and patients entered captivity when the Allied
forces capitulated to the Japanese on 12 March. As the commander of
Commonwealth troops, Dunlop fostered education, sports, and entertainments
under difficult conditions. In January 1943 the Japanese dispatched a column
of some nine hundred men under his command, via Singapore, to south-west
Thailand. The men of Dunlop Force were put to work constructing the
Burma-Thailand railway.
Did You Know?
(Source:
Victoria Dept Education & Training)
After being initially held prisoner in Singapore, Dunlop was sent in
January 1943 to Thailand, where he became one of the roughly 60,000
Allied POWs (about 13,000 of whom were Australians) who were forced
to work on the construction of the Burma Railway, which was being
built from near Bangkok to Thanbyuzayat, Burma (Myanmar), some 280
miles (450 km) away.
Dunlop was both the chief physician and the commanding officer of
more than 1,000 POWs, alternately known as “Dunlop’s Thousand” or
the “Dunlop Force.” Conditions for the POWs were abominable. Not
only were they underfed and denied adequate medicine, but they were
also cruelly mistreated and tortured by their Japanese captors.
Dysentery, cholera, diarrhea, and other diseases were rampant.
Left: POWs suffering from dysentery relieve
themselves while on a break from the train journey to Thailand in
1943.
Right: Australian prisoners of war clad only in loincloths chopping
and sawing wood in 1944.
From the AWM in
ABC News story
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Despite suffering intermittently from amoebic dysentery, beriberi, tropical
ulcers, and malaria, Dunlop used his generalist surgical knowledge to save
countless lives. He received supplies of food, money, and medicines from the
heroic Thai merchant and resistance worker Boon Pong (Boonpong
Sirivejjabhandu), though these were never enough to alleviate the hardships
and brutality that led to the deaths of many prisoners.
On a number of occasions, the Japanese subjected Dunlop to severe beatings
and threatened him with execution. His physical control under extreme
provocation from his captors earned him respect from his troops and helped
to keep the survivors going through the difficult months of increasing
pressure to complete their section of the railway.
In October he took command of the hospital at Tarsau (Nam Tok) and in
January 1944 the hospital at Chungkai (near Kanchanaburi). He spent the last
fourteen months of the war at the large Nakom Patom (Nakhon Pathom) hospital
camp under (Sir) Albert Coates, who appointed him as the medical economics
officer responsible for raising money for the sick. Coates also put him in
charge of surgery and physiotherapy.
Did You Know?
"This extraordinary first-hand account of Sir
Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's experiences as senior medical officer in the
infamous prisoner-of-war camps in Java and on the Burma-Thailand Railway,
is not only an account of great
historical
significance but also a testament to the ability of the human spirit to
overcome the most unbearably cruel conditions.
About the Author
Lieutenant Colonel Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop was an Australian surgeon who
was renowned for his leadership whilst being held prisoner by the Japanese
during World War II. A courageous leader and compassionate doctor, he
restored morale in the terrible prison camps and jungle hospitals. After the
war he continued to work as a surgeon as well as becoming involved in a
number of health and educational organisations, and worked tirelessly in the
community until his death in 1993. His diaries were first published in 1986.
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: It's difficult not to be moved and shocked by
'Weary' Dunlop's extraordinary account of life as a prisoner-of-war. The
details of daily life and the trials of surgery with no equipment and no
anaesthetic are told in a matter-of-fact way by a man who displayed
tremendous courage and resilience in the face of brutality and desperation."
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Experiences
& Opportunities after WWII
Repatriated in October 1945, Dunlop transferred to the Reserve of Officers
as an honorary colonel on 2 February 1946. He was appointed OBE and
mentioned in despatches (both 1947) for his service. On 8 November 1945, at
Toorak Presbyterian Church, Victoria, he had married his long-time fiancée,
Helen Leigh Raeburn Ferguson, a biochemist.
Resuming civilian life, Dunlop entered private practice and was appointed
honorary surgeon to out-patients, later in-patients, at the Royal Melbourne
Hospital. Many of his patients were prisoners of war (POWs) or their wives;
none were charged for their treatment. Demonstrating his ongoing commitment
to their welfare, he served as president (1946–89) of the Victorian branch
of the Ex-Prisoners of War Relatives Association for the next twenty-three
years.
In August 1946 he opened an exhibition of watercolours and pencil sketches
by the former POW Ray Parkin, who had created the artworks in captivity;
Dunlop had concealed them beneath a table top, and brought them to
Australia. He gave evidence that was later used at the International
Military Tribunal for the Far East. On behalf of POWs, he sought
‘reparations from the Japanese in compensation for suffering, disability,
and loss of life resulting from inhuman treatment’
(Dunlop quoted in Smith’s Weekly 1947, 4).
Ray Parkin's
"Two malarias with a cholera"
(Source:
Ray Parkin)
Elected a fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons in 1948, Dunlop
worked as a consultant at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Peter
MacCallum Clinic during the 1950s and 1960s.
In the two decades after the war, Dunlop’s attitude towards his former
captors shifted from ‘hatred’
(Hetherington 1964, 22)
to distrust to forgiveness. Under the Colombo Plan, in 1956 and 1958 he
undertook surgical work in Thailand, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and India, and
later encouraged the training of Asian medical personnel in Australia.
