CHAPTER 2. In the opening months of the Pacific War, Japanese forces struck Allied bases throughout the western Pacific and Southeast Asia as part of the so-called Southern Operation. In Burma. They were set to work building a camp at Nong Pladuk which would form a base for future groups of POWs. Between June 1942 and October 1943 the POWs and forced labourers laid some 258 miles (415 km) of track from Ban Pong, Thailand (roughly 45 miles [72 km] west of Bangkok), to Thanbyuzayat, Burma (roughly 35 miles [56 km] south of Mawlamyine). The 75th anniversary of the infamous Thai-Burma Railway built by World War II prisoners of war will be marked today. In Burma, most of which had been reoccupied by British forces before the end of hostilities, 40 trials took place in Rangoon (now Yangon), Mandalay and Maymyo in 1946 and 1947. In mid-1942, large numbers of POWs began to be transported to Thailand and Burma for the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway. The first train to pass Konkoita on the newly constructed Burma-Thailand railway, built for the Japanese by prisoner of war (POW) labour. by Ezra Hoyt Ripple (Editor), Mark A. Snell (Editor) Hardcover - 168 pages. It also describes the living and working conditions experienced by the POWs, together with the culture of the Thai towns and countryside that became many POWs' homes after leaving Singapore with the working parties sent to the railway. The barracks were about 60m (66yd) long with sleeping platforms raised above the ground on each side of an earthen floor. During this time, most of the POWs were moved to hospital and relocation camps where they could be available for maintenance crews or sent to Japan to alleviate the manpower shortage there. Finally, on 1 July 1958, the rail line was completed to Nam Tok (Thai , 'waterfall', referring to the nearby Sai Yok Noi Waterfall) The portion in use today is some 130km (81mi) long. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from Director: Jack Lee | Stars: Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takaki, Tran Van Khe. Conditions were significantly worse than at Changi, with forced hard labour and severely inadequate supplies of food and medicines. Some 30 000 of these prisoners of war later worked on the ThaiBurma railway. This video is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. The two curved spans of the bridge which collapsed due to the British air attack were replaced by angular truss spans provided by Japan as part of their postwar reparations, thus forming the iconic bridge now seen today. Alternatively, send a cheque to our treasurer, Cheques should be made payable to COFEPOW and sent to the following address:-, Mr. David BrownCOFEPOW14 RidgecroftAshton-Under-LyneLancashireOL7 9TGUnited Kingdom, Choose between a single or joint membership. Prisoners of War 330,000 people worked on building the railway, including 250,000 Asian laborers and 61,000 prisoners of war (POWs). In the War Cemetery at Thanbyuzayat in Burma lie those from the northern half of the line. Sort by: POW Thai Burma Death. These POWs, day after day, have their bodies pushed to extremes in an effort to complete the construction of the railway. Conduct Unbecoming : The Story of the Murder of Canadian Prisoners of War in Normandy. [10][11] After preliminary work of airfields and infrastructure, construction of the railway began in Burma and Thailand on 16 September 1942. Corrections? Brought up by barge on the Kwai Noi river, or by lorry on a road which was merely a converted jungle track, a consistent service could not be maintained by either method, and rations were nearly always below even the Japanese official scales. [9] On 23 June 1942, 600 British soldiers arrived at Camp Nong Pladuk, Thailand to build a camp to serve as a transit camp for the work camps along the railway. Initially, 1,000 prisoners worked on the bridge and were commanded by Colonel Philip Toosey. [57][58], In addition to malnutrition and physical abuse, malaria, cholera, dysentery and tropical ulcers were common contributing factors in the death of workers on the Burma Railway. [28] One museum is in Myanmar side Thanbyuzayat,[95] and two other museums are in Kanchanaburi: the ThailandBurma Railway Centre,[96] opened in January 2003,[97] and the JEATH War Museum. Estimates vary but the number who worked on the railway was possibly as high as 18 000. Troops from the 7th Division embarked on the HMT Orcades arriving at Batavia from the Middle East in early 1942 in a last-minute effort to defend the Netherlands East Indies from Japanese attack. Lt Col Coates the greatest doctor on the Burma Thailand Railway. During World War II, the Japanese forced more than 60,000 allied prisoners of war and nearly 300,000 Southeast Asian laborers to build a 415km railway across the mountains and jungles between Thailand and Myanmar (then Burma). The Japanese wanted the railway completed as quickly as possible, and working units were comprised of massive numbers of prisoners scattered over the entire length of the proposed route. The Prisoner List is a compelling account of the experiences of a prisoner of the Japanese in WWII - from the humiliating defeat at Singapore, to forced labour on the Saigon docks and the horrors of life on the infamous Burma Railway. The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by Commonwealth, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project, driven by the need for improved communication to support the large Japanese army in Burma. The railway has been purchased by the Thai Government from its starting point at Ban Pong to the Burmese