Prisoner of War diary of Captain Burnham Walker Dun

00046690_034.pdf

Prisoner of War diary of Captain Burnham Walker Dun

Author Captain Burnham Walker Dun (1905-1992)

Date1920s-1980s

Object number00046690

NameTranscript

MediumPaper

DimensionsOverall: 330 x 200 mm

ClassificationsEphemera

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from the family of Burnham Walker Dun

Terms

DescriptionA transcript of a Prisoner of War diary kept by Captain Burnham Walker Dun while a prisoner of war in Japan from 1942-1945. The front page has a hand written dedication to "May, with love and best wishes Burnie. 1983". On the second page are two photographs, the first of Captain Dun in POW attire. The second photographs' caption reads: 'Photo taken outside Yokohama Main Station 9am 6 Sept 1945 immediately after release by Americans from the Japanese'. The caption goes on to identify the men in the photograph as Capt F R Macdonald, AIF Sapper Ray Burridge, AIF Cadet Bernard Hulbert, Merchant Navy and Chief Officer Burnham Dun. Included in the pages of this document in addition Dun’s Diary are the following: List of Some Prisoners Handed Over to the Japanese 25 August 1942, which includes the German Number, Name, Date of Birth, Ship, Rank, Camp Number and causes of death if they have died. B. W. Dun is on the top of this list. A transcription of the Statement made to Repatriation Commission, Melbourne by B. W. Dun A transcription of the Statement made by H. K. Wood, a Chief Officer ex. “British Motorist” who was also a Prisoner of War. A transcription of a newspaper article titled “Norwegians freed off Nazi prison ship after eight months at sea”, published in The Telegraph of Brisbane, 13 February 1943. HistoryBurnham Walker Dun 1905-1992 began his apprenticeship with the Australasian Steam Navigation Company in 1921 when he was just short of his 16th birthday. After four years in the coastal ships of AUSN he gained his Second Mate's certificate in Sydney and joined the Eastern & Australian Steamship Company (E&A) as Fourth Officer on the TANDA. He served 43 years with this Company sailing to ports between Australia and eastern Asia, retiring in 1967. Dun gained his Master's Certificate in 1929, at the age of 24. In 1942, when he was Chief Officer on the NANKIN, the ship was captured by the German raider THOR. He spent the rest of the war with the surviving crew labouring in Japanese POW camps. He returned to Australia in poor health and spent years trying to get compensation. Although he was an Australian resident employed by an Australian company (managing agents Macdonald Hamilton) the ship was British owned and registered, and he obtained only limited compensation. Dun went back to sea with E&A in 1946, had his first permanent command in 1947 on the second NANKIN, and served in the company's ships EASTERN, NELLORE, ARAFURA and ARAMAC until he retired. During this time he carried cargo regularly to Japan, where he established friendly relationships with his former captors. During his career he made a number of rescues at sea and survived several severe typhoons. On retirement, he became a Nautical Assessor and took part in marine Courts of Enquiry, including the enquiry into the collapse of the Tasman Bridge, caused by the cargo ship LAKE ILLAWARRA striking one of the bridge's piers. SignificanceCaptain Burnham Walker Dun was a Prisoner of War in Japan from May 1942 - August 1945. Captain Dun kept a detailed daily diary of his time in the camp - meticulously recording meal allowances and work duties. This document is a significant reminder of those who were not fighting in the field of battle but enduring incredible physical and mental hardships themselves. The uncertainty of his situation and lack of knowledge of outside events provide a backdrop of ongoing suffering.