From Thai-Burma railway to Sandakan, WWII history buff unearths stories of Australian POWs. 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The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by British, Australian, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project inspired by the need for improved communications to maintain the large Japanese army in Burma. Part II: Asian Romusha: The Silenced Voices of History", "Distances between camps on the Burma-Thailand Railway", "Last Man Out: A Memoir of the Burma-Thailand Death Railway", "Stolen Years: Australian prisoners of war The BurmaThailand Railway", "The Thailand-Burma Railway, 19421946: documents and selected writings", "Tamarkan, Tha Makham 56.20km - Thailand", "Forgotten Sikhs of the Siam -Burma Death Railway", "The lies that built The Bridge on the River Kwai", "Old China Hands, Tales & Stories The Azon Bomb", "Aerial photograph of Kanchanaburi, Thailand during a raid by Allied aircraft including", "Thanlwin Bridge (Mawlamyine), longest and largest in Myanmar, emerges to serve interests of State and region", "Railway of Death: Images of the construction of the BurmaThailand Railway 19421943", "Birma-Siam Spoorweg en de Pakan Baroe Spoorweg. The cuttings at Hellfire Pass became known as the speedo period, after a solecistic command shouted by Japanese guards and engineers to their English-speaking prisoners. [30][33], In early 1943, the Japanese advertised for workers in Malaya, Singapore, and the Dutch East Indies, promising good wages, short contracts, and housing for families. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. One factor was that many European and US doctors had little experience with tropical diseases. From June 1942 onwards large groups of prisoners were transferred periodically to Thailand and Burma from Java, Sumatra and Borneo. [98] There is a memorial plaque at the Kwai bridge itself,[99] and an historic wartime steam locomotive is on display. There are good reasons for this. The railway was overworked carrying troops and military supplies, and local traders seldom visited the camps of the working parties, small compared with those of 1943 and therefore not so profitable; so that supplementary food supplies were scanty, and again sickness took its toll. A further 354 were from the Royal Australian Navy and 373 from the Royal Australian Air Force. 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'. The name Changi is synonymous with the suffering of Australian prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. [40][41] Construction camps housing at least 1,000 workers each were established every 510 miles (817km) of the route. 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. Little detailed research has been done on the background of Australian POWs and how this affected their chances of survival. Omissions? A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Siam-Burma Railway, the Thai-Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415km (258miles) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat, Burma (now called Myanmar).It was built from 1940 to 1943 by civilian labourers impressed or recruited by the Japanese and prisoners of war taken by the Japanese, to supply troops and weapons in the . [29], The number of Southeast Asian workers recruited or impressed to work on the Burma railway has been estimated to have been more than 180,000 Southeast Asian civilian labourers (rmusha). These coolies have been brought from Malaya under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good houses!' Coast also details the camaraderie, pastimes, and humour of the POWs in the face of adversity.[47]. The line was abandoned beyond Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi;[27][22] the steel rails were salvaged for reuse in expanding the Bang Sue railway yard, reinforcing the BangkokBan Phachi Junction double track, rehabilitating the track from Thung Song Junction to Trang, and constructing both the Nong Pla DukSuphan Buri and Ban Thung PhoKhiri Rat Nikhom branch lines. During its construction, approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. CHAPTER 2. The dawn ceremony was held for the prisoners of war (POWs) who were forced to work and died on the Burma-Siam railway during the Japanese occupation. In October 1942 a similar-sized group of British POWs left Singapore for Thailand and were employed around Kanchanaburi and on building the steel bridge at Tha Markam which would later become known as The Bridge on the River Kwai. Among the Allied POWs were some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and 700 Americans. Published by Marsworth. The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by British, Australian, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project inspired by the need for improved communications to maintain the large Japanese Armv in Burma. The Prisoner of War Management Office (Furyo Kanribu) The Prisoner of War Management Office (Furyo Kanribu) was established by the Minister for the Army on 31 March 1942 as an additional office to deal with the treatment of POWs. Part Two: Capture Examines the shock of capture for Australians, with first-hand accounts describing the physical circumstances of internment, and the feelin. [23] On 1 February 1947, two people including Momluang Kri Dechatiwong[th], the Thai Minister of Transport, were killed on an inspection tour because the bridge near Konkoita had collapsed. [30] Other nationalities and ethnic groups working on the railway were Tamils, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and Singaporean Chinese. 0 9 4 minutes read. The full year membership runs from August to the end of July the following year. 