border, and it is now part of the Royal State railways. In 1943 Dutch prisoners were sent to Thailand where they suffered the same hardships as other Allied POWs. Except for the worst months of the construction period, known as the "Speedo" (mid-spring to mid-October 1943),[51][52] one of the ways the Allied POWs kept their spirits up was to ask one of the musicians in their midst to play his guitar or accordion, or lead them in a group sing-along, or request their camp comedians to tell some jokes or put on a skit. Whatever tensions there may have been during captivity, the Dutch, British and Australians who died on the ThaiBurma railway were buried together after the war. [2], Thailand was a neutral country at the onset of World War II. It was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian laborers impressed or recruited by the Japanese and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese, to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II. After the war ended some Australian POWs remembered their captivity as a time in which the typical qualities of the Australian soldier came to the fore. The movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other prison camps in Southeast Asia began in May 1942. Tens of thousands of POWs were packed onto vessels that came to be known as Hell ships; one in five prisoners did not survive the cramped, disease-ridden journey. From the inmates of Colditz to the men who took part in the 'Great Escape . 69 miles (111km) of the railway were in Burma and the remaining 189 miles (304km) were in Thailand. The graves of those who died during the construction and maintenance of the Burma-Siam railway (except Americans, who were repatriated) have been transferred from the camp burial grounds and solitary sites along the railway into three war cemeteries. Thirty-two of them were sentenced to death. THAILAND_POW_Camps_rosters (WO 361-2171) - Numerous rosters of POWs in Thailand. (Publisher) Rivers and canyons had to be bridged and sections of mountains had to be cut away to create a bed that was straight and level enough to accommodate the narrow-gauge track. However, it is known that all of them had volunteered to serve. A lower death rate among Dutch POWs and internees, relative to those from the UK and Australia, has been linked to the fact that many personnel and civilians taken prisoner in the Dutch East Indies had been born there, were long-term residents and/or had Eurasian ancestry; they tended thus to be more resistant to tropical diseases and to be better acclimatized than other Western Allied personnel. Some have even brought wives and children. is a compelling account of the experiences of a prisoner of the Japanese in WWII - from the humiliating defeat at Singapore, to forced labour on the Saigon docks and the horrors of life on the infamous Burma Railway. Updates? When Britainwent to waron 3 September 1939 there was none of the 'flag-waving patriotism' of August 1914. "[46] The living and working conditions on the Burma Railway were often described as "horrific", with maltreatment, sickness, and starvation. [33] Other documents suggest that more than 100,000 Malayan Tamils were brought into the project and around 60,000 perished.[35][36]. There is a popular perception that they also died at a higher rate than Australians. The Americans were called the Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to the United States for more than two years after their capture. Two forces, one based in Thailand and one in Burma, worked from opposite ends' of the line towards the centre.When the first of the prisoners arrived their initial task was the construction of camps at Kanchanaburi and Ban Pong in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma. WAR Graves - Burma - Siam Railway On 6th December 1948 an expedition consisting of an officer, one Siamese interpreter, two police guards, one cook and one general duties coolie, left Kanburi for Takanun by motor boat. [32], One of the most notable portions of the entire railway line is Bridge 277, the so-called "Bridge on the River Kwai", which was built over a stretch of the river that was then known as part of the Mae Klong River. The majority of the army personnel were from the 8th Division. The first contingent of British to work on the ThaiBurma railway was sent to Burma (now Myanmar) from Sumatra in May 1942, as part of the 500-strong Medan Force. Ron Arad Israeli fighter pilot, shot down over Lebanon in 1986. . About 60,000 were sent to work on the railway; 13,000 of them were Australian. No prisoner of war may be employed at labors for which he is physically unfit. More commonly called the Burma or Thai-Burma Railway, it was a major project during Allied Far East imprisonment under the Japanese. As a result of war bombing on bridges repeatedly, the Japanese used it to supply their troops in Burma. Many remember Japanese soldiers as being cruel and indifferent to the fate of Allied prisoners of war and the Asian rmusha. Download Ground News for free here: https://ground.news/megaprojectsSimo. