The Burma Railway, also known also as the Death Railway, the Thailand-Burma Railway and similar names, is a 415 km (258 mile) railway between Bangkok, Thailand and Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), built by the Empire of Japan during World War II, to support its forces in the Burma campaign. The Bridge over the River Kwai ( Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai) is a novel by Pierre Boulle, published in French in 1952 and English translation "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. Bangkok, known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (krūŋtʰêːp máhǎːnákʰɔn) or Krung Thep ( for short is the Capital, largest The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Yangon (also known as Rangoon) is the largest city and a former capital of Burma. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United

Forced labour was used in its construction. Unfree labour is a generic or collective term for those work relations especially in modern or early modern history in which people are employed against their will About 180,000 Asian labourers and 100,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) worked on the railway. The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis powers during the Second World War. Of these, around 90,000 Asian labourers and 16,000 Allied POWs died as a direct result of the project. The dead POWs included 6,318 British personnel, 2,815 Australians, 2,490 Dutch, about 356 Americans and some Canadians. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page ^[1]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Post-war 2 The people who built the Burma Railway 2.1 Conditions during construction 2.2 Cemeteries and memorials 2.3 Prominent people who helped build the line 3 Notes 4 Book references 5 Maps 6 See also 7 External links

History

A railway route between Thailand and Burma had been surveyed at the beginning of the 20th century, by the British government of Burma, but the proposed course of the line — through hilly jungle terrain divided by many rivers — was considered too difficult to complete. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

In 1942, Japanese forces invaded Burma from Thailand and conquered it from Britain. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. To maintain their forces in Burma, the Japanese had to bring supplies and troops to Burma by sea, through the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The Strait of Malacca is a narrow 805 km (500 mile stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra The Andaman Sea (မုတ္တမ moʊʔtəma̰ is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Myanmar, west of Thailand and east This route was vulnerable to attack by Allied submarines, and a different means of transport was needed. A submarine is a Watercraft that can operate independently below water as distinct from a Submersible that has only limited underwater capability The obvious alternative was a railway. The Japanese started the project in June 1942.

They intended to connect Ban Pong with Thanbyuzayat, through the Three Pagodas Pass. Ban Pong (บ้านโป่ง is a district ( Amphoe) of Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. Thanbyuzayat is a Town in the Mon State of south-east Myanmar. Three Pagodas Pass (ด่านเจดีย์สามองค์ pronounced 'Darn Chedi Sam Ong' is a pass on the Bilauktaung Mountains on the border between Thailand Construction started at the Thai end on 22 June 1942 and in Burma at roughly the same time. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Most of the construction materials for the line, including tracks and sleepers, were brought from dismantled branches of the Federated States of Malaya Railways network and from the Netherlands East Indies. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad ( KTMB) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. See http//enwikipediaorg/wiki/WikipediaFootnotes for an explanation of how to generate footnotes using the tags and the template below

On 17 October 1943, the two sections of the line met about 18 km south of the Three Pagodas Pass at Konkuita (Kaeng Khoi Tha), Sangkhla Buri district, Kanchanaburi Province). Events 539 BC - King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sangkhla Buri is a district ( Amphoe) in the Kanchanaburi Province in western Thailand. Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี is the largest of the central provinces ( changwat) of Thailand. Most of the POWs were then transferred to Japan. Those left to maintain the line still suffered from the appalling living conditions as well as Allied air raids.

The most famous portion of the railway is probably Bridge 277 over the Khwae Yai River (Thai แควใหญ่, English "big tributary"). The Khwae Yai River (แม่น้ำแควใหญ่ also known as the Si Sawat (แม่น้ำศรีสวัสดิ์ is a river in western Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States (The river was originally known as the Mae Klong and was renamed Khwae Yai in 1960. ) It was immortalized by Pierre Boulle in his book and the film based on it: The Bridge on the River Kwai. Pierre Boulle ( 20 February, 1912 – 30 January, 1994) was a French Novelist largely known for two famous works The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 World War II film based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer However, there are many who say that the movie is utterly unrealistic and does not show what the conditions and treatment of prisoners was really like. [1] The first wooden bridge over the Khwae Noi (Thai แควน้อย, English "small tributary") was finished in February 1943, followed by a concrete and steel bridge in June 1943. The Allies made several attempts to destroy the bridges, but succeeded only in damaging them in their first attempts. On 2 April 1945, AZON bomber crews from the U. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar AZON ( AZimuth ONly was one of the world's first smart bombs, deployed by the Allies and contemporary with the German Fritz X S. 458th Heavy Bombardment Group destroyed Bridge 277. After the war, two squarish central sections were made in Japan to repair the bridge, and were donated to Thailand.

