Roberts Dunstan
Roberts Dunstan | |
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Minister of Public Works |
Roberts Christian "Bob" Dunstan
- serving with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as an air gunner, after losing a leg in action with the Australian Army;
- being the youngest Australian recipient of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO),[1] and;
- being, at the time he was elected, the youngest ever member of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria.[2]
Dunstan was born in
Australian Army
On 3 June 1940, five months before his 18th birthday, Dunstan joined the Australian Imperial Force.[3][4]
After training with the Royal Australian Engineers, he was posted as a reinforcement to the 2/8th Field Company, in North Africa.[3]
In January 1941, during the Allied campaign to capture Tobruk, Dunstan was wounded in the knee; the wound became infected and later required the amputation of Dunstan's leg.[3] After recuperating in Egypt, Dunstan was returned to Australia and medically discharged.[5]
Royal Australian Air Force
After a brief return to civilian life, during which he studied law, Dunstan volunteered for service overseas with the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1942, he trained as an air gunner at Port Pirie. At the end of his course, Dunstan embarked for the United Kingdom with the rank of sergeant.
He was posted, as a
During a raid on
Dunstan completed a full tour of 30 operations and returned to Australia in August 1944.[5] He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his efforts as a "cool and skilful Air Gunner despite handicap of one leg".[7]
He was discharged from the Royal Australian Air Force on 2 October 1945.[8]
Politician, journalist and film critic
Dunstan attracted the attention of the media due to the unique nature of his experiences: an army and air force veteran, who had completed a full tour of 30 missions despite being an amputee.[5]
He wrote about his experiences in a book, The Sand and the Sky,
After serving as local councillor, Dunstan stood for the Victorian parliament as a
References
- ^ Victoria Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Legislative Assembly, vol. 396, pp. 1539–1540.
- ^ The Age, 27 June 1981, p. 21.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Who's who in Australian Military History – Flight Lieutenant Roberts Christian (Robert) Dunstan, DSO". Australian War Memorial. 2009.
- ^ "Dunstan, Roberts Christian (Army)". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-7509-3171-X.
- ^ "Air combat reports—Image details—Dunstan, Flying Officer" (fee usually required to view full pdf of original combat report). DocumentsOnline. The National Archives. 23 October 1943. p. 3. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- ^ "Honours and Awards (Recommendation) Robert Christian Dunstan". Index to Recommendations for Honours and Awards: Second World War. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ "Dunstan, Roberts Christian (RAAF)". World War II Nominal Roll. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 25 October 2009.