The South African
Military History Society

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Die Suid-Afrikaanse Krygshistoriese Vereniging

THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI & HELL FIRE PASS

SLIDE #1; THE BRIDGE MOVIE TITLE (1957) FOLLOWED BY THE WHISTLING MARCH MUSIC;

FILMED IN CEYLON (SRI LANKA) THE MOVIE BRIDGE WAS BUILT IN 8 MONTHS BY 500 WORKERS & 35 ELEPHANTS, AND WAS 425 FEET LONG. IN THE MOVIE, IT WAS BLOWN UP BY BRITISH SPECIAL SERVICES & A RELUCTANT AMERICAN. LITTLE MENTION MADE OF ANY OTHER NATIONS.

GEOGRAHICAL POSITION:

THE COUNTRIES OF CAMBODIA, SINGAPORE, THAILAND AND BURMA WERE THE CANVAS ON WHICH THESE EVENTS WERE SO DRAMATICALLY PAINTED. THE MOST DOMINANT COLOUR ON THE CANVAS WAS RED, TYPIFYING THE COLOUR OF BLOOD THAT WAS SHED SO FREELY DURING THE BUILDING OF THIS DEATH RAILWAY....

SLIDE #2: COLOUR MAP OF REGION

BACKGROUND HISTORY:

06 DECEMBER, 1941: U.S. PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT MAKES A FINAL PLEA FOR PEACE TO THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN. THERE IS NO REPLY.

07 DECEMBER, 1941: JAPANESE AIRCRAFT LAUNCH A SURPRISE ATTACK ON AMERICAN NAVAL FORCES AT PEARL HARBOUR IN HAWAII.

THE REPORTED LOSSES ARE SEVERE:-
8 AMERICAN BATTLESHIPS, 3 DESTROYERS, & 3 CRUISERS ARE DESTROYED, WITH 2'344 KILLED, 876 WOUNDED AND 966 MISSING.

08 DECEMBER, 1941: THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR ON JAPAN. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER, WINSTON CHURCHILL INFORMS HIS PARLIAMENT THAT BRITAIN IS NOW ALSO AT WAR WITH JAPAN.

DURING THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED DURING DECEMBER, 1941, THE JAPANESE ARMY MOVED FAST, INVADING COUNTRY AFTER COUNTRY IN THE SOUTHEAST ASIA REGION.

10 DECEMBER, 1941: AFTER THE JAPANESE ARMY INVADED THAILAND FROM CAMBODIA AND THE GULF OF THAILAND, CHURCHILL SENDS TWO BRITISH BATTLESHIPS, "PRINCE OF WALES" AND "REPULSE", SAILING FROM SINGAPORE TO CONFRONT THE JAPANESE.... BOTH SHIPS WERE SUNK WITHIN TWO HOURS BY AN ENEMY AIRSTRIKE. IN A MATTER OF WEEKS, BURMA ALSO FALLS INTO THE HANDS OF THE JAPANESE, DRIVING OUT THE BRITISH, AMERICAN, CHINESE AND BURMESE TROOPS, FORCING THEM TO RETREAT INTO INDIA.

15 FEBRUARY 1942: SINGAPORE FALLS TO THE JAPANESE, AMIDST HEAVY FIGHTING, WITH SIGNIFICANT CASUALTIES AMONG THE BRITISH, AUSTRALIAN, INDIAN, AND LOCAL TROOPS.

SLIDE #3: SINGAPORE ATTACK

A BRITISH FORCE OF ALMOST 85,000 MEN SURRENDERED TO ABOUT 25,000 JAPANESE VETERANS. CHURCHILL CALLED THE FALL OF SINGAPORE, A CRUSHING MILITARY DEFEAT, BUT FOR THE JAPANESE IT WAS A GREAT VICTORY. NOT ONLY HAD THEY CAPTURED A MASSIVE WORK FORCE, BUT ALSO INVALUABLE EQUIPMENT AND MACHINERY, INCLUDING MORE THAN 300 LOCOMOTIVES, THOUSANDS OF BOGEY WHEEL UNITS, AND ENOUGH RAILWAY TRACKS TO COVER HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS.