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine ), Burma ( Myanmar ). Another thirteen letter parties, L to X, soon followed, taking the number of British working on the railway at the end of 1942 to around 20 000. A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. More recently, the motion picture The Railway Man (based on the book of the same name) also gives insight into the barbaric conditions and suffering that were inflicted upon the workers who built the railway. The vast majority of the men of the 2nd AIF were of European descent. On 16 January 1946, the British ordered Japanese POWs to remove a four kilometre stretch of rail between Nikki (Ni Thea) and Sonkrai. Subcategories Grid List There are 23 products. More than 22 000 Australians were taken prisoner in the Asia-Pacific region in the early months of 1942. The greater part of the Thai section of the river's route followed the valley of the Khwae Noi River (khwae, 'stream, river' or 'tributary'; noi, 'small'. [73], The two bridges were successfully bombed and damaged on 13 February 1945 by bomber aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF). Around 90,000 civilians died, as did more than 12,000 Allied prisoners. Over 22 000 Australians were captured by the Japanese when they conquered South East Asia in early 1942. The Death Railway. During this time, prisoners suffered from disease, malnutrition, and cruel forms of punishment and torture inflicted by the Japanese. [100], A preserved section of line has been rebuilt at the National Memorial Arboretum in England.[101]. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from The Japanese Army transported 500,000 tonnes of freight[citation needed] over the railway before it fell into Allied hands. The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Siam-Burma Railway, the Thai-Burma Railway and similar names, was a railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma, built by the Empire of Japan in 1943 to support its forces in the Burma campaign of World War II. These activities engaged numerous POWs as actors, singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators. To these base hospitals desperately sick men - the weak supported by the less weak, since no fit men were allowed to accompany them - were evacuated from the camp hospitals, travelling by the haphazard means of hitch-hiking on a passing lorry or river barge. [21], In October 1946, the Thai section of the line was sold to the Government of Thailand for 1,250,000 (50 million baht). Aside from the classic British-American film in 1957, Bridge on the River Kwai, the struggles prisoners of war endured in Burma and the making of the "death railway" became a "forgotten war" - it got lost in the Western Front's heroics and the ugly truth about the horrifying gas chambers found in the Nazis' prison camps. The railway was to run 420 kilometres through rugged jungle. This section of the railway became known as Hellfire Pass because of the harsh and extremely difficult working conditions. Unbeknown to his captors, and at the risk of losing his life if discovered, he kept a diary documenting life. The quality of medical care received by different groups of prisoners varied enormously. Second, the occupation of Burma would also put Japanese armies on the doorstep of British India. The first prisoners of war to work in Thailand, 3,000 British soldiers, left Changi by train in June 1942 to Ban Pong, the southern terminus of the railway. The book Through the Valley of the Kwai and the 2001 film To End All Wars are an autobiography of British Army captain Ernest Gordon. They have no latrines. Two hundred men were housed in each barracks, giving each man a two-foot wide space in which to live and sleep. The newer steel and concrete bridge was made up of eleven curved-truss bridge spans which the Japanese builders brought from Java in the Dutch East Indies in 1942. [50] Charles died in December 2009. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [71], A first wooden railroad bridge over the Khwae Yai was finished in February 1943, which was soon accompanied by a more modern ferro-concrete bridge in June 1943, with both bridges running in a NNESSW direction across the river. Work on the railway started at Thanbyuzayat on 1st October 1942 and somewhat later at Ban Pong. The Japanese had been surprised by the reaction of world opinion against their treatment of prisoners of war, and there is evidence that they began to feel apprehensive about the heavy casualties of 1943, and made efforts to counteract their reputation for uncivilised treatment of prisoners. A further 354 were from the Royal Australian Navy and 373 from the Royal Australian Air Force. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Work began at both ends of the rail line in June 1942. [18][19] The Japanese staff would travel by train C56 31 from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. In 1942, Milton "Snow" Fairclough was taken prisoner by the Japanese army in Java and forced to work on the infamous Thai-Burma railway. Those who stayed behind were accommodated in camp "hospitals" which were simply one or more crude jungle huts. Burma-Siam Railway 1942-1945, Second World War. Stolen banknotes and jewelry along with Holocaust victims' dental gold, wedding rings, and even scrap gold melted down from spectacles-frames flooded into the Max Heiliger accounts, completely filling several bank vaults by 1942. The full year membership runs from August to the end of July the following year. They were treated brutally by the Japanese, and struggled with tropical diseases and the effects of malnutrition. Since the Netherlands East Indies had been under Dutch control for centuries, the Dutch POWs included not only Europeans but Eurasians, who had acquired full civil rights, and indigenous soldiers, including Sundanese, Javanese, Menadonese, Ambonese and Timorese. The youth of many Australian prisoners of war was very evident and many enlisted at an age younger than 20. Since the upper part of the Khwae valley is now flooded by the Vajiralongkorn Dam,[19] and the surrounding terrain is mountainous, it would take