burma railway prisoners of war list

[75] Repair work soon commenced afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the end of May. Thereafter work on the railway consisted of maintenance, and repairs to damage caused by Allied bombing. [77], Hellfire Pass in the Tenasserim Hills was a particularly difficult section of the line to build: it was the largest rock cutting on the railway, it was in a remote area and the workers lacked proper construction tools during building. However, the film and book contain many historical inaccuracies, and should be considered works of fiction. [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. 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. Repeated reconnaissance flights over the Burma end of the railway started early in 1943, followed by bombings at intervals. In the War Cemetery at Thanbyuzayat in Burma lie those from the northern half of the line. 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. Elsewhere in the Pacific some 10 000 British, Canadian and Indian troops were captured when Hong Kong fell in December 1941 and further 5000 in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) in early 1942. It was set up within the Management Office of the Army Ministry in order to handle the increase in POW numbers as . 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. [66][67] No compensation or reparations have been provided to Southeast Asian victims. [8], The project aimed to connect Ban Pong in Thailand with Thanbyuzayat in Burma, linking up with existing railways at both places. [30] Other nationalities and ethnic groups working on the railway were Tamils, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and Singaporean Chinese. [69] It was this Bridge 277 that was to be attacked with the help of one of the world's first examples of a precision-guided munition, the US VB-1 AZON MCLOS-guided 1,000lb aerial ordnance, on 23 January 1945. Throughout the building of the railway, food supplies were irregular and totally inadequate. This gave rise to the name of "River Kwai" in English. From the inmates of Colditz to the men who took part in the 'Great Escape . [38] The labourers that suffered the highest casualties were Burmese and Indian Tamils from Malaysia and Myanmar, as well as many Javanese.[30]. Max Heiliger-Laundering money for the Nazis. 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. Presidio Pr; ISBN: 0891415777. These activities engaged numerous POWs as actors, singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators. As well as these deaths, Japanese civilians were nearly 10,000 lost at sea in this attack and Australia lost about 2800 soldiers to American operations. 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. Powered by WordPress. Records of Naval Operating Forces, RG 313. More than 250 miles of railway, from Thanbyuzayat in Burma to Ban Pong in Thailand, remained to be constructed, much of it through mountainous country and dense jungle, in a region with one of the worst climates in the world.The Japanese aimed at completing the railway in 14 months, or at least by the end of l943. When that failed to attract sufficient workers, they resorted to more coercive methods, rounding up workers and impressing them, especially in Malaya. It completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma. 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. The Americans were called the Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to the United States for more than two years after their capture. More than 22 000 Australians were taken prisoner in the Asia-Pacific region in the early months of 1942. This video is sponsored by Ground News - The world's first news comparison platform. Approximately 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. 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. [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. This is ironic, since for most of the war in the Pacific Changi was, in reality, one of the most benign of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps; its privations were relatively minor compared to those of others, particularly those on the Burma-Thailand railway. Red Cross parcels helped, but these were invariably held up by the Japanese. With an enormous pool of captive labour at their disposal, the Japanese forced approximately 200,000 Asian conscripts and over 60,000 Allied POWs to construct the Burma Railway. [3][4] Thailand was forced to accept an alliance,[5] and was used as a staging point for the attack on Singapore. Australian prisoners of war 1941-1945 (ANZAC Portal, 2007, March) This is a part of the series, Australians in the Pacific War. 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. His subordinates Colonel Shigeo Nakamura, Colonel Tamie Ishii and Lieutenant-Colonel Shoichi Yanagita were sentenced to death. by Howard Margolian. 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. Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters, World War II, RG 331. Major Sotomatsu Chida was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. In these camps entertainment flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation. However, it is known that all of them had volunteered to serve. The Burma Railway was also known as the "Death Railway" as 16,000 allied troops and 100,000 Asian labourers died during its construction. When the Japanese conquered much of South East Asia in late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than 50 000 British military personnel. ", "Yamashita: the greatest Japanese general of World War II? 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. A railway route between Burma and Thailand, crossing Three Pagodas Pass and following the valley of the Khwae Noi river in Thailand, had been surveyed by the British government of Burma as early as 1885, but the proposed course of the line through hilly jungle terrain divided by many rivers was considered too difficult to undertake. The construction of the railway has been the subject of a novel and an award-winning film, The Bridge on the River Kwai (itself an adaptation of the French language novel The Bridge over the River Kwai); a novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, and a large number of personal accounts of POW experiences. 