THE JAPANESE HIGH COMMAND WAS FORCED TO ACCEPT THAT THE ENEMY STILL HELD THE UPPER HAND AT SEA IN THE REGION, AND SO THEY DECIDED TO LAUNCH AN EXTENSIVE RAILWAY ROUTE INSTEAD.

BEGINNING AT SINGAPORE, THEY COULD CONNECT THROUGH THAILAND TO BURMA, BRINGING VITAL SUPPLIES TO THE WARFRONT, AND EXTEND THE RAILWAY INTO INDIA, GIVING THEM THE SUPERIORITY OVER THE WHOLE REGION.

SLIDE #4: THE TRUE STORY OF BRIDGE ON RIVER KWAI

THE FIRST BATCH OF ALLIED PRISONERS WERE SENT FROM CHANGI PRISON IN SINGAPORE TO THAILAND ON 19 JUNE, 1942. THE JAPANESE HAD ASKED THE PRISONERS TO VOLUNTEER TO GO NORTH, WHERE THEY WOULD ENJOY BETTER CAMPS AND LIVING CONDITIONS, HOW THEY LIED!

SLIDE #5: THE RAILWAY ROUTE: SINGAPORE TO NONG PLADUK.
SLIDE #6: PRISONERS IN STEEL WAGONS.. NO WINDOWS/TOILETS

THE PRISONERS WERE TRANSPORTED IN METAL RAILWAY TRUCKS THAT WERE NORMALLY USED FOR THE TRANSPORT OF RICE. THERE WERE NO WINDOWS, THE HEAT WAS INTENSE, AND THERE WERE NO SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THEM. 32 MEN WERE SQUEEZED INTO EACH TRUCK, AND THEY HAD TO STAND ALL THE WAY, ALLOWING THE MEN TO TAKE TURNS TO LIE DOWN ONLY OCCASIONALLY ALONG THE ROUTE. THE TRIP FROM SINGAPORE TOOK 5 DAYS TO REACH BAN PONG STATION, ABOUT 5 KILOMETERS FROM NONG PLADUK, THE STARTING POINT FOR THE THAILAND - BURMA RAILWAY. THEN THEY WALKED TO NEARBY CAMPS ALONG THE ROUTE, OR WERE TRANSPORTED BY TRUCKS.

HOWEVER, MEN OF "F" FORCE WERE FORCED TO WALK 300 KILOMETERS THROUGH ALMOST IMPENETRABLE JUNGLE OVER A PERIOD OF 20 DAYS. MOST FORCED MARCHES TOOK PLACE AT NIGHT TO AVOID THE EXTREME DAYTIME TEMPERATURES.

THE ONE METRE GAUGE RAILWAY LINE FOLLOWED THE SAME ROUTE THAT HAD BEEN SURVEYED BY BRITISH ENGINEERS BACK IN 1903, BUT THE PLAN WAS ABANDONED DUE TO THE ESTIMATED HIGH COST IN LIVES, TRYING TO BUILD THAT LINE. BUT THE JAPANESE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THE COST IN HUMAN LIVES, OR THE DEATHS AND SUFFERING!

THE JAPANESE PLAN GOT OFF TO A BAD START WHEN THE COMMANDER OF THE 9 RAILWAY REGIMENT, LT-GEN SHIMADA NOBUO, AND 11 OTHER SENIOR OFFICERS WERE KILLED IN A PLANE CRASH, WHILE FLYING OVER THE MOUNTENOUS TERRAIN NEAR THE THREE PAGODA PASS. THIS ACCIDENT WAS TO HAVE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES FOR BOTH THE JAPANESE PLANS AND THE HAPLESS PRISONERS OF WAR, WHO WERE TO PAY WITH THEIR LIVES FOR THE MANY MISCALCULATIONS MADE BY INEXPERIENCED AND JUNIOR JAPANESE ARMY OFFICERS, USING AN OLD 19TH CENTURY MAP, AND FREQUENT GUESSWORK.

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS "DEATH RAILWAY" EMPLOYED THE ALLIED PRISONERS FROM GREAT BRITAIN, AUSTRALIA, AMERICA, CANADA, HOLLAND AND NEW ZEALAND. THERE WERE ALSO ABOUT 200,000 ASIAN SLAVE WORKERS THAT HAD BEEN ROUNDED UP BY THE JAPANESE FROM BURMA, INDONESIA, INDIA, MALAYSIA, AND VIETNAM

THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT IN INDOCHINA CAME TO A "DIPLOMATIC UNDERSTANDING" WITH THE JAPANESE INVADERS, AND SO THEIR PEOPLE WERE SPARED THE HORROR OF WORKING ON THE "DEATH RAILWAY".