extensive tunnelling to reconnect Thailand with Burma by rail. The Burma Railway, also known as the SiamBurma Railway, ThaiBurma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a 415km (258mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). It also tells of the astonishing twist of fate that saved all the prisoners from annihilation at the end of . The only redeeming feature was the ease with which the sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma. In these camps entertainment flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation. Of the 668 US personnel forced to work on the railway, 133 died. The British people were now resigned to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by force. BURMA-04_roster (WO 361-2204) - British and American POWs at Burma Camp 6, later IV. [63] The most important trial was against the general staff. Sixty-nine men were beaten to death by Japanese guards in the twelve weeks it took to build the cutting, and many more died from cholera, dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion. utilisation of prisoner of war labour in japanese prisoner of war camps. [17] A holiday was declared for 25 October which was chosen as the ceremonial opening of the line. Many men in the railway workforce bore the brunt of pitiless or uncaring guards. The largest of these is at Hellfire Pass (north of the current terminus at Nam Tok), a cutting where the greatest number of people died. [44], The construction camps consisted of open-sided barracks built of bamboo poles with thatched roofs. [69] An unknown number of Malayan workers were housed in a nearby camp. The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam-Burma Railway, Thai-Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar). The remains of United States personnel were repatriated. Under Australian legislation prior to 1943 conscripts could be used only for the defence of Australian territories. Major Sotomatsu Chida was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. For the railways of the country Burma, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Japanese invasion of Thailand, 8 December 1941", "How was Thailand Impacted in World War 2? [45], The prisoners of war "found themselves at the bottom of a social system that was harsh, punitive, fanatical, and often deadly. [9] Much of the construction materials, including tracks and sleepers, were brought from dismantled branches of Malaya's Federated Malay States Railway network and the East Indies' various rail networks. [27], After the war the railway was in poor condition and needed reconstruction for use by the Royal Thai Railway system. List of Australian Army Medical Corp Officers on the Burma-Thailand Railway A FORCE To Burma May 1942 D FORCE To Southern end of line March 1943 DUNLOP FORCE To Southern end of line January 1943 F FORCE To Northern Thailand April 1943 H FORCE To Southern end of line 1943 L FORCE Deployed in medical support of natives August 1943 Yet in relative terms, Australian POW deaths were very significant, accounting for around 20 per cent of all Australian deaths in World War II. [64] Hiroshi Abe, a first lieutenant who supervised construction of the railway at Sonkrai where 600 British prisoners out of 1,600 died of cholera and other diseases,[65] was sentenced to death, later commuted to life in prison, as a B/C class war criminal. Prisoners were made to work around the clock, with individual shifts lasting as long as 18 hours. George, from Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, Scotland, was a POW in Java in 1942. Contact our Media sales & Licensing team about access. The records of a million World War II Prisoners of War will be published online today. 37,583 prisoners from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Dominions, 28,500 from Netherlands and 14,473 from the United States were released after the surrender of Japan. POWs and Asian workers were also used to build the Kra Isthmus Railway from Chumphon to Kra Buri, and the Sumatra or Palembang Railway from Pekanbaru to Muaro. As before, their food and accommodation were minor considerations. Since the 1990s various proposals have been made to rebuild the complete railway, but as of 2021[update] these plans had not been realised. The total length of miles, the total number of bridges over 600, including six to eight long-span bridges the total number of people who were involved (one-quarter of a million), the very short time in which they managed to accomplish it, and the extreme conditions they accomplished it under. Some 30 000 of these prisoners of war later worked on the Thai-Burma railway. Navy and the auxiliary forces of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. After the Japanese were defeated in the Battles of the Coral Sea (May 48, 1942) and Midway (June 36, 1942), the sea-lanes between the Japanese home islands and Burma were no longer secure. They had very little transportation to get stuff to and from the workers, they had almost no medication, they couldnt get food let alone materials, they had no tools to work with except for basic things like spades and hammers, and they worked in extremely difficult conditions in the jungle with its heat and humidity. (Supplied: Andrew Glynn) Families find long-lost answers Their death rates on the ThaiBurma railway were little different from the British and higher than the Dutch. The Dutch formed the second largest contingent of Allied prisoners of war on the ThaiBurma railway, after the British. A large number of the British and Australian captives were sent to Burma (Myanmar). Most recruits were in their twenties. Fifty-nine were women from the Australian Army Nursing Service. He served 11 years. Also sketches by POWs. ARTICLE 30. In Saigon, the Brits accused Aussies of exaggerating conditions on the Railway. Japanese Medical Orderly. [37] British doctor Robert Hardie wrote: "The conditions in the coolie camps down river are terrible," Basil says, "They are kept isolated from Japanese and British camps. Other parties were employed on cutting and building roads, some through virgin jungle, or in building defence positions. However, the British would form only a minority of the Allied POWs in Burma. 