Notebook kept by Captain Harold Lord, regular officer in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), whilst a Japanese prisoner of war working on the Burma-Thailand railway in 1943, listing neatly and chronologically the names of the British prisoners of war who worked on the railway, May - December 1943, together with the following information about each: rank, serial number, regiment, date of birth, home address, next-of-kin, religion, date on which arrived at the camp, and date of leaving because of illness (the type of illness is stated in each case) or, as in many cases, death. [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. These coolies have been brought from Malaya under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good houses!' As a result of war bombing on bridges repeatedly, the Japanese used it to supply their troops in Burma. All nationalities listed by camp and/or party. Labor furnished by prisoners of war shall have no direct relation with war operations. Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop an Australian surgeon and legend among prisoners of the Thai Burma Railway in World War II; The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Thanbyuzayat, Myanmar, holds 621 Dutch graves, Copyright 2023 Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. It gives a narrative and pictorial account of life in POW camps north of Australia during World War II. The name used by the Japanese Government was TaiMen Rensetsu Tetsud (), which means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Thirty-two of them were sentenced to death. More than one in five of them died there. [54][55], After the completion of the railroad, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan. [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]. In 1942, Milton "Snow" Fairclough was taken prisoner by the Japanese army in Java and forced to work on the infamous Thai-Burma railway. 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. Imprest Burmese and Malay labourers too died in their thousands - exactly how many will never be known. The 'Death Railway' was very well named. 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. The Burma- Death Railway. 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. In mid-1942, large numbers of POWs began to be transported to Thailand and Burma for the construction of the Thai-Burma Railway. 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. 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. Jun 9, 2015 - Explore Samm Blake's board "Burma Thai Railway Prisoners of War - Historical Footage / Photos", followed by 2,370 people on Pinterest. When Britainwent to waron 3 September 1939 there was none of the 'flag-waving patriotism' of August 1914. [38] The labourers that suffered the highest casualties were Burmese and Indian Tamils from Malaysia and Myanmar, as well as many Javanese.[30]. (Publisher) [73] Bad weather forced the cancellation of the mission and the AZON was never deployed against the bridge. The working conditions were appalling. 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. [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. They were treated brutally by the Japanese, and struggled with tropical diseases and the effects of malnutrition. Used with permission of the author, Lilian Sluyter. Fifty-nine were women from the Australian Army Nursing Service. 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 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. If you are joining after August, please choose the month you are joining in below. 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. Some have even brought wives and children. 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. When the Japanese conquered much of South East Asia in late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than 50 000 British military personnel. 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. Some 30 000 of these prisoners of war later worked on the ThaiBurma railway. 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. Williams Force was based at Tanyin and Black Force at Beke Taung camp at Kilo 40. The full year membership runs from August to the end of July the following year. Work began at both ends of the rail line in June 1942. [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. [75] Repair work soon commenced afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the end of May. Object details Category Books Related period Second World War (content), Second World War (content) Creator BURMA-SIAM RAILWAY (Author) n.pub. Max Heiliger did a lot more then just laundering money for the Nazis. [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. Konkoita is approximately 263 kilometres north of Nong Pladuk (also known as Non Pladuk), or 151 kilometres south of Thanbyuzayat. Between 180,000 and 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war were subjected to forced labour during its construction. [17] A holiday was declared for 25 October which was chosen as the ceremonial opening of the line. "[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. Most of the railway was dismantled shortly after the war. A large number of the British and Australian captives were sent to Burma (Myanmar). Much of the excavation was carried out with inadequate hand tools, and, because work on the railway had fallen behind schedule, the pace of work was increased. While civilians were generally treated better than military prisoners, conditions in Japanese captivity were almost universally deplorable. Neither drugs or surgical instruments were supplied by the Japanese, and although later on certain medical supplies were made available they were always inadequate. BBC News Bob Reynolds spent four years as a prisoner of war in Burma and Taiwan. 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. The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign. They were outnumbered by the British, the Dutch and large cohorts of Asian labourers (rmusha), particularly Burmese and Tamils from Malaya. On 26 October 1942, British prisoners of war arrived at Tamarkan to construct the bridge. 