A TYPICAL DAY IN A DEATH RAILWAY P.O.W. CAMP:

THE ROLL CALL BEGAN THE PREVIOUS DAY, WHEN THE PRISONERS RETURNED FROM WORK AT THE END OF THEIR DAY. THE NUMBERS COUNTED WERE EXPECTED TO BE AVAILABLE AGAIN ON THE NEXT DAY, IGNORING THOSE WHO MAY HAVE INJURED THEMSELVES, OR WHO WERE SERIOUSLY SICK.

SLIDE #7: ROLL CALL EVERY MORNING

THE ORDERLY WHO PRESENTED THE JAP WITH HIS SICK LIST WAS ALWAYS BEATEN UP IN A SHOW OF JAP RAGE. THE POOR SICK INDIVIDUALS WERE THEN DRAGGED FROM THE SO-CALLED HOSPITAL, AND FORCED TO RETURN TO WORK ON THE RAILWAY. SOMETIMES, THOSE WHO HAD BEEN FORCED TO WORK, DESPITE THEIR SICKNESS, WERE CARRIED BACK TO CAMP ON SACK STRETCHERS, HAVING DIED DURING THE DAY. IF YOU COULD WALK, YOU HAD TO WORK, IF NOT, YOU WENT HUNGRY AS THE JAPS REFUSED TO FEED YOU IF YOU WERE SICK.

THE CAMP ORDERLIES SHOULD BE ACCORDED A VERY SPECIAL HONOUR, BECAUSE WHENEVER THEY TRIED TO PROTECT THEIR SICK COLLEAGUES THEY WERE ALWAYS BEATEN UP BY THE JAPS, OFTEN SUFFERING PAIN AND BRUISES FOR SEVERAL DAYS AT A TIME. THEY WERE BRAVE MEN!

SLIDE #8: MARCHING OFF TO WORK:

AFTER THE MORNING ROLL CALL, THE PRISONERS RECEIVED A LIMITED RATION OF RICE PORRIDGE AND TEA. THEN THE PRISONERS WERE MARCHED TO THE WORK SITES TO DIG, SCRAPE OR CARRY ROCKS AND EXCAVATE THE EARTH FOR THE LAYING OF THE RAILWAY TRACK. OTHER MEN WERE ENGAGED WITH THE CARRYING OF HEAVY LOGS, WITH WHICH TO BUILD TRESTLE BRIDGES. AMONG SEVERAL PROJECTS WAS THE VERY AMBITIOUS TASK OF BUILDING THE LEGENDARY BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER KWAI.. HUNDREDS OF MEN TOILED FOR MANY MONTHS TO BUILD THE BRIDGE THAT BECAME AN ICON OF THEIR SUFFERING.

SLIDE #9: THE RATION OF RICE:

SLIDE #10: BACK TO WORK:

SLIDE #11: RAIL MAP: NONG PLADUK TO BURMA:
THE RAILWAY LINE WOULD COMMENCE FROM NONG PLADUK PASSING THROUGH KANCHANABURI, AND CROSSING THE KWAE YAI RIVER, WHERE IT WOULD CONTINUE ALONG THE KWAE NOI RIVER TO THE BURMESE BORDER. THE BUILDING OF THE RAILWAY LINE WOULD ALSO COMMENCE SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM THE AREA OF THE THREE PAGODAS PASS, TO LINK WITH THE LINE FROM THE SOUTH.

SLIDE #12: ROUGH TERRAIN AND JUNGLE:

THE ROUTE WOULD FOLLOW HUNDREDS OF KILOMETERS, THROUGH JUNGLE-COVERED MOUNTAINS, NEEDING THE CONSTRUCTION OF MORE THAN 300 BRIDGES AND TRESTLES, AS WELL AS MAJOR ROCK CUTTINGS.

SLIDE #13: CARRYING LOGS TO THE BRIDGE:

WITHIN DAYS, THE TOLL IN SUFFERING AND DEATH BEGAN TO RISE. THE PHYSICAL EFFORT REQUIRED WAS MORE THAN MOST MEN COULD DELIVER ON THEIR RATION OF A SMALL BOWL OF RICE EACH DAY.

PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION, BRUTAL BEATINGS FROM THEIR JAPANESE CAPTORS, VARIOUS TROPICAL DISEASES, AND EVEN VENOMOUS SNAKE BITES ALL CLAIMED THEIR VICTIMS.

CORPORAL TREVOR DAKIN OF THE 5TH BATTALION BEDFORDSHIRE & HERTFORDSHIRE REGIMENT WROTE OF HIS EXPERIENCES, "I WAS SURROUNDED BY SO MUCH DEATH AND SUFFERING. THIS WAS WHEN I LEARNED TO WORSHIP "LIFE". I LEARNED TO TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME. I COULDN'T AFFORD TO THINK ABOUT YESTERDAY OR TOMORROW, ONLY WHAT WAS HAPPENNING TODAY. LIFE SEEMED SO CHEAP TO THE JAPANESE, AND THEY DIDN'T HESITATE TO WASTE THE LIFE OF OTHERS."

AND SO BEGAN THE TOIL ON THE RAILWAY OF DEATH.

OF THE 68,000 ALLIED PRISONERS, WHO WORKED ON THE RAILWAY, 16,000 DIED, WHILE OF THE ESTIMATED 200,000 ASIAN SLAVE WORKERS ABOUT 100,000 ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE PERISHED

THE SUDDEN OUTBREAK OF CHOLERA, DURING JUNE, 1943, BROUGHT THE CHILL OF DEATH MUCH CLOSER TO EVERY PRISONER. IT SWEPT THROUGH THE CAMPS, CLAIMING VICTIMS THAT WERE WELL IN THE MORNING, AND WHO HAD DIED BY 10 PM THAT SAME EVENING. THE JAPS KEPT WELL AWAY FROM THE CAMPS, AND ORDERED THE BODIES OF THE DEAD TO BE BURNED TO CURTAIL THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE.

SLIDE #14: CARRYING THE DEAD FROM THE CAMPS TO THE FUNERAL PYRES:

EVERY MORNING AN INSPECTION WAS HELD AMONGST THOSE MEN WHO APPEARED TO BE "SLEEPING" BUT WHO HAD DIED OVER-NIGHT. THEIR BODIES WERE CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS TO THE FUNERAL PYRES, WHICH WERE KEPT BURNING AROUND THE CLOCK, 24 HOURS EVERYDAY.

SOMEONE WOULD ASK AFTER A FRIEND, AND BE TOLD, "HE'S HAD IT, PACKED UP LAST NIGHT." SOMEONE WOULD MUTTER, "LUCKY BASTARD, NOW, HE'S OUT OF IT !"

ALTHOUGH THE MEDICAL STAFF HAD FEW DRUGS, THEY WERE AMAZING IN THEIR EFFORTS TO HELP THE SUFFERING. EVEN BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS WERE POSSIBLE, USING THE TUBES FRON A DOCTOR'S STETHOSCOPE, AND THIN BAMBOO "NEEDLES" TO CONNECT A BLOOD DONOR TO A PATIENT.

SOME DENTISTS WERE ALSO INVOLVED WITH DENTAL TREATMENTS, OFTEN HELPING THEIR JAP CAPTORS, BUT MAKING THEM PAY WITH DRUGS TO HELP THE OTHER ALLIED PATIENTS. BROKEN JAWS WERE ALSO FREQUENT TREATED AS A RESULT OF HITS BY JAPANESE RIFLE BUTTS

THE PHYSCIAL EFFORT OF THE DAILY WORK ROUTINE WAS EXHAUSTING. SOME MEN WERE LITERALLY WORKED TO DEATH, AMIDST SAVAGE BEATINGS, WHILE OVER 70 MEN WERE ACTUALLY BEATEN TO DEATH!