Believing that ‘friendship between Australians and Asians [was] essential to
lasting peace’
(Hetherington 1964, 22), he supported efforts to
increase understanding, serving as president of the Australian-Asian
Association from 1963 to 1993. In 1969 he returned to South-East Asia during
the Vietnam War as leader of the Australian surgical team caring for
civilians. He had been appointed CMG in 1965 and was knighted in 1969.
Sir Edward maintained a high public profile. Chairman of the Prisoners of
War Trust Fund (1968–77), he took an active role in community health,
serving as president of the Victorian Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence (1970–82) and chairman of the executive committee of the
Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria (1974–80). He was named Australian of the
Year for 1976. His The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop, illustrated by
prisoners’ artworks, was published to great acclaim in 1986 and he was
appointed AC in 1987. That year the Weary Dunlop Boon Pong Exchange
Fellowship was established. Initiated by returned POWs in Western Australia,
the fellowship brought Thai surgeons to Australia for further training.
Death and
Rememberance
Predeceased by Helen (d. 1988) and survived by his two sons, Dunlop died on
2 July 1993 at Prahran, Victoria. He was farewelled with full military
honours at a state funeral at St Paul’s Cathedral, at which the former
governor-general Sir Ninian Stephen delivered the eulogy. His coffin was
carried on a gun carriage to the Shrine of Remembrance and over ten thousand
spectators lined the streets. His remains were later cremated and floated
down the Kwae Noi.
Sir Ernest Edward 'Weary' Dunlop is one of the
extraordinary figures in Australia's history.
His name and deeds are associated with compassion, courage, steadfastness
and hope.
(Source:
Only Melbourne)
Weary’s heroism and legacy is memorialised by prominent statues at Benalla,
Melbourne, and Canberra. The last, a bronze sculpture located in the grounds
of the Australian War Memorial, depicts him in later life as a humble,
stoop-shouldered, approachable, and smiling man. Dunlop was inducted into
the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame in 2008, the first Victorian to be
given that honour. The Canberra suburb of Dunlop is named for him.
Want to know more?
Middle
Secondary
Here is
an account by Milton Fairclough - who served with Dunlop on the Thai-Burma
Railway. It is at times, graphic and brutal, of the mistreatment at the
hands of the Japanese.
Links:
Did You Know?
'Weary' Dunlop received many
honours and awards throughout his life, including; the Order of the
British Empire (1947); 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); Honorary Fellow of the Imperial College of
London; Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of
Edinburgh; Honorary Life Member of the RSL; and, Life Governor of
the Royal Women's Hospital and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear
Hospital.
In 1976 he was named Australian of the Year and in 1988 he was named
one of '200 Great Australians'! (Source:
Australian Greats!)
In 1995, a 50 cent Australian coin depicting Weary Dunlop
was created.
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Should we remember 'Weary' Dunlop?
(Created by
ANZAC Day Commenoration Committee)
(12 page PDF activities sheet)
Middle Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Literacy
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Ethical Understanding
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Intercultural Understanding
Australian
Curriculum Cross Curriculum Priorities: Asian Priority
Philosophy
Teacher
Notes
There are four activities within the Student Worksheet:
a. Who was Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop?
- Students are asked to: Look at an outline of the
early life of Weary Dunlop. Note that he was taken prisoner of war (POW)
in 1943. In the table provided on the following page, Identify those
aspects of his experience and character or qualities that might be
invaluable in his future life as a POW
b. What was it like to be an Australian prisoner of
war of the Japanese?
- Students are to use evidence and
information from other prisoners of war that
gives them some idea of the nature of the
Australian prisoner of war experience under
the Japanese. After considering this evidence and information, complete
a table.
It might be an idea to get students to use Cooperative Learning
Ideas here.
c. How did Weary Dunlop behave as a prisoner?
- Original sources are provided from other
prisoners. Students are to analyse and provide evidence for 8 in-depth
and detailed questions.
d. How and why has Weary
Dunlop been commemorated?
- Students are to investigate the symbolism of two
memorials and then prepare a service with a focus on Weary Dunlop.
Student
Worksheets (12 pages PDF)
Using
Voicethread, create a presentation
with audio files about Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's life.
Primary
Middle Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Literacy
1. Read
Weary Dunlop's story (from the links above)
2. In dot points, write up the most interesting
aspects of his life. Things you are interested in and explain why
they interest you.
3. Using
Voicethread,
create a presentation with audio files about Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's
life.
Google
Doodle Design
(contributed by Ella Barry, ACU Education
Student)
Primary
Middle Secondary
Australian
Curriculum General Capability: Critical & Creative Thinking
Australian Curriculum General Capability: ICT Capability
1. Edward Weary Dunlop was born on the
12th of
July 1907. You are to create a google doodle for the website which can be
displayed on the 12th of July each year to celebrate
Weary Dunlop's birthday.
How can you educate Australians about
Weary Dunlop with your Google Doodle?
2. To get some ideas look at the
following Google Doodles:
Norway National Day |
Australian Elections 2013
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Australian Poet Dorothea MacKellar's 126 Birthday
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Albert Namatjira's 115 Birthday
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3. Make sure the google banner
encapsulates the spirit of Weary Dunlop!
Can you make your design into
animated gif like the Halloween example? Go to the following site to make
your doodle special using Scratch:
4. Compare with other students in your group of 4 - 5 students and explain
your reasoning behind your design.
5. What would be another way to
celebrate this famous Australian?
Material sourced from
Australian Dictionary of Biography
Australian War
Memorial: Weary Dunlop Biography
Britannica
Penguin Books
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