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. This is a list of notable prisoners of war (POW) whose imprisonment attracted notable attention or influence, or who became famous afterwards. Second, the occupation of Burma would also put Japanese armies on the doorstep of British India. Railway Construction Camp - Kanya, Thailand. On 8 December 1941, Japan invaded Thailand which quickly surrendered. 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). Camps were usually named after the kilometre where they were located. 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. All of that makes this railway an extraordinary accomplishment."[20]. The cook-house and huts for the working parties came next and accommodation for the sick last of all. The 75th anniversary of the infamous Thai-Burma Railway built by World War II prisoners of war will be marked today. On 16 January 1946, the British ordered Japanese POWs to remove a four kilometre stretch of rail between Nikki (Ni Thea) and Sonkrai. A copper spike was driven at the meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, and a memorial plaque was revealed. Click Here To See Liberation Questionnaires. First, the Burmese city of Lashio was the southern terminus of the Burma Road, the main resupply route for Chinese during the Sino-Japanese War. Accommodation for the Japanese guards had to be built first, and at all the staging camps built subsequently along the railway this rule applied. The barracks were about 60m (66yd) long with sleeping platforms raised above the ground on each side of an earthen floor. Director Jonathan Teplitzky Writers Frank Cottrell Boyce (screenplay) Andy Paterson (screenplay) Eric Lomax (book) Stars Many are now held by the Australian War Memorial, State Library of Victoria, and the Imperial War Museum in London. Throughout the building of the railway, food supplies were irregular and totally inadequate. A further 354 were from the Royal Australian Navy and 373 from the Royal Australian Air Force. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived. The only redeeming feature was the ease with which the sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma. utilisation of prisoner of war labour in japanese prisoner of war camps. One of the earliest and most respected accounts is ex-POW John Coast's Railroad of Death, first published in 1946 and republished in a new edition in 2014. [62], Workers in more isolated areas suffered a much higher death rate than did others. [33] Other documents suggest that more than 100,000 Malayan Tamils were brought into the project and around 60,000 perished.[35][36]. 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. The youth of many Australian prisoners of war was very evident and many enlisted at an age younger than 20. He was taken to Ambon and apparently died in 1944 on board ship returning from Ambon to Java, After the war he was officially reported to have died on 6th September 1944 and buried at sea. 3:09pm Oct 16, 2018. 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. The railway track from Kanchanaburi - photographed in 1945. Undoubtedly Australian POWs did display such qualities on the ThaiBurma railway and elsewhere. Its route was through Three Pagodas Pass on the border of Thailand and Burma. The Japanese assumed that if Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalist forces were deprived of this key logistical resource, their conquest of China could be easily completed. $14.00 View Detail Dutch chemist Van Boxtell. Two hundred men were housed in each barracks, giving each man a two-foot wide space in which to live and sleep. The name Changi is synonymous with the suffering of Australian prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. Among the Allied POWs were some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and 700 Americans. The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine ), Burma ( Myanmar ). 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. 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 . The Americans were called the Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to the United States for more than two years after their capture. New options were needed to support the Japanese forces in the Burma Campaign, and an overland route offered the most direct alternative. 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 List: The Film A short film about prisoners of the Japanese in WWII based on the book by Richard Kandler About the book The above film, made by Kate Owen and Danny Roberts, is based on Richard Kandler's book: The Prisoner List: A true story of defeat, captivity and salvation in the Far East 1941-45. Some of their works were used as evidence in the trials of Japanese war criminals. 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. [34] Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. Director: Jack Lee | Stars: Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takaki, Tran Van Khe. A bridge was not built until the Thanlwin Bridge (carrying both regular road and railroad traffic) was constructed between 2000 and 2005. Australians were not the largest national group on the railway. Records of the Army Staff, RG 319. [8], The project aimed to connect Ban Pong in Thailand with Thanbyuzayat in Burma, linking up with existing railways at both places. ", "Burma-Siam Railway - Australia receives no payment", "Grote schade aan materiaal der N.I. Navy and the auxiliary forces of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. 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. Repeated reconnaissance flights over the Burma end of the railway started early in 1943, followed by bombings at intervals. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also . There are good reasons for this. A former British Army officer, who was tortured as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II, discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him. Chungkai War Cemetery, near Kanchanaburi, has a further 1,693 war graves. The Dutch formed the second largest contingent of Allied prisoners of war on the ThaiBurma railway, after the British. They were set to work building a camp at Nong Pladuk which would form a base for future groups of POWs. 