SLIDE #15: BUT THE WORK CONTINUED

ONE MIGHT BE EXCUSED FROM THINKING THAT FOR THESE TORTURED MEN, THE FIGHTING WAS ALL OVER. FAR FROM IT.. IT WAS A NEW BATTLE. NOT FOUGHT WITH SHIPS OR AIRCRAFT, NOT EVEN TANKS AND MORTARS, NOT WITH GRANADES, OR RIFLES AND BAYONETS NO, THIS HAD BECOME A PERSONAL BATTLE OF WITS, AND SURVIVAL. EACH MAN FIGHTING A SOLITARY BATTLE TO SURVIVE THE HORRENDOUS ODDS AGAINST HIMSELF. HE WOULD HAVE TO PACE HIMSELF IN A RACE, LIKE A LONG-DISTANCE MARATHON RUNNER, DOING WHAT HE HAD TO DO, BUT CONSERVING HIS RESERVES TO EVENTUALLY FINISH THE RACE.

SLIDE #16: THE BRIDGE STARTS TO TAKE SHAPE:

SLIDE #17 BACK-BREAKING WORK CONTINUES..

IF ANYBODY PAUSED EVEN FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE OF THEIR EXHAUSTION OR THE PAIN THAT RACKED THEIR BODIES, THEY WERE BEATEN MERCILESSLY, AND THEY SOMEHOW STAGGERED ON WITH THE WORK TO AVOID THE GREATER PAIN OF THE BEATINGS.

THE PRISONERS WERE ALLOWED A MID-DAY BREAK OF ABOUT ONE HOUR, DURING WHICH THEY LINED UP FOR A SMALL RATION OF FOOD.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY WERE MARCHED BACK TO CAMP, IF TIME PERMITTED, THE CHAPS WASHED IN THE RIVER. DINNER WAS A MEAGRE RATION OF RICE, AND SOMETIMES THIN VEGETABLE STEW. FINALLY THE EXHAUSTED MEN WOULD COLLAPSE ON THEIR SLEEPING MATS.

SLIDE 1418: THE SLEEPING MATS IN CAMP:

AT FIRST, IF THE PAINS IN YOUR BODY DIDN'T KEEP YOU AWAKE, THEN THE BLOOD-SEEKING MOSQUITOES WERE ALL OVER YOU. EVENTUALLY THE CHAPS PASSED OUT FROM TOTAL FATIGUE, WHILE MANY CONTRACTED VARIOUS FORMS OF MALARIA.

IN ADDITION TO THE OFFICIAL MEAGRE RATIONS, SOME RELIEF WAS PROVIDED BY TRADERS IN THEIR SAMPANS, SAILING UP THE RIVER IN THE KANCHANABURI REGION. THE MOST POPULAR ITEM THEY SOLD WAS DUCK EGGS, WHICH PROVIDED A RICH SOURCE OF PROTEIN TO THE WEAK PRISONERS. THERE SEEMED TO BE AN ABUNDANCE OF DUCK EGGS IN THAILAND, AND SO UNWITTINGLY, THE DUCKS PROBABLY SAVED THE LIVES OF MANY PRISONERS WORKING ON THE DEATH RAILWAY.

THE DUCK EGGS AND PEANUTS WERE ACTUALLY BOUGHT BY THE PRISONERS. NOW, THIS WAS A STRANGE PHENOMENA, THAT THE JAPS ACTUALLY PAID THE PRISONERS FOR THEIR WORK. SICK PRISONERS RECEIVED NO PAY. OFFICERS RECEIVED ABOUT 35 SHILLINGS A MONTH. WARRANT OFFICERS ABOUT 20 SHILLINGS A MONTH, AND OTHER RANKS BETWEEN 10 TO 15 SHILLINGS A MONTH. THIS WAS PAID FAIRLY REGULARLY AND HONESTLY, WHICH IS A STRANGE QUIRK OF THE JAPS CONSIDERING THEIR NEGLECT IN SO MANY OTHER MATTERS.

SLIDE 1419: SECRET CRYSTAL SET RADIO:

THE GREATEST BOOST TO MORALE WERE CUNNINGLY MADE CRYSTAL SET RADIOS, BUILT BY BRAVE MEN, AT THE RISK OF THEIR LIVES. MEN WHO LIKED THE CHALLENGE OF INNOVATION, PROBABLY SOME GUYS LIKE A CERTAIN COLIN DEAN IN OUR AUDIENCE HERE TONIGHT! WHEN IT WAS SAFE, THE SECRET RADIOS WERE UNEARTHED AND TUNED- IN TO HEAR ANY NEWS FROM NEARBY BROADCASTING STATIONS:-

THE WEATHER WAS ALWAYS AN ENEMY, WITH THE SWELTERING HEAT, OF BOTH DAY AND NIGHT. MALNUTRITION OPENED THE DOORS TO MANY DISEASES LIKE DYSENTERY, FEVERS, AND THE DREADED CHOLERA.