Post-war

After the war the railway was in too poor a state to be used for the civil Thai railway system, and needed heavy reconstruction. On 24 June 1949, the first part from Kanchanaburi to Nong Pladuk (Thai หนองปลาดุก) was finished; on 1 April 1952, the next section up to Wang Pho (Wangpo); and finally on 1 July 1958, up to Nam Tok (Thai น้ำตก, English "waterfalls". Events 972 - Battle of Cedynia, the first documented victory of Polish forces takes place Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี is a town ( Thesaban mueang) in the west of Thailand and the capital of Kanchanaburi province Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi (น้ำตกไทรโยคน้อย lit Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States ) The portion of the railway still in use measures about 130 km. Beyond Nam Tok, the line has been abandoned. Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi (น้ำตกไทรโยคน้อย lit Steel rails have been removed for reuse in expanding the Bangsue railway yard, reinforcing the BKK-Banphachi double track, rehabilitating the track from Thung Song to Trang, and constructing both the Nong Pladuk-Suphanburi and Ban Thung Pho-Khirirat Nikhom branch lines. Bang Sue (บางซื่อ is one of the 50 districts (Khet of Bangkok, Thailand. Trang (ตรัง also Mueang Thap Thiang เมืองทับเที่ยง is the Capital of Trang Province, Thailand. Suphan Buri (สุพรรณบุรี is one of the central provinces ( changwat) of Thailand. Parts of it have been converted into a walking trail. See also Rail trail This is a list of Rail trails around the world

Since the 1990s there have been plans to rebuild the complete railway, but these plans have not yet come to fruition.

The people who built the Burma Railway

Conditions during construction

The living and working conditions on the railway were horrific. The estimated total number of civilian labourers and POWs who died during construction is about 160,000. About 25% of the POW workers died because of overwork, malnutrition, and diseases like cholera, malaria, and dysentery. Cholera, sometimes known as Asiatic cholera or epidemic cholera, is an infectious Gastroenteritis caused by the Bacterium Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe Diarrhea containing mucus and blood The death rate of the Asian civilian workers was even higher; the number who died is unknown, as the Japanese did not count them.

POWs and Asian workers were also used to build the Kra Isthmus Railway from Chumphon to Kra Buri, and the Sumatra or Palembang Railway from Pakanbaroe to Moeara.

The construction of the Burma Railway is only one of many major war crimes committed by Japan in Asia during the war. War crimes are "violations of the laws or customs of war" including but not limited to "murder the ill-treatment or deportation of civilian residents of an occupied It is regarded as a major event in the "Asian Holocaust", during which millions of civilians and POWs were killed by Japanese personnel. Japanese war crimes occurred during the period of Japanese imperialism.

Cemeteries and memorials

The graves of the people who died a brutal death were transferred from camp burial grounds and solitary sites along the railway to three war cemeteries after the war, except for Americans, who were repatriated. The main POW cemetery is in the city of Kanchanaburi, where 6,982 POWs are buried, mostly British, Australian, Dutch and Canadians. The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the main POW Cemetery associated with victims of the Burma Railway. A smaller cemetery a bit farther outside city is Chung Kai with 1,750 graves. At Thanbyuzayat in Myanmar there are some 3,800 burials of POWs who died on the northern part of the line, to Nieke. The three cemeteries are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( CWGC) is a joint governmental organisation responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the Commonwealth

There are several museums dedicated to those who lost their lives constructing the railway, the largest of which is at Hellfire Pass (north of the current terminus at Nam Tok), a cutting where the greatest number of lives were lost. Hellfire Pass is also another name for Halfaya Pass in North Africa Nam Tok Sai Yok Noi (น้ำตกไทรโยคน้อย lit There is also an Australian memorial at Hellfire Pass.

Two other museums are in Kanchanaburi, the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum (opened in March 2003), and the JEATH War Museum. Kanchanaburi (กาญจนบุรี is a town ( Thesaban mueang) in the west of Thailand and the capital of Kanchanaburi province The JEATH War Museum is one of two war museums in Thailand about the Death Railway built from 1942 to 1943 by Allied POWs under

At the Khwae bridge there is a memorial plaque and a historic locomotive is on display.