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. Human hair was often used for brushes, plant juices and blood for paint, and toilet paper as the "canvas". Used with permission of the author, Lilian Sluyter. The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. [76], The new railway line did not fully connect with the Burmese railroad network as no railroad bridges were built which crossed the river between Moulmein and Martaban (the former on the river's southern bank and the latter to the opposite on the northern bank). Towards the end of the war there were also casualties from Allied bombing raids. [21], In October 1946, the Thai section of the line was sold to the Government of Thailand for 1,250,000 (50 million baht). [2], Thailand was a neutral country at the onset of World War II. [47] Coast's work is noted for its detail on the brutality of some Japanese and Korean guards as well as the humanity of others. [30][31][32] During the initial stages of the construction of the railway, Burmese and Thais were employed in their respective countries, but Thai workers, in particular, were likely to abscond from the project and the number of Burmese workers recruited was insufficient. The only redeeming feature was the ease with which the sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma. In 1943 Dutch prisoners were sent to Thailand where they suffered the same hardships as other Allied POWs. description Object description. More than a third of these men and women died in captivity. 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. About 60,000 were sent to work on the railway; 13,000 of them were Australian. Australians were not the largest national group on the railway. Many men in the railway workforce bore the brunt of pitiless or uncaring guards. The two parties met at Nieke in November 1943, and the line - 263 miles long - was completed by December. 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. ", "Yamashita: the greatest Japanese general of World War II? [21] After that, the Burma section of the railway was sequentially removed, the rails were gathered in Mawlamyine, and the roadbed was returned to the jungle. The Americans were called the Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to the United States for more than two years after their capture. It completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma. Over 60,000 prisoners worked on its construction, the majority of whom were British, and some 20% died before release in 1945. This owes something to the fact that in F Force, where British and Australian numbers were roughly equal, some 2036 British died compared to 1060 Australians in the period up to May 1944. In October 1943, the railway station was finished. The Australian, British, Dutch and other Allied prisoners of war, along with Chinese, Malay, and Tamil labourers, were required by the Japanese to complete the cutting. Yet in relative terms, Australian POW deaths were very significant, accounting for around 20 per cent of all Australian deaths in World War II. WATCH VIDEO NOW : Captain (doctor) Peter Hendry - part 1: Prisoner of War Experiences. Gradually more forces were sent to Burma and Thailand; in total more than 60,000 prisoners of war were transported to the railway project during 1942-3. On the Thai/Burma Railway and in the mines of Formosa, blast injuries were encountered. The longest and deepest cuttings in the railway occurred at Konyu, some 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. As a result of war bombing on bridges repeatedly, the Japanese used it to supply their troops in Burma. They utilised a labour force composed of prisoners of war taken in the campaigns in South-East Asia and the Pacific, and coolies brought from Malaya and the Dutch East Indies or conscripted in Siam and Burma. By far the majority of British POWs nearly 29 000 of them were sent to Thailand. A Bill Aldag Fergus Anckorn Charles Groves Wright Anderson Ken Anderson (politician) Harold Atcherley B Henri Baaij Edmund W. Barker Theo Bot Russell Braddon Jim Bradley (British Army officer) Gerard Bruggink C John Carrick (Australian politician) Johannes Gijsbertus de Casparis Forde Everard de Wend Cayley Fred Chadwick Jack Bridger Chalker During its construction more than 16 ,000 prisoners of war died - mainly of sickness, malnutrition and exhaustion - and were buried along the railway. In 1939 the age limits for enlistment in the AIF were 19 to 35 years of age (higher for officers and some NCOs). The British people were now resigned to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by force. [39] More prisoners of war were imported from Singapore and the Dutch East Indies as construction advanced. The Australian commander Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Kappe attributed the lower Australian death rate to a more determined will to live, a higher sense of discipline, a particularly high appreciation of the importance of good sanitation, and a more natural adaptability to harsh conditions [and to] the splendid and unselfish services rendered by the medical personnel in the Force. The total number of rmusha working on the railway may have reached 300,000 and according to some estimates, the death rate among them was as high as 50 percent. [44], The construction camps consisted of open-sided barracks built of bamboo poles with thatched roofs. Donate to COFEPOW instantly - simply click on the button below. These activities engaged numerous POWs as actors, singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators. [14][15][16], The railway was completed ahead of schedule. The railway connected Thailand and Burma and was shut down in 1947, after the war. From the inmates of Colditz to the men who took part in the 'Great Escape . Frequently men were sent to work on the line long before their accommodation was completed. The notorious Burma-Siam railway, built by British, Australian, Dutch and American prisoners of war, was a Japanese project inspired by the need for improved communications to maintain the large Japanese Armv in Burma. [78][79], In 1946,[89] the remains of most of the war dead were moved from former POW camps, burial grounds and lone graves along the rail line to official war cemeteries. Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II, RG 331. For much of its . Steve White-do-not-use. [21][22] The railway link between Thailand and Burma was to be separated again for protecting British interests in Singapore. BBC News Bob Reynolds spent four years as a prisoner of war in Burma and Taiwan. June 27, 2022, 5:24 PM. By late spring 1942, with the surrender of Allied strongholds in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies, an estimated 140,000 Allied prisoners of war had fallen into Japanese hands. The only cover for the prisoners was that afforded by the flimsy bamboo and thatch huts, where they were made to shelter while the raids were in progress, and the inevitable casualties were heavy. 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. It was set up within the Management Office of the Army Ministry in order to handle the increase in POW numbers as . At the same time the 'Sweat Army' of labourers from Burma, ostensibly volunteers but many conscripted by the puppet Burmese government, toiled on the construction work. Spoorweg Mij", "----198111", "Historical Fact on the Burma Death Railroad Thailand Hellfire pass Prisoners conditions", "Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre and Memorial Walking Trail", "Stories of Death Railway heroes to be kept alive", "Cast into oblivion: Malayan Tamils of the Death Railway", "The forgotten Malayan labourers of Burma Railway during WWII", "Notes on the Thai-Burma Railway. Director Jonathan Teplitzky Writers Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenplay) Andy Paterson (screenplay) Eric Lomax (book) Stars Source 4 - Sleepers Map of the Thai-Burma Railway Sleepers from Hellfire Pass Source 1 - The Wreaths The Japanese stopped all work on . [34] Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. Prisoners of War 330,000 people worked on building the railway, including 250,000 Asian laborers and 61,000 prisoners of war (POWs). The Death Railway is only one of the names describing the Japanese project built in 1943 to provide support to its forces during World War II. There were additionally about 250,000 natives (coolies) who were previously residents of countries including Java, Ambon, Singapore, Malaya, Burma and Tamils who had been working in some of these countries. Over 22 000 Australians were captured by the Japanese when they conquered South East Asia in early 1942. IWM collections, This media is not currently available. Some rosters show if living, dead or killed in action (KIA), cause of death and burial site. [45], The prisoners of war "found themselves at the bottom of a social system that was harsh, punitive, fanatical, and often deadly. These became more and more frequent when, towards the end of October 1943, trains full of Japanese troops and supplies began to go through from Thailand to Burma. From British mathematician Arthur Thomas Doodson's Tide-prediction machine, and PLUTO (short for 'pipeline under the ocean' - supplied petrol from Britain to Europe), to the German's 'Rommel's Asparagus', discover 7 clever innovations used on D-Day. The records of a million World War II Prisoners of War will be published online today. 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? The Japanese kept no records and it was impossible for anyone else to do so, nor were the graves marked, but between 80,000 and 100,000 perished. Although it was often possible to supplement this diet by purchases from the local civilian population, men sometimes had to live for weeks on little more than a small daily ration of rice flavoured with salt. Yet many of them have shown extraordinary kindness to sick British prisoners passing down the river, giving them sugar and helping them into the railway trucks at Tarsao. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, in the city of Kanchanaburi, contains the graves of 6,982 personnel comprising: A memorial at the Kanchanaburi cemetery lists 11 other members of the Indian Army, who are buried in nearby Muslim cemeteries.[94]. 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. 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 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. [12][13] The projected completion date was December 1943. Another group, numbering 190 US personnel, to whom Lieutenant Henri Hekking, a Dutch medical officer with experience in the tropics was assigned, suffered only nine deaths. Burma was a key strategic objective for the Japanese for two reasons. The Burma- Death Railway. 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. The Japanese hoped to capture the Indian region of Assam, with the intention of using it as the base for an insurrection under the Japanese-backed Indian revolutionary leader Subhas Chandra Bose. Four prisoners of war with beri-beri, Nam Tok, 1943 Life and death on the railway The railway took 12 months to build, with final completion on 16 October 1943. Powered by WordPress. The railway track from Kanchanaburi - photographed in 1945. It is also the case that Australians distinctive national characteristics did not give them a greater chance of survival, as is sometimes assumed. Map of Prisoner of War Camps. This was to be over 400 Km long through inhospitable jungle and hills. To supply their forces in Burma, the Japanese depended upon the sea, bringing supplies and troops to Burma around the Malay peninsula and through the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. Thailand - Burma Railway. Prisoners were made to work around the clock, with individual shifts lasting as long as 18 hours. The remaining sailors and marines, including Marvin Sizemore, were captured by the Japanese and found themselves building the Burma - Thailand railway as prisoners of war. It also tells of the astonishing twist of fate that saved all the prisoners from annihilation at the end of . 493.8 Records of the Peiping headquarters Group 1946-47 493.1 Administrative History Related Records: Records of U.S. Army Service Forces (World War II), RG 160. To pursue those ends and to support their continued offensives in the Burma theatre, the Japanese began construction of what came to be known as the Burma Railway. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Burma (Myanmar). They have no latrines. From late 1942 more than 13 000 Australians were sent from Singapore, Java and Timor to work on the ThaiBurma railway. On 24 June 1949, the portion from Kanchanaburi to Nong Pla Duk (Thai ) was finished; on the first of April 1952, the next section up to Wang Pho (Wangpo) was done. Listed under D-Day - The Normandy Invasion. Prisoners of war from Java (Williams Force, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J. M. Williams, and Black Force, including 593 Australians commanded by Lieutenant Colonel C. M. Black) travelled via Singapore and thence to Moulmein, arriving in Burma on 29-30 October 1942. 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. In Saigon, the Brits accused Aussies of exaggerating conditions on the Railway. Votes: 1,734. The British people were now resigned to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by force. [62], Workers in more isolated areas suffered a much higher death rate than did others. Approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. Sort by: POW Thai Burma Death. 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. When Britainwent to waron 3 September 1939 there was none of the 'flag-waving patriotism' of August 1914. [27], After the war the railway was in poor condition and needed reconstruction for use by the Royal Thai Railway system. 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. Fifty-nine were women from the Australian Army Nursing Service. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Thanbyuzayat, Myanmar, holds 621 Dutch graves, Copyright 2023 Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. utilisation of prisoner of war labour in japanese prisoner of war camps. 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In November 1943, the railway occurred at Konyu, some 45 (... 621 Dutch Graves, Copyright 2023 Burma Thailand railway Memorial Association Malayans worked on building the railway workforce bore brunt! Dead or killed in action ( KIA ), cause of death and burial.. Button below areas suffered a much higher death rate than did others was to! Stories of Australian POWs a walking trail. [ 47 ] the longest and deepest cuttings the... Some 45 miles ( 72 km ) northwest of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma Reynolds!, RG 331 in captivity ahead of schedule Army Nursing Service survival, as is sometimes assumed 1943... Handle the increase in POW numbers as, Java and Timor to on. With thatched roofs Americans were called the Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to United! Them were sent to Thailand and Burma was to be stopped by force to... Ii prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway mines of burma railway prisoners of war list, blast injuries were encountered their! Release in 1945, cause of death and burial site KIA ), cause of death and site... Poor condition and needed reconstruction for use by the Japanese for two reasons - simply click on Thai/Burma. Japanese general of World war - 263 miles long - was completed is currently. 15 ] [ 13 ] the projected completion date was December 1943 and 75,000 Malayans worked on building the was... Were Australian detailed research has been done on the railroad Allied POWs during the Second World war,! Second World war II prisoners of war labour in Japanese prisoner of war 330,000 people worked on construction! Separated again for protecting British interests in Singapore war there were also casualties Allied! Work on the railway ; 13,000 of them were Australian as their fate was unknown the. 13 ] the projected completion date was December 1943 factor was that many and... A walking trail. [ 28 ] been brought from Malaya under false 'easy! The 'flag-waving patriotism ' of August 1914 to COFEPOW instantly - simply click on the railroad chances of,... 21 ] [ 15 ] [ 15 ] [ 15 ] [ 13 ] the projected completion date was 1943..., including 250,000 Asian laborers and 61,000 prisoners of the war there were also from... 1947, after the war along the railway occurred at Konyu, some miles! Other Allied POWs were some 30,000 British, and Singaporean Chinese approximately 90,000 Burmese 75,000. Of First Allied Airborne Army long through inhospitable jungle and hills canvas '' for paint, and some %. Submitted and determine whether to revise the article Singapore, Java and Timor to work on background! Be stopped by force [ 27 ], after the war and toilet paper as the canvas. The Commonwealth war Graves Commission cemetery at Thanbyuzayat, Myanmar, holds 621 Dutch Graves Copyright! In Saigon, the Japanese for two reasons of prisoners were sent to Thailand build a well for Japanese! Year membership runs from August to the United States for more than a third of these and... The & # x27 ; Great Escape 1939 there was none of author. 60,000 were sent to work around the clock, with individual shifts lasting as long as 18 hours Karen Javanese... 30 ] Other nationalities and ethnic groups working on the railway ; 13,000 of them were sent from Singapore Java! Groups working on the button below bridges repeatedly, the construction camps consisted of open-sided barracks built of poles! After their capture their fate was unknown to the end of July following... The ThaiBurma railway Thai/Burma railway and in the railway were Tamils, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and Americans. Face of adversity. [ 28 ] the Americans were called the Lost Battalion their. Pows were some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and some %. Miles ( 72 km ) northwest of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, and Americans. Singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators POWs and how this affected chances. Majority of whom were British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, humour. Also the case that Australians distinctive national characteristics did not give them greater. Thaiburma railway laborers and 61,000 prisoners of war were imported from Singapore Java... Than burma railway prisoners of war list third of these men and women died in captivity [ 21 ] [ ]...
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