THE MONSOON RAINS BROUGHT MORE MISERY, WITH NEVER-ENDING RAIN TURNING THE DUST INTO POOLS OF SLIMY MUD. THE WETNESS CAUSED CLOTHING AND THE SACKING OF SHELTERS TO ROT, WHILE THE PRIMITIVE SHOES ALSO FELL APART. BUT STILL THE WORK CONTINUED!

THERE WAS AT LEAST SOME RELIEF FROM ALL THE HARD LABOUR. FROM TIME TO TIME, PARTICULARLY DURING SUNDAYS, THE PRISONERS WOULD ARRANGE CONCERTS TO ENTERTAIN THEMSELVES, AND THEIR JAPANESE CAPTORS AS WELL. MUCH INNOVATION WAS CREATED FOR COSTUMES, SETS, AND EVEN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. THIS WAS ALSO A GREAT MORALE BOOSTER, WHICH THE JAPS ENJOYED, & EVEN ENCOURAGED!

ONLY DURING JANUARY, 1943, DID IT BECOME APPARENT THAT DUE TO THE INEXPERIENCE OF THE SO-CALLED JAPANESE ENGINEERS, THAT THE CONSTRUCTION PARTIES WORKING FROM OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE RAILWAY LINE, WOULD MISS LINKING UP WITH EACH OTHER BY MORE THAN ONE KILOMETER!

FINALLY, ON 17 OCTOBER, 1943, THE RAILWAY LINE WAS JOINED AT KONKUITA, ABOUT 18 KM SOUTH OF THE THREE PAGODA PASS. THE WORK WAS HALTED LONG ENOUGH FOR A FILM CREW TO FILM THE EVENT OF DRIVING IN THE LAST SPIKE ON THE TRACK. APPARENTLY, THE GOLDEN SPIKE WAS STOLEN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS - BY AN AUSTRALIAN! THE RAILWAY LINE OF 415 KM, HAD BEEN COMPLETED IN THE RECORD TIME OF 17 MONTHS, TWO MONTHS BEHIND SCHEDULE DUE TO THE MISTAKE IN SURVEYING WHERE THE TRACKS SHOULD LINK TOGETHER.

THE BRIDGES OVER THE RIVER KWAI:

NOT ONE, BUT ACTUALLY TWO BRIDGES. THE ORIGINAL BRIDGE WAS BUILT OF WOOD, AND WAS COMPLETED IN FEBRUARY, 1943.

THE SECOND BRIDGE WAS PLUNDERED BY THE JAPANESE FROM AN OIL FIELD IN JAVA, AND WAS BUILT ON CONCRETE PILLARS, WHICH THEN SUPPORTED THE 11 SPANS OF STEEL GIRDERS AND RAILINGS. THIS SECOND BRIDGE WAS COMPLETED IN APRIL, 1943.

THESE BRIDGES BECAME THE TARGET FOR ALLIED BOMBING RAIDS, AND WERE EVENTUALLY TEMPORARILY DAMAGED DURING FEBRUARY, 1945 FURTHER BOMBINGS TOOK PLACE BETWEEN APRIL AND JUNE, 1945.

SADLY, DURING A BOMBING RAID ON 29 NOVEMBER, 1944, 3 BOMBS OVER CARRIED AND HIT THE NEARBY POW CAMP, KILLING 19 AND WOUNDING ANOTHER 68 INHABITANTS. EVENTUALLY THE JAPS MOVED THESE CAMPS AWAY FROM THE RISKY ENVIRONMENT OF THE BRIDGES.

SLIDE #20: B24, ROYAL AIRFORCE LIBERATOR BOMBER
SLIDE #21:THE DAMAGED BRIDGES:

ALLIED PRISONERS WERE FORCED TO REPAIR THESE BRIDGES. HOWEVER THE WOODEN BRIDGE WAS HIT AGAIN DURING APRIL, AND THE STEEL BRIDGE AGAIN IN JUNE, 1945. BY THEN THE JAPAN SUPPLY ROUTE TO BURMA WAS BEING HAMPERED BY THE DAMAGE TO THESE BRIDGES.