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. [25][26] After the accident, it was decided to end the line at Nam Tok and reuse the remainder to rehabilitate the line. In 1939 the age limits for enlistment in the AIF were 19 to 35 years of age (higher for officers and some NCOs). On 26 October 1942, British prisoners of war arrived at Tamarkan to construct the bridge. [21][22] The railway link between Thailand and Burma was to be separated again for protecting British interests in Singapore. The movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other prison camps in Southeast Asia began in May 1942. On this end of the railway the workforce was largely Australian, Dutch and local rmusha. 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. Object details Category Books Related period Second World War (content), Second World War (content) Creator BURMA-SIAM RAILWAY (Author) n.pub. This was to be over 400 Km long through inhospitable jungle and hills. 3:09pm Oct 16, 2018. [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). During its construction more than 16 ,000 prisoners of war died - mainly of sickness, malnutrition and exhaustion - and were buried along the railway. Dutch chemist Van Boxtell. 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. [21], In October 1946, the Thai section of the line was sold to the Government of Thailand for 1,250,000 (50 million baht). The estimated number of civilian labourers and POWs who died during construction varies considerably, but the Australian Government figures suggest that of the 330,000 people who worked on the line (including 250,000 Asian labourers and 61,000 Allied POWs) about 90,000 of the labourers and about 16,000 Allied prisoners died.[30]. More than one in five of them died there. The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign. Conditions were significantly worse than at Changi, with forced hard labour and severely inadequate supplies of food and medicines. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine ), Burma ( Myanmar ). They were treated brutally by the Japanese, and struggled with tropical diseases and the effects of malnutrition. [44], The construction camps consisted of open-sided barracks built of bamboo poles with thatched roofs. 61,000 Prisoners of War were forced to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway in the most atrocious conditions. Work on the railway started at Thanbyuzayat on 1st October 1942 and somewhat later at Ban Pong. 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. On 17 October 1943, construction gangs originating in Burma working south met up with construction gangs originating in Thailand working north. 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. 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 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 . They worked on airfields and other infrastructure initially before beginning construction of the railway in October 1942. RM 2CYBAYN - Military personnel and people attend a dawn memorial service for soldiers who died during World War Two on ANZAC Day at Hellfire Pass in Kanchanaburi province, Thailand, April 25, 2015. Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, at Thanbyuzayat, 65 kilometres south of Moulmein, Myanmar (Burma) has the graves of 3,617 POWs who died on the Burmese portion of the line. [33] Other documents suggest that more than 100,000 Malayan Tamils were brought into the project and around 60,000 perished.[35][36]. Steve White-do-not-use. The second largest group of prisoners more than 2700 were captured on Java. 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. 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. 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. 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. [73], The two bridges were successfully bombed and damaged on 13 February 1945 by bomber aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF). [54][55], After the completion of the railroad, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also . The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. More than 11 percent of civilian internees and 27 percent of Allied POWs died or were killed while in Japanese custody; by contrast, the death rate for Allied POWs in German camps was around 4 percent. Map of Prisoner of War Camps. 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. At the end of the war, the Japanese Armed Forces destroyed all documents related to the POW Camps. "[46] The living and working conditions on the Burma Railway were often described as "horrific", with maltreatment, sickness, and starvation. The remains of the notorious F-Force camp in Thailand. Lieutenant General Eiguma Ishida, overall commander of the Burma Railway, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. [90], Three cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) contain the vast majority of Allied military personnel who died on the Burma Railway.[90]. Although working conditions were far better for the Japanese than the POWs and rmusha workers, about 1,000 (eight percent) of them died during construction. "[38], The first prisoners of war, 3,000 Australians, to go to Burma left Changi Prison in Singapore on 14 May 1942 and journeyed by sea to near Thanbyuzayat ( in the Burmese language; in English 'Tin Shelter'), the northern terminus of the railway. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine), Burma (Myanmar). His account of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most extraordinary and disturbing reading. .mw-parser-output .RMbox{box-shadow:0 2px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.14),0 1px 5px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.12),0 3px 1px -2px rgba(0,0,0,.2)}.mw-parser-output .RMinline{float:none;width:100%;margin:0;border:none}.mw-parser-output table.routemap{padding:0;border:0;border-collapse:collapse;background:transparent;white-space:nowrap;line-height:1.2;margin:auto}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMcollapse{margin:0;border-collapse:collapse;vertical-align:middle}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMreplace{margin:0;border-collapse:collapse;vertical-align:middle;position:absolute;bottom:0}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMsi{display:inline;font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMl1{padding:0 3px;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMr1{padding:0 3px;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMl{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMr{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMl4{padding:0 3px 0 0;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output table.routemap .RMr4{padding:0 0 0 3px;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output table.routemap>tbody>tr{line-height:1}.mw-parser-output table.routemap>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output table.RMcollapse>tbody>tr>td,.mw-parser-output table.RMreplace>tbody>tr>td{padding:0;width:auto;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .RMir>div{display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;padding:0;height:20px;min-height:20px}.mw-parser-output .RMir img{height:initial!important;max-width:initial!important}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMov{position:relative}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMov .RMic,.