We came to Kanchanburi to see what is called "The Death Railroad"

There is a lot to see here in this town that was once a story of great hardship, strife ,grief, and

death.

This is the story of a Railroad track that Japan wanted built at any cost during WW!!,

  to supply their lines

more quickly, and safely. to send ammunition to troops to expand the fight into Burma and India .

This is a 258 mile railway, More than 100,000 prisoners died during the construction of this 

railroad. About 38 prisoners of war for every 6.6 miles of track laid. For every railroad tie laid

  one POW died.


The POWs meals consisted of rice and salted vegetables served twice a day, in small portions.

They were forced to work 16 hours a day, in atrocious conditions . Many prisoners were tortured

for the smallest offenses . 

Savage beatings.being made to kneel on shape sticks while holding a boulder

for one to three hours. or being tied to a tree with barbed wire for 2-3 days without food or water.

Many Burmese , and Malay were told they would be paid to work. 

 Since work was scarce they 

agreed for awhile. But when they got there it was more of a slave than a paid worker. 

When they would no longer agree to go the Japanese said they either went or they would cut

off there heads.

When the first survey was taken it was said it would take 5 years to build this railroad.

Construction began Oct 1942 and the railroad was completed in August 1943.

After it was built 30000 Pows were kept in camps to maintain the tracks.

There was little food. and meat was scarce. When meat did come it was often spoiled with 

maggots and the Japanese would throw it in a pit and bury it.

The POWs would dig it up at night cook it and skim off the maggots.

The prisoners were skeletons walking around.

They died of beatings from the Japanese,being worked to death, 

  starvation. Beri Beri, ulcered sore, malaria, cholera, and medical neglect.

  , mostly from a lack of

vitamins and minerals.

 Major AE Saggers on June 1943 said" Never have I dreamt that I would see the day when

  human life would be held so cheaply"


One POW wrote " Mosquitoes from above lice from below."

28 men would stay in a tent that was made for 8 men.

The doctors were often beaten for caring for the patients.

Medical orderles were heroes . They would stay with the sick and care for them , even at the

risk of becoming infected themselves.

Records were kept and the Japanese were afraid to disturb the dead so the POWs would bury

records of what was going on, so that when the war was over everyone know the truth of how

  they had been mistreated.
 
Asian  200000           80000 dead +/-

British 30000            6540 dead
 
Dutch   18000           2830

Austrailian  13000       2710 dead

  
Malay 75000 prisoners   42000 dead

Burmese 90000         40000 dead
 
USA      686          356 dead +/-

Korean and Japanese soldiers 15000     1000 dead

 

This was a very hard museum to look at. No pics were allowed ( sorry)

They showed replicas of the medical facilities and what little they had to work with.

Pictures of emaciated men so thin every bone showed.

But from Japanese perspective still able to work.

Even tho that was hard. Walking the grave yard had me in tears.

As you walk the stones read 23 years old, 19 yrs old, 34 yrs old 21 yrs old

and on and on and on. So many lives cut short, in such a brutal, tortured way.

We had to leave, it was just so heart breaking. 

Many were prisoners for up to 3 to 4 years.

Tomorrow, we are taking the train on the bridge over the River Kwai thru the Hellfire pass and I

  will tell you more about this

railroad.
 
The movie " Bridge over the River Kwai" many may remember. Many think it was based on

real life , but it was fiction. 

"The Death Rail way is both a testament to man's capacity for evil and to man's unfailing

  tenacity and bravery" Scott Murray