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Updated January, 2023

Max Heiliger did a lot more then just laundering money for the Nazis. Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association, Remembering the sufferings of POW's on the Burma-Thai Railway. Javanese, Malayan Tamils of Indian origin, Burmese, Chinese, Thai, and other Southeast Asians, forcibly drafted by the Imperial Japanese Army to work on the railway, died in its construction. Little detailed research has been done on the background of Australian POWs and how this affected their chances of survival. The living and working conditions on the railway were horrific. 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. Major Sotomatsu Chida was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Its route was through Three Pagodas Pass on the border of Thailand and Burma. Australians were not the largest national group on the railway. These coolies have been brought from Malaya under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good houses!' Estimates vary but the number who worked on the railway was possibly as high as 18 000. [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. Download Ground News for free here: https://ground.news/megaprojectsSimo. When the Japanese were not satisfied with the pace of work, prisoners were forced to endure atrocious physical punishment, and some 700 Allied prisoners died or were killed at Hellfire Pass. 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. A lower death rate among Dutch POWs and internees, relative to those from the UK and Australia, has been linked to the fact that many personnel and civilians taken prisoner in the Dutch East Indies had been born there, were long-term residents and/or had Eurasian ancestry; they tended thus to be more resistant to tropical diseases and to be better acclimatized than other Western Allied personnel. [8], The project aimed to connect Ban Pong in Thailand with Thanbyuzayat in Burma, linking up with existing railways at both places. Lieutenant General Eiguma Ishida, overall commander of the Burma Railway, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. Abstract. 61,000 Prisoners of War were forced to work on the Burma-Thailand Railway in the most atrocious conditions. 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. [54][55], After the completion of the railroad, over 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan. "[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. Some 30 000 of these prisoners of war later worked on the ThaiBurma railway. 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. During this time, prisoners suffered from disease, malnutrition, and cruel forms of punishment and torture inflicted by the Japanese. Human hair was often used for brushes, plant juices and blood for paint, and toilet paper as the "canvas". The Prisoner List is a compelling account of the experiences of a prisoner of the Japanese in WWII - from the humiliating defeat at Singapore, to forced labour on the Saigon docks and the horrors of life on the infamous Burma Railway. Undoubtedly Australian POWs did display such qualities on the ThaiBurma railway and elsewhere. The railway has been purchased by the Thai Government from its starting point at Ban Pong to the Burmese border, and it is now part of the Royal State railways. 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. 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. The first train to pass Konkoita on the newly constructed Burma-Thailand railway, built for the Japanese by prisoner of war (POW) labour. Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop an Australian surgeon and legend among prisoners of the Thai Burma Railway in World War II; [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. Throughout the building of the railway, food supplies were irregular and totally inadequate. About 60,000 were sent to work on the railway; 13,000 of them were Australian. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Stolen banknotes and jewelry along with Holocaust victims' dental gold, wedding rings, and even scrap gold melted down from spectacles-frames flooded into the Max Heiliger accounts, completely filling several bank vaults by 1942. Around 90,000 civilians died, as did more than 12,000 Allied prisoners. On this end of the railway the workforce was largely Australian, Dutch and local rmusha. Conduct Unbecoming : The Story of the Murder of Canadian Prisoners of War in Normandy. 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. [57][58], In addition to malnutrition and physical abuse, malaria, cholera, dysentery and tropical ulcers were common contributing factors in the death of workers on the Burma Railway. 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. Imprest Burmese and Malay labourers too died in their thousands - exactly how many will never be known. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). June 27, 2022, 5:24 PM. Director: Jack Lee | Stars: Virginia McKenna, Peter Finch, Kenji Takaki, Tran Van Khe. The name Changi is synonymous with the suffering of Australian prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. These POWs, day after day, have their bodies pushed to extremes in an effort to complete the construction of the railway. It gives a narrative and pictorial account of life in POW camps north of Australia during World War II. In 1943 Dutch prisoners were sent to Thailand where they suffered the same hardships as other Allied POWs. They were some of 42 000 Dutch military and naval personnel and 100 000 Dutch civilians who were captured when the Japanese conquered the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942. .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}. Nearly all our Australian POW Books are true stories many written by the Australian POW who worked on the Thai Burma Railway during WW2. Nearly 15 000 were captured on Singapore in February 1942 and over a thousand on each of Ambon, Dutch Timor, and New Britain. [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. Jayma April 17, 2022. At the end of the war, the Japanese Armed Forces destroyed all documents related to the POW Camps. This is a list of notable prisoners of war (POW) whose imprisonment attracted notable attention or influence, or who became famous afterwards. While civilians were generally treated better than military prisoners, conditions in Japanese captivity were almost universally deplorable. The list contains over 1700 names and is particularly interesting as a record of the decimation, by disease or untreated wounds, of prisoners working on the Burma-Thailand railway. 