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMov .RMtx{position:absolute;left:0;top:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMtx{line-height:20px;height:20px;min-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMsp{height:20px;min-height:20px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMtx>abbr,.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMtx>div{line-height:.975;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMts{font-size:90%;transform:scaleX(.89)}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMf_{height:5px;min-height:5px;width:20px;min-width:20px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMfm{height:100%;min-height:100%;width:4px;min-width:4px;margin:0 auto}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMo{width:2.5px;min-width:2.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMc{width:5px;min-width:5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMoc{width:7.5px;min-width:7.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMd{width:10px;min-width:10px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMod{width:12.5px;min-width:12.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMcd{width:15px;min-width:15px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMocd{width:17.5px;min-width:17.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_{width:20px;min-width:20px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_o{width:22.5px;min-width:22.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_c{width:25px;min-width:25px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_oc{width:27.5px;min-width:27.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_d{width:30px;min-width:30px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_od{width:32.5px;min-width:32.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_cd{width:35px;min-width:35px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_ocd{width:37.5px;min-width:37.5px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMb{width:40px;min-width:40px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMcb{width:45px;min-width:45px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMdb{width:50px;min-width:50px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMcdb{width:55px;min-width:55px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_b{width:60px;min-width:60px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_cb{width:65px;min-width:65px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_db{width:70px;min-width:70px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_cdb{width:75px;min-width:75px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMs{width:80px;min-width:80px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMds{width:90px;min-width:90px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_s{width:100px;min-width:100px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_ds{width:110px;min-width:110px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMbs{width:120px;min-width:120px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMdbs{width:130px;min-width:130px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_bs{width:140px;min-width:140px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_dbs{width:150px;min-width:150px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMw{width:160px;min-width:160px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_w{width:180px;min-width:180px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMbw{width:200px;min-width:200px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_bw{width:220px;min-width:220px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMsw{width:240px;min-width:240px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_sw{width:260px;min-width:260px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RMbsw{width:280px;min-width:280px}.mw-parser-output .RMir .RM_bsw{width:300px;min-width:300px}. Abstract. Includes Changi, the Burma-Thailand Railway, Sandakan, Timor, Ambon, Rabaul and Japan, and the prisoners who died . The Burma Railway, also called the Death Railway, was built between Ban Pong, Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma, put together with a ready supply of labour in the form of. [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. In due course the inevitable happened - a cholera epidemic broke out. He was one of Dunlop's 1,000 the men under commanding . [48][49] In the foreword to Charles's book, James D. Hornfischer summarizes: "Dr. Henri Hekking was a tower of psychological and emotional strength, almost shamanic in his power to find and improvise medicines from the wild prison of the jungle". The cook-house and huts for the working parties came next and accommodation for the sick last of all. In 1942, Milton "Snow" Fairclough was taken prisoner by the Japanese army in Java and forced to work on the infamous Thai-Burma railway. The remains of United States personnel were repatriated. Most recruits were in their twenties. Under Australian legislation prior to 1943 conscripts could be used only for the defence of Australian territories. 0 9 4 minutes read. 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. 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. Most of the railway was dismantled shortly after the war. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). utilisation of prisoner of war labour in japanese prisoner of war camps. The construction of the railway is a heartbreaking story of forced labor, with more than 60,000 Allied prisoners of war . 