Hallmarks of the ANZAC Legend

In the lead up to ANZAC Day.

The biography of Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop, whose war diaries were published in 1986.

Dunlop became a Japanese prisoner of war in 1942 when he was captured in Bandung, Java, together with the hospital he was commanding.

Because of his leadership skills, he was placed in charge of prisoner-of-war camps in Java, and was later transferred to Changi, and in January 1943 commanded the first Australians sent to work on the Thai segment of the Burma-Thailand railway

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.

On a number of occasions he put his own life on the line by standing up to the Japanese to defend his fellow POWs against cruelty and brutality. In one instance Dunlop saved the life of a blind amputee by literally putting himself between the POW and the bayonets of Japanese soldiers who had determined that his life was not worth maintaining. A much respected leader, Dunlop epitomized the “mateship,” self-sacrifice, and bravery that were hallmarks of the ANZAC legend.

After 1945, with the darkness of the war years behind him, Dunlop forgave his captors and turned his energies to the task of healing and building. He was to state later that " in suffering we are all equal".

He devoted himself to the health and welfare of former prisoners-of-war and their families, and worked to promote better relations between Australia and Asia.

In 1947 he received the Order of the British Empire. He received a Knighthood in 1969 and was named Australian of the Year in 1976. In 1987 he received the Companion of the Order of Australia and in 1988 'Weary' Dunlop was named one of '200 Great Australians'.

His tireless community work had a profound influence on Australians and on the people of Asia.

In the two decades after the war, Dunlop’s attitude towards his former captors shifted from ‘hatred’ 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’, 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.?

Dunlop maintained an ongoing concern for the health and welfare of former POWs of the Japanese (many of whom were his patients). He supported individuals making pension claims and advised and lobbied governments on their behalf. He was Chairman of the Prisoners of War Trust Fund from l969-77. He also remained active with ex-prisoner of war and veterans associations, being for a time federal president of the Ex-POW Association of Australia. He addressed numerous reunions, meetings and ceremonies both in Australia and overseas. In his later years he led commemorative tours to the Burma-Thailand railway.?

Weary Dunlop came to reject hatred of his former captors and promoted reconciliation with the Japanese.

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Michael Sharpe is the National Director for Industry at the?Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, a Director of the?Sharpe Family Office?and Founder of the?Nuclear Skills Forum.