They stole my heart: Weary’s granddaughter pleads for thieves to return love letters, medals

New details emerge of theft of medals, love letters handed down from Australian war hero “Weary” Dunlop, devastating his granddaughter.

Weary Dunlop's granddaughter, Diana Dunlop. The home she shares with her partner was robbed in December; the thieves removing a safe containing her grandfather's medals and love letters to and from his wife. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Anzac Day won’t be the same for Diana Dunlop this year, not when there’s an empty place above her heart where her famous grandfather’s medals used to be.

Ms Dunlop, 27, was devastated when thieves broke into her Melbourne home in December and tore out a safe containing two bars of Ernest “Weary” Dunlop’s military decorations and – worse still – hundreds of love letters exchanged between the inspirational World War II army surgeon and her grandmother, Helen.

It was almost certainly an inside job, set up when her part-time cleaner tipped off criminals about the safe, police believe. The gang waited until the young woman and her partner were away to raid the Toorak terrace.

So brazen were the thieves, they evidently slept there overnight while taking their time to rip the 350kg strongbox from a hidden wall compartment and make off with it.

“The safe would have been extracted and taken somewhere ­remote to cut it open,” Ms Dunlop said. “It would not be that hard with a cheap anglegrinder and a bit of perseverance … and we know they definitely got into it and got into it quickly.”

Soldier and surgeon Sir Weary Dunlop salutes the crowd during an Anzac Day march in 1990. Picture: Mark Morrissy.

That’s because a credit card she had put inside the safe was used and flagged by police. Two laptops and sentimental items belonging to her grandmother were also ­inside, and the couple lost other valuables when the house was ransacked.

“The monetary value of the items was insignificant,” she said. “No doubt the thieves would have thought they were on to something good … a big safe might suggest jewellery, wads of cash and the like. It must have been a disappointment when the door was ­finally cut open.”

None of Weary’s treasures have turned up and Ms Dunlop suspects the robbers had no idea what they were on to.

Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop's priceless wartime medals which were stolen. Picture: Supplied

She is exploring whether her grandfather’s medals can be reissued – but among them were rare awards such as the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant from the Thai government, recognising his efforts to care for and protect fellow prisoners of war on the Burma railway, the Order of St Michael and St George, Knight Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and other ­official honours bestowed by India, Japan and Sri Lanka.

Thankfully, she retains scanned copies of her grandparents’ affectionate handwritten correspondence, a record of their love that she cherished. Also lost were sketches and makeshift patient records from Sir Ernest’s three years as a Japanese PoW, used to write his celebrated book, The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop. He died a national hero in 1993, aged 85.

His medals might eventually be recovered but she holds out little hope of getting the letters back.

Copies of Weary Dunlop's correspondence, including love letters to and from his wife. The originals were stolen. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“They probably threw the correspondence straight in the bin, which is such a tragedy,” Ms Dunlop said. “I doubt they would have had any idea who my grandfather was and the importance of the records. The letters wouldn’t have been worth anything to them.”

Still, she was relieved to have had her mind put at ease about how she and Lachlan were targeted. The wall-safe was so well disguised that friends who had stayed with them had no inkling of its presence.

But their cleaner, a man she trusted, must have twigged and alerted the criminal gang. While it is understood that a number of suspects have been identified, a spokesperson for Victoria Police said: “There have been no arrests at this stage and sadly no property has been recovered. The investigation is ongoing.”

Marking the centenary of the birth of Sir Edward “Weary” Dunlop on 2007, his son, Dr Alexander Dunlop, pins a medal on a young Diana while her brother Edward looks on.

Ms Dunlop will march on Tuesday, of course, proud as punch to be representing the grandad she never got to meet. But the absence of his medals on her chest will be a poignant reminder of what was taken from the family and the nation – because she saw herself as holding the precious keepsakes in trust for all Australians – casting a shadow over her Anzac Day.

“It really shook us,” she said of the robbery. “It was like an attack … I felt viscerally ill when it happened.”

A $12,000 reward has been ­offered for the return of the stolen items and Ms Dunlop renewed her plea to the thieves to “leave them at a police station, RSL or war memorial – somewhere they will be found – because they’re of no value to you but they are worth a lot to this country’s military history.”