Rowley Richards

Charles Rowland Bromley "Rowley" Richards (8 June 1916 – 26 February 2015) was an Australian Army medical officer who, as a prisoner of war during the Second World War, is credited with saving countless lives on the notorious Burma Railway where prisoners suffered and died under inhumane conditions. Journalist Andrew Denton described him as "as good a man as this country has produced".

A graduate of the University of Sydney, Richards became Regimental Medical Officer of the 2/15th Field Regiment in 1940. When Singapore fell on 15 February 1942, he became a prisoner of the Japanese. In September 1944, the transport on which he was being shipped to Japan was attacked and sunk by US submarines. He spent three days on a raft before he was picked up by a Japanese warship, and spent the rest of the war in Sakata in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

Richards returned to Australia in October 1945, married and established a private practice. He served as chairman of the St John Ambulance Association, as medical adviser to the Australian Olympic rowing teams, and as honorary medical director of the City to Surf. He published two books about his wartime experiences. Provided by Wikipedia