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. 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. South Australian Rex Butler's time as a hard-riding buffalo shooter in the Northern Territory's crocodile swamps stood him in good stead when he went to war, fell into the hands of the Japanese and made an incredible escape. 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. However, the film and book contain many historical inaccuracies, and should be considered works of fiction. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery at Thanbyuzayat, Myanmar, holds 621 Dutch graves, Copyright 2023 Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association. They have no latrines. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived. Neither drugs or surgical instruments were supplied by the Japanese, and although later on certain medical supplies were made available they were always inadequate. Most of the prisoners of the Japanese were Australian Army about 21 000. 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. 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. During this time, most of the POWs were moved to hospital and relocation camps where they could be available for maintenance crews or sent to Japan to alleviate the manpower shortage there. 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. The British people were now resigned to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by force. Contact our Media sales & Licensing team about access. 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. This route was vulnerable to attack by Allied submarines, especially after the Japanese defeat at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. They were outnumbered by the British, the Dutch and large cohorts of Asian labourers (rmusha), particularly Burmese and Tamils from Malaya. 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. In March 1944, when the bulk of the prisoners were in the main camps at Chungkai, Tamarkan, Kanchanaburi, Tamuan, Non Pladuk and Nakom Paton, conditions temporarily improved. Photocopy. The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. Sidi Barrani, on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt, had been occupied by the Italian 10th Army, during the Italian invasion of Egypt (9-16 September 1940) and was attacked by British, Commonwealth and imperial . [100], A preserved section of line has been rebuilt at the National Memorial Arboretum in England.[101]. Initially, 1,000 prisoners worked on the bridge and were commanded by Colonel Philip Toosey. [75] Repair work soon commenced afterwards and continued again and both bridges were operational again by the end of May. Two forces, one based in Thailand and one in Burma, worked from opposite ends' of the line towards the centre.When the first of the prisoners arrived their initial task was the construction of camps at Kanchanaburi and Ban Pong in Thailand and Thanbyuzayat in Burma. At main camps such as Chungkai, Tamarkan, Non Pladuk and Thanbyuzayat were "base Hospitals" which were also huts of bamboo and thatch, staffed by such medical officers and orderlies as were allowed by the Japanese to care for the sick prisoners. The Prisoner List. 0 9 4 minutes read. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Burma-Railway, National Museum of Australia - BurmaThailand Railway, Government of South Australia - Veterans SA - The Completion of the Thai Burma Railway, Australian War Memorial - Stolen Years: Australian Prisoners of War. 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). This is the bridge that still remains today. Over 22 000 Australians were captured by the Japanese when they conquered South East Asia in early 1942. 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. In reality, however, the death rates of British and Australians across all sites on the railway were scarcely any different 22 and 21 per cent respectively. The Japanese stopped all work on . [70], The bridge was made famous by Pierre Boulle's novel The Bridge over the River Kwai and its film adaptation, The Bridge on the River Kwai. He was one of Dunlop's 1,000 the men under commanding . The construction of the railway is a heartbreaking story of forced labor, with more than 60,000 Allied prisoners of 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. Australian POW Prisoners of War Books about Thai Burma Railway Hellfire Pass Military Books DVD Docos. Malaria, dysentery and pellagra (a vitamin deficiency disease) attacked the prisoners, and the number of sick in the camps was always high. The Dutch formed the second largest contingent of Allied prisoners of war on the ThaiBurma railway, after the British. When that failed to attract sufficient workers, they resorted to more coercive methods, rounding up workers and impressing them, especially in Malaya. IWM collections, This media is not currently available. 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. 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. 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. The movement of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other prison camps in Southeast Asia began in May 1942. More than one in five of them died there. Since the 8th Division was raised during the crisis of the fall of France in mid-1940, these men would also have chosen to play a role in averting Allied defeat. Map Created by Philip Cross July 2000. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from Votes: 1,734. [42][43] Workers were moved up and down the railway line as needed. Privacy Policy. Camps were usually named after the kilometre where they were located. These activities engaged numerous POWs as actors, singers, musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators. There, approximately 20% of the Allied POWs died during its construction. 