SLIDE #22 TO 30: THE FAMOUS BRIDGE STILL USED TODAY:

THIS FAMOUS BRIDGE IS STILL BEING USED TODAY FOR LOCAL TRAINS.

SLIDE #31 TO 33: THE RIVER KWAI FLOWS SWIFTLY DOWNSTREAM:

SLIDE #34 TO 36: FINAL VIEWS OF TRACK & RAILWAY LINE:

AS THE WAR PROGRESSED, THE JAPS DECIDED THAT THE PRISONERS AT ONE OF THE BIG CAMPS, SHOULD DIG A LARGE SWIMMING POOL, AS A REWARD FOR THEIR HARD WORK, AND AT WHICH THEY COULD ENJOY SOME RELAXATION. THIS WOULD HELP THEM FORGET THE HARDSHIPS.

ONLY AFTERWARDS WAS THE TRUTH REVEALED. THE "SWIMMING POOL" WAS GOING TO BE USED AS A MASS GRAVE WHEN THEY WOULD EXECUTE ALL THE PRISONERS, IN THE EVENT OF ALLIED INVASION.!

SLIDE #37: THE HELLFIRE PASS MEMORIAL:
SLIDE #38: DENSE THICK JUNGLE TERRAIN:

HELLFIRE PASS:
THE ROUTING OF THE RAILWAY LINE OFTEN HAD TO BE CUT THROUGH SOLID ROCK. AT AN INFAMOUS PLACE TO BE KNOWN AS "HELL FIRE PASS", THE AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS HAD TO CUT THROUGH TWO SECTIONS OF ROCKFACE. ONE SECTION WAS 500 METRES LONG, BY 8 METRES HIGH, AND LINKED TO ANOTHER SECTION THAT WAS OVER 80 METRES LONG AND OVER 26 METRES HIGH.

UNLIKE THE RESTRICTED PHOTOGRAPH POLICY AT THE RAILWAY MUSEUM, THE HELL FIRE PASS MUSEUM IS MANAGED BY AUSTRALIANS, AND PHOTOGRAPHY IS PERMITTED. I HAVE TRIED TO CAPTURE SOME OF THE EVENTS DURING THE LIFE OF PRISONERS AT THE HELL FIRE PASS!.

WHEN THE JAPANESE WERE UNDER PRESSURE TO CATCH UP WITH THE SCHEDULE FOR OPENING THE RAILWAY, THEY MADE THE LIVES OF THEIR PRISONERS EVEN MORE MISERABLE WITH THEIR "SPEEDO" DRIVE, TO INCREASE THE WORK OUTPUT EVERYDAY.

WORKING BY DAY HAD BEEN TOUGH, BUT NOW WITH "SPEEDO" EFFORT, THEY WERE FORCED TO WORK BY NIGHT AS WELL, TO CATCH UP..

THE HELL FIRE PASS RECEIVED ITS NAME DUE, TO THE TORMENT AND BEATINGS OF PRISONERS WORKING AMONGST SMOKING OIL LAMPS AND WHILE VIEWED FROM ABOVE, LOOKED SO MUCH LIKE A SCENE WITHIN THE JAWS OF HELL ITSELF!

SLIDE #39: THE HELLFIRE OF WORKING AT NIGHT:

SLIDE #40 TO 41: WORKING ON THE CUTTING:
SLIDE #42: PERSECUTED WHILE WORKING:
SLIDE #43: THE WORK CONTINUES.
SLIDE #44: THE TOOLS FOR THE JOB:
SLIDE #45: THE TYPE OF NAILS USED:
SLIDE #46: MORE PERSECUTION:

SLIDE #47: A SYMBOL OF REFLECTION ON THE HARDSHIPS:

THIS HELL FIRE PASS HAS BECOME A SANCTUARY TO THE MEMORY OF OVER 400 AUSTRALIANS WHO DIED WORKING AT THE HELL FIRE PASS.

SLIDE #48: THE CEMETERY AT KANCHANABURI:

THE CEMETERY AT KANCHANABURI: THE FINAL RESTING PLACE:

SLIDE #49: A PIECE OF LAND DEDICATED TO THEIR MEMORY!

