Agent TypePersonIdentifierUMA-AG-000000237Activities & OccupationsMedical practitionersHistorySir Ernest Edward Dunlop or Weary Dunlop as he was most commonly known, was a renowned surgeon who during World War II treated and cared for over one thousand prisoners of war. He is legendary for his medical skills, compassion and dedication and has received a multitude of honours and awards. Initially, Dunlop studied pharmacy, but soon after graduating he took up medicine at the University of Melbourne. After completing his studies, Dunlop joined the Citizen Military Forces and then the Royal Australian Military Corps where he was appointed Captain. He worked as a ship's surgeon on his way to England where he undertook postgraduate studies. In 1939 WWII broke out and Dunlop enlisted with the Royal Australian Military Corps where he was appointed specialist surgeon with the Emergency Medical Services at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, UK. Then was the appointed the Medical Liaison Officer between the British and ANZAC forces in Greece, followed by postings with the 2/2 Australian Casualty Clearing Station in Tobruk, then in Palestine and Indonesia. In 1942 his hospital in Java was captured by the Japanese and all were made prisoners of war (POW). For the next three years Dunlop and thousands of other POW worked on the Burma-Siam Railway.
Following WWII Dunlop was heavily involved in organisations that supported prisoners of war and their families, serving as President for several such organisations. His medical practice included appointments as honorary surgeon to out-patients (and later in-patients) at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and consultant at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and Peter MacCallum Clinic during the 1950s and 1960s. Wider involvement in medical organisations included holding executive office in the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria and the Victorian Foundation on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.
Dunlop, Ernest Edward (Weary) (1907-1993), [UMA-AG-000000237]. University of Melbourne Archives, accessed 05/04/2026, https://archives.library.unimelb.edu.au/nodes/view/60443
![[1993.0149] Papers of Ernest Edward Dunlop](/img/placeholder.gif?1773707079 "[1993.0149] Papers of Ernest Edward Dunlop")