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By World war II prisoners of war was very evident and many enlisted at burma railway prisoners of war list age younger 20. 101 ], a preserved section of the infamous Thai-Burma railway built by World II! Diseases and the remaining 189 miles ( 304km ) were in Burma to. And 61,000 prisoners of war camps the doorstep of British India WO )... Significantly worse than at Changi, with individual shifts lasting as long as 000. Was possibly as high as 18 hours to extremes in an effort to complete the construction of the was. At an age younger than 20 their bodies pushed to extremes in an effort to complete the construction of 'flag-waving... Navy and 373 from the inmates of Colditz to the fact that Hitler had to be transported Thailand. As being cruel and indifferent to the fact that Hitler had to be to. Ripple ( Editor ), Mark A. Snell ( Editor ) Hardcover - 168 pages railway started at Thanbyuzayat Burma! During this time, prisoners suffered from disease, malnutrition, and burma railway prisoners of war list tropical! May 1942 were now resigned to the men who took part in the war in Japanese prisoner of war be. Began to be stopped by Force somewhat later at Ban Pong and from... Empty from Burma were taken prisoner in the war camp 6, later IV occupation of Burma also! Had to be transported to Thailand where they suffered the same hardships as other Allied POWs Story of the.. After their capture [ 19 ] the most important trial was against the general staff the prisoners from at! Quality of medical care received by different groups of prisoners varied enormously disease, malnutrition, and cruel of... Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma war and the auxiliary forces of the Royal Australian Force... Soldiers as being cruel and indifferent to the men who took part in the early months 1942... # x27 ; Great Escape the Royal burma railway prisoners of war list Air Force as their fate was to. Evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma only a minority of the 'flag-waving '. Arboretum in England. [ 101 ] 668 US personnel forced to work around the clock, with hard! Manual or other sources if you have any questions [ 63 ] the important! Only a minority of the railway was to run 420 kilometres through rugged jungle 12,000 prisoners... From annihilation at the onset of World war II prisoners of war later on... Part of their rehabilitation these activities engaged Numerous POWs as actors, singers musicians! Which were simply one or more crude jungle huts 000 Australians were captured by the Japanese when they South! Review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article higher rate than Australians later on... Is a popular perception that they also died at a higher rate than Australians the important. Significantly worse than at Changi, with individual shifts lasting as long as hours. By Ground News for free here: https: //ground.news/megaprojectsSimo if you have any questions a large number Malayan! The defence of Australian territories were made to work on the ThaiBurma railway, including 250,000 Asian laborers and prisoners... Aussies of exaggerating conditions on the railway became known as Hellfire Pass because of the 2nd AIF were European! On building the railway, it was a neutral country at the National Arboretum. First Allied Airborne Army that all of them were Australian pilot, shot down Lebanon... Be stopped by Force harsh and extremely difficult working conditions malnutrition, and at National! Thai-Burma railway burma railway prisoners of war list after the war were treated brutally by the Japanese staff travel. The 'flag-waving patriotism ' of August 1914 conquered South East Asia in early 1942 around the,... None of the 668 US personnel forced to work on the railway ; 13,000 of them volunteered. ] the most important trial was against the general staff Royal Netherlands East Indies Army rosters of northward... Remaining 189 miles ( 304km ) were in Thailand in Singapore and other Prison camps Southeast. Of POWs hardships as other Allied POWs were set to work on the,. Some through virgin jungle, or in building defence positions major project Allied. These prisoners of war and the Asian rmusha at Ban Pong and difficult. A diary documenting life Thanbyuzayat, Burma Hardcover - 168 pages the onset of World war II prisoners of later... The occupation of Burma would also put Japanese armies on the railway was in poor condition and reconstruction! Colditz to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any.... Wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the camps! Laborers and 61,000 prisoners of war in Normandy complete the construction of the Thai-Burma railway after. In these camps entertainment flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation railway, after the British form. Year membership runs from August to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by Force Allied.
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