SLIDE #50: A SYMBOL OF A CROSS OF HOPE & SWORD OF AFFLICTION:

SLIDE #51 TO 60: SCENES OF THE CEMETERY:

THERE IS A RAILWAY MUSEUM OVERLOOKING THE CEMETERY, WHERE 7,000 PRISONERS OF WAR HAVE BEEN BURIED. THE MUSEUM RECORDS THE HARDSHIP OF THE PRISONERS WHO WERE FORCED TO BUILD THESE IMPORTANT BRIDGES AT KANCHANABURI..

HOWEVER, ANY PHOTOGRAPHS WITHIN THIS MUSEUM ARE STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. THIS POLICY IS REGRETTABLE, AND DOES NOT ALLOW ANYBODY TO COMMUNICATE BEYOND THOSE WALLS, OR DESCRIBE THE HORRORS THAT HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN THE MUSEUM.

SLIDE #61: ANOTHER MEMORIAL @ HELLFIRE PASS:

SLIDE #62: TREES NOW GROWING IN THE OLD CUTTING:

SLIDE #63 TO 69: THE CUTTING AS IT IS TODAY....

(6X SLIDES) FINALLY WHEN THE RAILWAY LINK BETWEEN BANGKOK AND BURMA WAS COMPLETED, THE PRISONERS WERE SPLIT INTO 3 GROUPS. THE FITTEST WERE SENT BY SEA ON SLOW MERCHANT SHIPS TO JAPAN, TO WORK IN THE COAL MINES THERE. SADLY OF THE 10,000 MEN CHOSEN, ABOUT 3,000 DIED AT SEA AFTER THE JAPANESE SHIPS CARRYING THEM WERE TORPEDOED BY BRITISH & U.S. SUBMARINES.

THE SECOND GROUP STAYED ON AS MAINTENANCE CREW FOR THE RAILWAY, AND MANY DIED IN ALLIED BOMB ATTACKS ON THE BRIDGES.

BECAUSE OF ILL HEALTH, THE THIRD GROUP WERE SENT BACK TO CHANGI PRISON IN SINGAPORE.

SO WHERE DOES ALL THIS MISERY, SUFFERING AND DEATH LEAVE US IN THE ENLIGHTENED AGE OF THIS NEW CENTURY. TO ME IT SPEAKS OF THE INDOMINITABLE HUMAN SPIRIT. A SPIRIT THAT MARCHES ON THROUGH THICK AND THIN, GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES, AND REFUSES TO GIVE UP.

THERE WAS A POPULAR SAYING, AMONG THESE PRISONERS, IT GOES SOMETHING LIKE THIS, "WHEN YOU GO HOME, TELL THEM OF US, AND SAY, THAT WE GAVE OUR TOMORROW, FOR YOUR TODAY!"

THERE IS A FINAL MESSAGE WITH ALL OF THIS:
SLIDE #70: AT THE END, ALL THAT REALLY MATTERS ... LOVE!

WHAT IS THIS ENDURING QUALITY ... THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE! WHAT IS LOVE? : THE GREATEST DEFINITION OF LOVE: "LOVE IS PATIENT, LOVE IS KIND, IT DOES NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD, IT IS NOT RUDE, IT IS NOT SELF-SEEKING, IT IS NOT EASILY ANGERED, IT KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS, LOVE DOES NOT DELIGHT IN EVIL, BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH. IT ALWAYS PROTECTS, ALWAYS TRUSTS, ALWAYS HOPES, ALWAYS PERSEVERES, LOVE NEVER FAILS ... NOW WE SEE BUT A POOR REFLECTION AS IN A MIRROR, BUT THEN, WE SHALL SEE FACE TO FACE. NOW I KNOW IN PART, BUT THEN I SHALL KNOW FULLY, EVEN AS I AM KNOWN. AND NOW THESE THREE REMAIN, FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE, BUT THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE! 1 COR 13: 4-13.

TONIGHT, WE HAVE REMEMBERED THESE SPECIAL PEOPLE, WHO BUILT A RAILWAY AS A MONUMENT, TO THEIR SUFFEPJNG AND BRAVERY! THE MEN WHO WORKED ON THE DEATH RAILWAY! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!

SLIDE #71: THE END!

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