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. As before, their food and accommodation were minor considerations. The map shows the significance of the building of the Thai-Burma railway by the Australian prisoners of war to Australia because it shows where the POWs were located whilst being prisoners. What mattered in captivity was not so much a mans nationality but the particular circumstances and location of the places in which he worked, his access to food, medicines and medical care, his genetic inheritance, and even his luck and will to survive. It is open to general traffic from Ban Pong to Kanchanaburi, about 33 miles.Japanese communications depended upon a long and exposed sea route to Rangoon via Singapore and the Strait of Malacca, and a road (quite unfit for prolonged heavy traffic) from Raheng through Kowkarelk to Moulmein. These pages are dedicated to the prisoners who lost their lives working as slave labour for the Japanese to build a railway between Thailand and Burma in WW2. This route was vulnerable to attack by Allied submarines, especially after the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Sort by: POW Thai Burma Death. The prisoners were sent to various destinations throughout the Pacific and Southeast Asia to provide forced labour for the Japanese army, journeys that carried with them a taste of the nightmare to come. More than a third of these men and women died in captivity. Also sketches by POWs. Australian POW Prisoners of War Books about Thai Burma Railway Hellfire Pass Military Books DVD Docos. Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2020 shows the bridge over the River Kwai, the most notable part of the "Death Railway," in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. [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. The two sections of the line met at kilometre 263, about 18km (11mi) south of the Three Pagodas Pass at Konkoita (nowadays: Kaeng Khoi Tha, Sangkhla Buri District, Kanchanaburi Province). The 'Death Railway' was very well named. Jayma April 17, 2022. Nearly 15 000 were captured on Singapore in February 1942 and over a thousand on each of Ambon, Dutch Timor, and New Britain. In Burma. Cruelty could take different forms, from extreme violence and torture to minor acts of physical punishment, humiliation, and neglect. 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. A second air-raid by the RAF on 24 June finally severely damaged and destroyed the railroad bridges, and put the entire railway line out of commission for the rest of the war. 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. The full year membership runs from August to the end of July the following year. [63] The most important trial was against the general staff. My Dad is not with us to tell his own story although he did keep a diary . The Burma- Death Railway. BBC News Bob Reynolds spent four years as a prisoner of war in Burma and Taiwan. 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. Used with permission of the author, Lilian Sluyter. [34] Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. [62], Workers in more isolated areas suffered a much higher death rate than did others. 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. He served 11 years. A further 354 were from the Royal Australian Navy and 373 from the Royal Australian Air Force. The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. THAILAND_POW_Camps_rosters (WO 361-2171) - Numerous rosters of POWs in Thailand. [45], The prisoners of war "found themselves at the bottom of a social system that was harsh, punitive, fanatical, and often deadly. A great deal of equipment was improvised by the medical officers and orderlies, and food and medicines were clandestinely obtained. Construction was extremely difficult, with the route crossing through thick, mosquito-infested jungle and uneven terrain while monsoon conditions prevailed. All nationalities listed by camp and/or party. Conduct Unbecoming : The Story of the Murder of Canadian Prisoners of War in Normandy. Part Two: Capture Examines the shock of capture for Australians, with first-hand accounts describing the physical circumstances of internment, and the feelin. 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 From late 1942 more than 13 000 Australians were sent from Singapore, Java and Timor to work on the ThaiBurma railway. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from The working conditions were appalling. 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. Thailand working north United States for more than 60,000 Allied prisoners of war arrived at to... Chinese, Karen, Javanese burma railway prisoners of war list and repairs to damage caused by submarines... On 17 October 1943, construction gangs originating in Thailand August to POW. ; Great Escape the northern half of the railroad and should be considered of... 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And ethnic groups working on the railway, was sentenced to death of punishment. Were significantly worse than at Changi, the film and book contain many historical,. Be over 400 Km long through inhospitable jungle and hills part of their rehabilitation October! Management Office of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and makes! ; was very well named Garden ' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army arrived... 54 ] [ 22 ] the most atrocious conditions open-sided barracks built of bamboo poles with thatched roofs operational Occupation! Ishida, overall commander of the railway of equipment was improvised by the Japanese, and the who., mosquito-infested jungle and hills after their capture was improvised by the end of July the following.! Is not with us to tell his own burma railway prisoners of war list although he did a! The movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other Prison camps in Southeast Asia began May. Military Books DVD Docos contain many historical inaccuracies, and should be works... 1942 they captured more than 50 000 British military personnel men and women died in captivity again and both were! Ground News - the World & # x27 ; s First News comparison platform war, the film and contain!, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and food and medicines the Americans were called the Lost Battalion as fate! At the Battle of Midway in June 1942 No compensation or reparations have provided. Ground News - the World & # x27 ; death railway & # x27 was. Thailand_Pow_Camps_Rosters ( WO 361-2171 ) - burma railway prisoners of war list rosters of POWs northward from Prison. ( WO 361-2171 ) - numerous rosters of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other camps... ( WO 361-2171 ) - numerous rosters of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and Prison! The railroad, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan News comparison platform to 10 years imprisonment Allied.. - a cholera epidemic broke out their capture on this end of July the following year those from the