In a wartime nightmare of starvation, disease, brutality and death, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop's courage and compassion made him an Australian legend.

During more than three years as a surgeon in the notorious work camps and vast hospital camps along the Burma-Thailand railway, he worked tirelessly to save lives and get men home to their families. He confronted his captors fearlessly; three times he was tortured and taken out to be executed, only to be reprieved at the last moment. Fellow prisoners regarded him as "a symbol of hope and a rock".

This new, illustrated biography of Weary includes more than 150 images as well as never-before-published material about his betrayal to his captors. Weary was the quintessential Australian all-rounder-brilliant student, outstanding sportsman and irrepressible larrikin who dedicated his life to caring for people.

When he died in July 1993, 10 000 people stood silently to farewell the most honoured medical man in Australia. By then, this great humanitarian's influence had spread far beyond the veteran community to embrace the entire nation.