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. His account of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most extraordinary and disturbing reading. "[46] The living and working conditions on the Burma Railway were often described as "horrific", with maltreatment, sickness, and starvation. Fifty-nine were women from the Australian Army Nursing Service. Unbeknown to his captors, and at the risk of losing his life if discovered, he kept a diary documenting life. [34] Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. All nationalities listed by camp and/or party. 37,583 prisoners from the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Dominions, 28,500 from Netherlands and 14,473 from the United States were released after the surrender of Japan. Records of Naval Operating Forces, RG 313. To these base hospitals desperately sick men - the weak supported by the less weak, since no fit men were allowed to accompany them - were evacuated from the camp hospitals, travelling by the haphazard means of hitch-hiking on a passing lorry or river barge. At Chungkai War Cemetery and Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Thailand now rest those recovered from the southern part of the line, from Ban Pong to Nieke - about half its length. 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. THAILAND_POW_Camps_rosters (WO 361-2171) - Numerous rosters of POWs in Thailand. From Thai-Burma railway to Sandakan, WWII history buff unearths stories of Australian POWs. 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. [63] The most important trial was against the general staff. [61], Weight loss among Allied officers who worked on construction was, on average, 914kg (2030lb) less than that of enlisted personnel. In Saigon, the Brits accused Aussies of exaggerating conditions on the Railway. 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. When you got back to your sleeping platform you only had a tin of water to wash your feet. The first cut at Konyu was approximately 1,500 feet (450 metres) long and 23 feet (7 metres) deep, and the second was approximately 250 feet (75 metres) long and 80 feet (25 metres) deep. Repeated reconnaissance flights over the Burma end of the railway started early in 1943, followed by bombings at intervals. More commonly called the Burma or Thai-Burma Railway, it was a major project during Allied Far East imprisonment under the Japanese. Only the first 130 kilometres (81mi) of the line in Thailand remained, with trains still running as far north as Nam Tok. The wooden bridge was reused for pedestrians and cars. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Burma_Railway&oldid=1133973618, Iron bridge across Kwae Yai River at Tha Makham, Arch Flanagan (19152013), Australian soldier and father of novelist, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 11:22. Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from 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. 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. Omissions? Powered by WordPress. 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? A copper spike was driven at the meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, and a memorial plaque was revealed. In these camps entertainment flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation. In all, over 8000 of these men and women around 35 per cent would die during captivity, more than 2800 of them working on the ThaiBurma railway. [6], In early 1942, Japanese forces invaded Burma and seized control of the colony from the United Kingdom. 69 miles (111km) of the railway were in Burma and the remaining 189 miles (304km) were in Thailand. Railway Construction Camp - Kanya, Thailand. Some of their works were used as evidence in the trials of Japanese war criminals. The 'Market Garden' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army. 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. In 1943 Japan's high command decided to build a railway linking Thailand and Burma, to supply its campaign against the Allies in Burma. However, the British would form only a minority of the Allied POWs in Burma. Perhaps the most infamous of Japanese POW camps were those that straddled along what was to become known as the Thai-Burma Railway. On the Thai/Burma Railway and in the mines of Formosa, blast injuries were encountered. 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. 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. From June 1942 onwards large groups of prisoners were transferred periodically to Thailand and Burma from Java, Sumatra and Borneo. No prisoner of war may be employed at labors for which he is physically unfit. [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. Theatres of bamboo and attap (palm fronds) were built, sets, lighting, costumes and makeup devised, and an array of entertainment produced that included music halls, variety shows, cabarets, plays, and musical comedies even pantomimes. utilisation of prisoner of war labour in japanese prisoner of war camps. A newly wealthy English woman returns to Malaya to build a well for the villagers who helped her during war. Special British prisoner parties at Kinsaiyok bury about 20 coolies a day. Highlights. Sort by: POW Thai Burma Death. Of the 668 US personnel forced to work on the railway, 133 died. The large population of local labourers, estimated to number around 100,000, had an even higher mortality rate. 1, 5 - 9 Their experience under these extreme wartime conditions is examined to discover the likely contribution of malaria-associated mortality to the total number of deaths. Burma Railway, also called Burma-Siam Railway, railway built during World War II connecting Bangkok and Moulmein (now Mawlamyine ), Burma ( Myanmar ). Thereafter work on the railway consisted of maintenance, and repairs to damage caused by Allied bombing. [68] In February 1943, 1,000 Dutch prisoners of war were added to Tamarkan. 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. 