Dr Kevin James Fagan AO (5 February 1909 – 1992) was an Australian medical doctor and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

hero. After attending

St Ignatius' College, Riverview Saint Ignatius' College Riverview is an Australian independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school for boys, conducted in the Jesuit tradition, located in Riverview, a small suburb located on the Lane Cove River on the ...

on a bursary, Fagan was Dux of the School in both 1925 and 1926, enabling him to study

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. He lived on campus at

St John's College, University of Sydney St John's College, or the College of St John the Evangelist, is a residential college within the University of Sydney. Established in 1857, the college is the oldest Roman Catholic, and second-oldest overall, university college in Australia. ...

from 1927 to 1932. After graduation, he returned to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and became Superintendent of

Hobart General Hospital The Royal Hobart Hospital is a public hospital in the Hobart CBD, Tasmania, Australia. The hospital also functions as a teaching hospital in co-operation with the University of Tasmania. The hospital's research facilities are known as the Roya ...

in 1937. Shortly after the outbreak of

he joined the Army Medical Corps and was posted to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

in 1942 with the 8th Division. He was soon a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese, first in

Changi Changi () is a planning area located in the geographical region of Tanah Merah in the East Region of Singapore. Sharing borders with Pasir Ris and Tampines to the west, Changi Bay to the southeast, the South China Sea to the east and the Sera ...

and later on the infamous

Thai-Burma Railway The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It was built from 1940 to 1943 ...

.Profile
ww2roll.gov.au; accessed 12 April 2016. An outstanding surgeon, he was every bit as influential in his care of the sick and injured soldiers as the high-profile Sir

Weary Dunlop Colonel Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, (12 July 1907 – 2 July 1993) was an Australian surgeon who was renowned for his leadership while being held prisoner by the Japanese during World War II. Early life and family Dunlop was born in Wan ...

. One of many testimonies from the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...

reads: : 'To many an unfortunate digger and others who rolled and tossed and cried out with the well nigh insufferable agony of those….. ulcers came a man who ceased suffering and pain and taking limbs off in many cases he put them on the road to home again. Yes Major Fagan, the diggers’ children will hear your name spoken with feelings of gratitude for many a long day to come. For the noble work you did, your name will be memorable'.

References

External links

Kevin James Fagan profile
pows-of-japan.net
Obituary
parliament.nsw.gov.au
Dr Kevin Fagan and The Thai-Burma Railway
katrinahodgkinson.com 1909 births 1992 deaths Officers of the Order of Australia Australian surgeons Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian people of Irish descent Australian prisoners of war World War II prisoners of war held by Japan Burma Railway prisoners Australian military doctors Australian Army officers {{Australia-med-bio-stub