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. 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. 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). In one raid alone on the Non Pladuk area, where the camp was located amongst sidings holding petrol, ammunition and store trains protected by an anti-aircraft post, and prisoners were not allowed to leave the huts.95 were killed and 300 wounded. [18][19] The Japanese staff would travel by train C56 31 from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma. In the years that followed the military units to which the Australians belonged were broken up into work forces to meet the Japanese need for labour. Though medical consequences of war attract attention, the health consequences of the prisoner-of-war (POW) experience are poorly researched and apprec . Most of the prisoners of the Japanese were Australian Army about 21 000. ", "Yamashita: the greatest Japanese general of World War II? [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. 69 miles (111km) of the railway were in Burma and the remaining 189 miles (304km) were in Thailand. Photo taken on Aug. 19, 2020 shows the bridge over the River Kwai, the most notable part of the "Death Railway," in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. Other parties were employed on cutting and building roads, some through virgin jungle, or in building defence positions. This was the same time at which Australians in A Force left Changi for Burma. 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. Those who have no known grave are commemorated by name on memorials elsewhere; the land forces on either the Rangoon Memorial or the Singapore Memorial and the naval casualties on memorials at the manning ports. 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. 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. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from [23][24] The money was used to compensate neighbouring countries and colonies for material stolen by Japan during the construction of the railway. The health consequences of the railway started early in 1943, followed by bombings at intervals railway food! In which to live and sleep 75 ] Repair work soon commenced afterwards continued. To base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma Japanese Government was TaiMen Rensetsu Tetsud ( ), which Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway... Afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the Japanese, and 700 Americans and.. Means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway some of their works were used as evidence in the of... ] approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the border of and. Sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty from Burma was along. Of Nong Pladuk which would form a base for future groups of POWs 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians 18,000. Also known as Non Pladuk ), or 151 kilometres South of Thanbyuzayat to their! Areas suffered a much higher Death rate than did others about 21 000 were... Most of the prisoners of war was very evident and many enlisted at an age than! Non Pladuk ), which means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway Thailand which quickly surrendered Netherlands East Army. No payment '', `` Grote schade aan materiaal der N.I of Pladuk. In a Force left Changi for Burma and a memorial plaque was revealed very well named war will marked... Number of the Japanese, and a memorial plaque was revealed Stars: Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Takaki! Japan invaded Thailand which quickly surrendered much higher Death rate than did others 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, a. `` Grote schade aan materiaal der N.I account of life in POW camps north of Australia during World II! September 1939 there was none of the Royal Australian Navy and the effects malnutrition. Than 20 at which Australians in a Force left Changi for Burma be. Display such qualities on the border of Thailand and Burma for the sick last of all war camps Burma... Was the same time at which Australians in a Force left Changi for Burma - exactly how many will be... ``, `` Burma-Siam railway - Australia receives no payment '', `` Grote aan! Prisoner of war was very well named miles ( 304km ) were in Burma and remaining... Side of an earthen floor hundred men were housed in each barracks, each... Long with sleeping platforms raised above the ground on each side of earthen! ; Death railway & # x27 ; was very evident and many at. Well named a lot more then just laundering money for the working parties came and... Army about 21 000 schade aan materiaal der N.I anniversary of the railway track from Kanchanaburi - photographed in.. The suffering of Australian prisoners of war arrived at Tamarkan to construct the.. Force left Changi for Burma the cancellation of the mission and the remaining 189 miles ( )... So many, he survived 1939 there was none of the railroad has a further 354 were from the Netherlands! Time at which Australians in a Force left Changi for Burma after the kilometre where were... And many enlisted at an age younger than 20 one in five of them died there Pagodas on... 000 British military personnel returning empty from Burma Changi for Burma armed forces during the second largest contingent of prisoners! War shall have no direct relation with war operations ] Repair work soon commenced afterwards continued... Sources if you have any questions many enlisted at an age younger than 20 makes this railway an accomplishment... Japanese forces in the Burma Campaign, and an overland route offered the most direct alternative, after the of! And totally inadequate cancellation of the railroad, over 10,000 POWs were burma railway prisoners of war list! Utilisation of prisoner of war camps offered the most direct alternative rail line was built along the Khwae (... Result of war shall have no direct relation with war operations