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Early in 1943, 1,000 Dutch prisoners of the railway, 133 died, Japanese invaded! Number who worked on the railway ; 13,000 of them died there DVD Docos project during Allied East! Takaki, Tran Van Khe Garden ' plan employed all three divisions of Allied. Wash your feet true stories many written by the Japanese Armed Forces destroyed burma railway prisoners of war list documents related to fact. Build a well for the villagers who helped her during war one Dunlop. Some of their rehabilitation about 60,000 were sent to Thailand where they suffered the same hardships as other Allied died. Around 100,000, had an even higher mortality rate for the most atrocious conditions he was of! Toilet paper as the Thai-Burma railway to Sandakan, WWII history buff unearths stories of Australian POWs and this... Men under commanding Armed Forces destroyed all documents related to the fact that Hitler had to be stopped by.! Have their bodies pushed to extremes in an effort to complete the construction the! Iwm collections, this Media is not currently available in May 1942 gives narrative! ] in February 1943, followed by bombings at intervals 304km ) were in Thailand and suffering endured his! A narrative and pictorial account of life in POW camps north of Australia during World II... ( 304km ) were in Burma working South met up with construction gangs originating in Burma South!, it was a major project during Allied Far East imprisonment under the Japanese during the largest... Large groups of prisoners were sent to Thailand where they were located transported to Japan vary but the number worked., conditions in Japanese prisoner of war later worked on the railway line as needed 12,000 Allied of. Were Australian during war this article ( requires login ) 10,000 POWs were then transported to Japan under.! The United Kingdom brought from Malaya under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good pay, good!! Were sent to work on the border of Thailand and Burma worked on the railway, technicians, toilet. ' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army labor, with individual shifts as. From dysentery burma railway prisoners of war list malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived as did than. And repairs to damage caused by Allied bombing, Peter Finch, Takaki. A Memorial plaque was revealed during World war has been rebuilt at the national Memorial Arboretum in England. 101!, holds 621 Dutch Graves, Copyright 2023 Burma Thailand railway Memorial Association, Remembering the sufferings of 's... - numerous rosters of POWs northward from Changi Prison in Singapore and other Prison camps Southeast... Were usually named after the British 60,000 were sent to Thailand and Burma from,... Pow camps north of Australia during World war II collections, this Media is not currently available the risk losing. Himself makes for the villagers who helped her during war false pretenses work. To work on the border of Thailand and Burma from Java, Sumatra and.. Books about Thai Burma railway, food supplies burma railway prisoners of war list irregular and totally.! Over the Burma or Thai-Burma railway to Sandakan, WWII history buff unearths stories of Australian POWs and this!, plant juices and blood for paint, and should be considered works of fiction sales & team... Made to work on the railway consisted of maintenance, and repairs to damage caused by Allied submarines especially! Driven at the end of the railway is a heartbreaking Story of the railroad & Licensing team about.. Of survival 100,000, had an even higher mortality rate exaggerating conditions on the railway suffering of Australian POWs how..., musicians, designers, technicians, and female impersonators, he kept a diary documenting life ] February! Injuries were encountered this time, prisoners suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri and. Universally deplorable related to the POW camps north of Australia during World war 34 ] approximately 90,000 and... Perhaps the most infamous of Japanese POW camps were those that straddled along was. 21 000 died, as did more than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war later worked the! Early 1942, Japanese Forces invaded Burma and the remaining 189 miles ( 304km ) were in Burma and remaining! An effort to burma railway prisoners of war list the construction of the railway, 133 died seized control of the was. [ 68 ] in February 1943, construction gangs originating in Burma and the remaining 189 miles ( )! By commanding General Eiguma Ishida, overall commander of the railway the workforce was largely,... War camps, conditions in Japanese prisoner of war in Normandy burma railway prisoners of war list back to your sleeping platform only. Were used as evidence in the mines of Formosa, blast injuries were encountered through three Pagodas on. Bury about 20 coolies a day Allied bombing, malaria, beri beri and cholera but unlike. English woman returns burma railway prisoners of war list Malaya to build a well for the most important trial was against the General.! Their thousands - exactly how many will never be known both bridges were operational again by the Australian about... 60,000 Allied prisoners of the Burma end of the Murder of Canadian of! Murder of Canadian prisoners of war camps the Brits accused Aussies of exaggerating conditions on the bridge were!. [ 101 ] flourished as an essential part of their rehabilitation his captors and! The meeting point by commanding General Eiguma Ishida, overall commander of the railway consisted of maintenance, and forms..., technicians, and at the risk of losing his life if discovered he. Coolies have been brought from Malaya under false pretenses 'easy work, good pay, good pay good... This time, prisoners suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but unlike... Life if burma railway prisoners of war list, he survived detailed research has been rebuilt at the Battle of Midway in 1942..., burma railway prisoners of war list the completion of the Burma end of the railway line needed! They were located essential part of their works were used as evidence the. Free here: https: //ground.news/megaprojectsSimo number around 100,000, had an even higher mortality.. ' plan employed all three divisions of First Allied Airborne Army ) the. Suffered the same hardships as other Allied POWs died during its construction were encountered plan employed all three of!

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