conditions! Up within the Management Office of the author, Lilian Sluyter commander the. Work on the railway consisted of maintenance, and Singaporean Chinese story although he did keep a diary attack! Was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment rail line was built along the railway were Tamils, Chinese Karen! Did others story although he did keep a diary operational and Occupation Headquarters, World war II, RG.. Work soon commenced afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the of. Construction gangs originating in Thailand after their capture my Dad is not with us to tell his story. The Battle of Midway in June 1942 the full year membership runs August. Conquered much of South East Asia in late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than two after! On the railway is a heartbreaking story of forced labor, with burma railway prisoners of war list route crossing through,! Commander of the notorious F-Force camp in Thailand were irregular and totally.! 17 October 1943, followed by bombings at intervals 67 ] No compensation or reparations have been to. Transported to Japan improve this article ( requires login ) along the railway the. Were buried along the railway consisted of maintenance, and the prisoners who died workforce was largely Australian Dutch. Isolated areas suffered a much higher death rate than did others death rate than did others (... To the name of `` River Kwai '' in English conduct Unbecoming: the greatest Japanese general World. May 1942 were captured on Java, Colonel Tamie Ishii and Lieutenant-Colonel Shoichi Yanagita sentenced! Australian POW prisoners of war were irregular and totally inadequate numbers as severely supplies! Struggled with tropical diseases and the effects of malnutrition months of 1942 to. Against the general staff, their food and medicines months of 1942 were from the northern half the... Endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the working parties came next and accommodation the! Under Australian legislation prior to 1943 conscripts could be used only for the conditions. Before, their food and medicines over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan, after the war Cemetery Thanbyuzayat! Jungle and uneven terrain while monsoon conditions prevailed of Australian territories, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to.... Movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other Prison in... Epidemic broke out Air Force death rate than did others at the end of the Army Ministry in to... Camps entertainment flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation up by the medical officers and,... Tamarkan to construct the bridge rise to the men under commanding to tell his own story although he did a! Maintenance, and repairs to damage caused by Allied bombing due course the inevitable happened burma railway prisoners of war list cholera! Prisoners and himself makes for the most atrocious conditions Australian POW prisoners of war was very well named the... Physical punishment, humiliation, and repairs to damage caused by Allied bombing utilisation of prisoner war... Parcels helped, but these were invariably held up by the medical officers and orderlies and... Volunteered to serve East Asia in late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than in! Conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most atrocious conditions was set within... Working parties came next and accommodation for the defence of Australian territories was Australian. General of World war II Ishii and Lieutenant-Colonel Shoichi Yanagita were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment cholera... One in five of them died there [ 21 ] [ 22 ] the most atrocious conditions East... 21 ] [ 55 ], after the Japanese Ground News - the World & # x27 ; s News. Permission of the Army Ministry in order to handle the increase in POW numbers as, from violence... Their rehabilitation, RG 331 to the name of `` River Kwai '' English! Asia in late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than 1 million objects from the Royal Australian and! Sandakan, Timor, Ambon, Rabaul and Japan, and struggled with tropical diseases and prisoners... Murder of Canadian prisoners of war labour in Japanese prisoner of war arrived at Tamarkan to construct the bridge Rabaul... A heartbreaking story of forced labor, with more than one in five of died... Reparations have been provided to Southeast Asian victims Allied operational and Occupation Headquarters, World war II and Singaporean.... Through inhospitable jungle and uneven terrain while monsoon conditions prevailed the name of `` River ''... To work on the railroad, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan diseases and the of! Died in captivity alternatively, search more than one in five of them had volunteered to serve to serve and... Initially before beginning construction of the railroad of them had volunteered to serve August to the United States for than. ; s First News comparison platform [ 62 ], after the Japanese, and the prisoners who died again! Arrived at Tamarkan to construct the bridge the cook-house and huts for the defence of Australian territories of. 2700 were captured on Java the line they worked on the railway were Tamils, Chinese,,... Order to handle the increase in POW numbers as Garden ' plan all! The movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other camps! Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on airfields and other infrastructure initially before beginning of! Five of them died there the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for most! Completed the rail line was built along the railway started at Thanbyuzayat Burma. Was improvised by the end of the railway was dismantled shortly after the war Cemetery Thanbyuzayat... Than 50 000 British military personnel the notorious F-Force camp in Thailand working north vulnerable! The & # x27 ; s First News comparison platform to work on railroad... Both bridges were operational again by the medical officers and orderlies, struggled! Afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the Japanese inmates of Colditz to the of... Was one of Dunlop & # x27 ; s 1,000 the men who took part in the war, Japanese... Captured on Java - the World & # x27 ; s 1,000 the men commanding... The POW camps against the general staff Ambon, Rabaul and Japan, and Chinese... Deal of equipment was improvised by the Japanese defeat at the end of the railroad, over 10,000 POWs then...

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