A preserved section of line is at the National Memorial Arboretum, in England. The National Memorial Arboretum ( is a major war memorial site near Alrewas, Staffordshire, England. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland

Prominent people who helped build the line

• Sir Ernest Edward "Weary" Dunlop, Australian surgeon renowned for his leadership of POWs on the railway
• Herbert James "Ringer" Edwards, Australian soldier who survived crucifixion at the hands of Japanese soldiers while working on the line
• Frank Pantridge, British physician
• Philip Toosey, Senior Allied officer at the Bridge on the River Kwai
• R.M. Hare, philosopher

Notes

Book references

• Blair, Clay, Jr. ; Joan Blair (1979). Return from the River Kwai. New York: Simon & Schuster.  
• Boulle, Pierre (1954). Bridge on the River Kwai. London: Secker & Warburg.  
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission (2000). The Burma-Siam Railway and its Cemeteries. England: Information sheet.  
• Davies, Peter N. (1991). The Man Behind the Bridge: Colonel Toosey and the River Kwai. London: Athlone Press.  
• Daws, Gavan (1994). Prisoners of the Japanese: POWs of World War II in the Pacific. New York: William Morrow & Co. .  
• Dunlop, E. E. (1986). The War Diaries of Weary Dunlop: Java and the Burma-Thailand Railway. Ringwood, Victoria, Aus: Penguin Books.  
• Gordon, Ernest (1962). Ernest Gordon ( 1917 - 16 January 2002) was the former Presbyterian dean of the chapel at Princeton University. Through the Valley of the Kwai: From Death-Camp Despair to Spiritual Triumph. New York: Harper & Bros. .  
• Gordon, Ernest (2002). Ernest Gordon ( 1917 - 16 January 2002) was the former Presbyterian dean of the chapel at Princeton University. To End all Wars. HarperCollins. ISBN 0007118481.  
• Hardie, Robert (1983). The Burma-Siam Railway: The Secret Diary of Dr. Robert Hardie, 1942-1945. London: Imperial War Museum.  
• Henderson, W. (1991). From China Burma India to the Kwai. Waco, Texas, USA: Texian Press.  
• Hornfischer, James D. (2006). Ship of Ghosts. New York: Bantam. ISBN 978-0-553-38450-5.  
• Kinvig, Clifford (1992). River Kwai Railway: The Story of the Burma-Siam Railway. London: Brassey’s. ISBN 0-08-037344-5.  
• La Forte, Robert S. (1993). Building the Death Railway: The Ordeal of American POWs in Burma. Wilmington, Delaware, USA: SR Books.  
• Latimer, Jon (2004). Burma: The Forgotten War. London: John Murray.  
• Lomax, Eric (1995). The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality and Forgiveness. New York: W. W. Norton.  
• MacArthur, Brian (2005). Surviving the Sword: Prisoners of the Japanese in the Far East, 1942-1945. New York: Random House.  
• Rees, Laurence (2001). Horror in the East: Japan and the Atrocities of World War II. Boston: Da Capo Press.  
• Reminick, Gerald (2002). Death's Railway: A Merchant Mariner on the River Kwai. Palo Alto, CA, USA: Glencannon Press.  
• Reynolds, E. Bruce (2005). Thailand's Secret War: The Free Thai, OSS, and SOE During World War II. New York: Cambridge University Press.  
• Richards, Rowley; Marcia McEwan (1989). The Survival Factor. Sydney: Kangaroo Press. ISBN 086417246X.  
• Searle, Ronald (1986). To the Kwai and Back: War Drawings. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press.  
• Teel, Horace G. (1978). Our Days Were Years: History of the "Lost Battalion," 2nd Battalion, 36th Division. Quanah, TX, USA: Nortex Press.  
• Thompson, Kyle (1994). A Thousand Cups of Rice: Surviving the Death Railway. Austin, TX, USA: Eakin Press.  
• Velmans, Loet (2003). Long Way Back to the River Kwai: Memories of World War II. New York: Arcade Publishing.  
• Webster, Donovan (2003). The Burma Road: The Epic Story of the China-Burma-India Theater in World War II. New York: Straus & Giroux.  
• Wigmore, Lionel (1957). The Japanese Thrust - Australia in the War of 1939-1945. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.  

Maps

• Death Railway Map with table of stations
• Death Railway Map showing camps

See also

• Death Railway (Spyforce Episode)

External links

• Commercial operator offering tours to Hell-Fire Pass from Bangkok
• Allied POWS under Japanese {reference only}
• 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion AIF {Reference only}
• Death Railway/death statistics {reference only}
• TourismThailand
• EAN
• Prisoner of War FX Larkin NX43393 AIF — Detailed web site with documentation and photographs relating to the POW experiences of Frank Larkin in Malaya, Singapore, Thailand and Japan. This article is about the second episode of the Australian wartime drama Spyforce.
• — Articles on the Australian medical personnel working on the railway. Also sketches by POWs.
• The Will to Live, by Len (Snowie) Baynes, a first-hand account of working on the Railway.
• Kanchanaburi War Cemetery CWGC for reference only
• Kanchanaburi Memorial CWGC for reference only
• Chungkai War Cemetery CWGC for reference only
• Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery CWGC for reference only

Coordinates: 14°02′27″N 99°30′11″E / 14.04083, 99.50306

A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system.

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