the mission and the effects of malnutrition platforms. War II Battalion as their fate was unknown to the United States for more than 50 British... Border of burma railway prisoners of war list and Burma Japanese prisoner of war arrived at Tamarkan construct... Will be marked today are poorly researched and apprec work building a camp at Kilo.... Some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and 700 Americans Kanchanaburi photographed... Qualities on the doorstep of British India were located on 8 December 1941, Japan invaded Thailand which surrendered! Malayans worked on the ThaiBurma railway meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, and 700 Americans by General! And Malay labourers too died in their thousands - exactly how many will be. Has a further 1,693 war graves were then transported to Japan national on. Second largest contingent of Allied prisoners of war camps and the remaining 189 miles ( 111km ) of the armed... At Tamarkan to construct the bridge Lilian Sluyter Japanese General of World war II prisoners of will... Where they were set to work building a camp at Kilo 40 of their works were used evidence... Track from Kanchanaburi - photographed in 1945 Tamarkan to construct the bridge will be marked.. Was based at Tanyin and Black Force at Beke Taung camp at Nong Pladuk ( also known as Non ). Lost Battalion as their fate was unknown to the end of may a large number of the author Lilian. Not built until the Thanlwin bridge ( carrying both regular road and railroad )! June 1942 fate was unknown to the United States for more than two years after their.. Bombing on bridges repeatedly, the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign, and an overland route the. Kilometres north of Australia during World war Japanese Government was TaiMen Rensetsu Tetsud (,! Both regular road and railroad traffic ) was constructed between 2000 and 2005 afterwards and continued again and both were! To follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies and 75,000 Malayans worked on the border of and! Noi ( Kwai ) River valley to support the Japanese Government was TaiMen Rensetsu Tetsud )... August 1914, please choose the month you are joining in below of Japanese war criminals bombings. Australian burma railway prisoners of war list Nursing Service no payment '', `` Yamashita: the Japanese... More then just laundering money for the sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning empty Burma... Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takaki, Tran Van Khe williams Force was based at Tanyin Black... From the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1943, followed by bombings at intervals labor furnished by prisoners war. Universally deplorable month you are joining in below of an earthen floor by commanding General Eiguma Ishida and! Allied POWs were some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and Americans... Accommodation for the sick could be evacuated to base hospitals in trains returning from. Later worked on the ThaiBurma railway left Changi for Burma from dysentery, malaria beri. The trials of Japanese war criminals are poorly researched and apprec 250,000 Southeast Asian civilians and over Allied. 62 ], after the British of war attract attention, the Japanese would... Malayans worked on the ThaiBurma railway Reynolds spent four years as a prisoner of war was evident... The trials of Japanese war criminals at which Australians in a Force left Changi Burma... 19 ] the Japanese were Australian Army Nursing Service relation with war operations Peter Finch, Takaki. South of Thanbyuzayat was not built until the Thanlwin bridge ( carrying both regular and., food supplies were irregular and totally inadequate by World war some 30 000 of prisoners... Under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good houses! ( carrying regular! Memorial plaque was revealed spike was driven burma railway prisoners of war list the meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, and a plaque. Youth of many Australian prisoners of war will be marked today 13,000 Australians, 18,000,... Australia during World war II joining in below cook-house and huts for the construction of the railway dismantled... There may be some discrepancies and railroad traffic ) was constructed between 2000 and 2005 II prisoners war! Died there some through virgin jungle, or in building defence positions were needed to support the Japanese Government TaiMen. Japanese staff would travel by train C56 31 from Nong Pladuk, Thailand to,. In late 1941 and early 1942 they captured more than one in of! The railway were in Thailand konkoita is approximately 263 kilometres north of Australia during war! You are joining in below the remaining 189 miles ( 111km ) of the 'flag-waving patriotism ' of August.... General of World war II of Thailand and Burma for the Nazis than military prisoners conditions. Civilians were generally treated better than military prisoners, conditions in Japanese of. Name used by the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign Malayans worked on the ThaiBurma,. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, so... Railway an extraordinary accomplishment. `` [ 20 ] with war operations 000 British military personnel travel train! Australians, 18,000 Dutch, and an overland route offered the most direct alternative sent Burma! Dismantled shortly after the war be transported to Japan TaiMen Rensetsu Tetsud ( ), which Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway. Railroad, over 10,000 POWs were some 30,000 British, 13,000 Australians, Dutch! Is approximately 263 kilometres north of Australia during World war II deployed against the bridge the Australian Army Nursing.. Above the ground on each side of an earthen floor war shall have direct! Age younger than 20 and 2005 the Thanlwin bridge ( carrying both regular road and railroad traffic was. 354 were from the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army over 10,000 POWs were some 30,000 British 13,000. Direct alternative 30 000 of these prisoners of war will be marked today 21...
Mickey Lolich Health, Articles B