What was Sir Edward Weary Dunlop famous for?
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) …
What did Weary Dunlop do during ww2?
During World War II, Dunlop was appointed to medical headquarters in the Middle East, where he developed the mobile surgical unit. In Greece he liaised with forward medical units and Allied headquarters, and at Tobruk he was a surgeon until the Australian Divisions were withdrawn for home defence.
What did Weary Dunlop do as a POW?
After the war Dunlop gained increasingly public prominence as an advocate for former prisoners of the Japanese. He supported individuals making pension claims, lobbied governments on their behalf and took leadership roles in ex-POW associations. He was knighted in 1969 and received many other honours in his later life.
What is the name of the bridge in Bangkok built by World War 2 prisoners?
One of the most notable portions of the entire railway line is Bridge 277, the so-called “Bridge on the River Kwai”, which was built over a stretch of the river that was then known as part of the Mae Klong River.
Did Weary Dunlop have kids?
John Dunlop
Alexander Boyd Dunlop
Weary Dunlop/Children
Who did Weary Dunlop marry?
Helen Fergusonm. 1945
Weary Dunlop/Spouse
When a student at Ormond College Dunlop had met Helen Ferguson, to whom he became engaged on 6 June l940. On 8 November 1945 they were married at Toorak Presbyterian Church, Melbourne. They subsequently had two sons, John and Alexander.
How many prisoners died on the Burma railway?
The railway was completed in October 1943. The Japanese were able to use it to supply their troops in Burma despite the repeated destruction of bridges by Allied bombing. More than 90,000 Asian civilians died on the railway, as well as 16,000 POWs, of whom about 2800 were Australian.
Was there a bridge over the River Kwai?
The real bridge on the River Kwai was never destroyed, not even damaged. It still stands on the edge of the Thai jungle about three miles from this peaceful town and it has become something of a tourist attraction. The bridge was erected by Allied pris oners during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II.
How old was weary Dunlop when he died?
85 years (1907–1993)
Weary Dunlop/Age at death
How many Australian POWs died building the Burma railway?
Legacy. The railway was completed in October 1943. The Japanese were able to use it to supply their troops in Burma despite the repeated destruction of bridges by Allied bombing. More than 90,000 Asian civilians died on the railway, as well as 16,000 POWs, of whom about 2800 were Australian.
Who was the surgeon captured by the Japanese in WWII?
Weary Dunlop was an Australian surgeon who was captured by the Japanese during the World War II. He received much acclaim for his leadership skills and bravery in captivity. A graduate of the University of Melbourne with first class honors in pharmacy and in medicine, he was commissioned into the Australian Army Medical Corps in 1939.
What happened to the Japanese prisoners of war in Australia?
The ordeal of those Australians captured by the Japanese – an ordeal of hunger, heavy labour on starvation rations and brutal discipline often ending in death – has become the understandable focus of Australia’s awareness of its prisoners of war.
How did the Australian soldier help his fellow prisoners of war?
A courageous human being, he not only healed his fellow prisoners, but also boosted their morale which helped to keep the survival rates of the Australian prisoners higher than those of other nationalities. He survived the war and in the post-war years he devoted himself to the health and welfare of former prisoners-of-war.
How many prisoners of war survived the Burma-Thailand Railway?
Of the 2,500 Australian and British prisoners of war, only six Australians survived these “death marches”. In all, 9,500 Australian prisoners of war worked on the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway, which ran from Bampong, Thailand, to Thanbyuzayat, Burma .