One of the last known British survivors of Bridge over the River Kwai dies aged 94

[loxley99]

As I sit, cold drink in hand, cooling by my pool in the May heat ...it is impossible to imagine the torment and suffering these prisoners went through ...I've been to Kwai ..seen the graves ..12,800 Allies died and 98,000 Asians, yet little to mark their sacrifice.

I am reading a great book 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' ..about the building of the railway and the horrors ..in it, it states that the train that the Japanese used is now displayed at the Japanese war memorial, The Yasukuni Shrine, which also has the Book of Souls, and in this book there are 1,068 Japanese who were convicted of war crimes by a post World War II court ..a number of whom carried out the atrocities on the Thai - Burma Railway.

I am pleased that there are plans for the Japanese to build a new railroad in Thailand, but don't look for any Aussie, Brit, Dutch etc to assist them this time around ...and rather than loans etc ...maybe they might like to do it as a gift to the Thai people as a token of remorse !!

[realenglish1]

great tribute to great men

[Humberstone]

The Japanese should have been made to pay much more compensation to these guys than they did, around £10,000 per man not much for 4 years work, should have been ten times that

The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman is a great movie if you have not seen it, very moving

I think many Asian's and African's are still waiting for some compensations from the British Crown but they too got nothing. They would be happy with 10000 pounds but most got nothing.

Do you have evidence that the British contravened the Geneva Convention on the treatment of POW's ? Did they ever force POW's to work as slave labor under the most appalling conditions, deliberately withhold Red Cross parcels and allow torture,starvation, summary executions and working to death? Can you provide examples please?

The Japanese ignored the Geneva Convention. Deliberately starved, tortured and worked to death POW's and enslaved laborers from occupied countries. Just prior to WW11 they committed the most appalling atrocities in their invasion of China (even Nazis stationed there wrote back to Germany expressing their shock).

Many years ago I worked with a couple of survivors from the Death Railway. Neither would talk much about it except to say the Japanese were brutal, including to their Korean underlings, who took it out on the prisoners. Removal of nails (hand and toe), beatings, being forced to kneel for long periods on the corners of stairs, extra work - all meted out to people being given next to know food and forced to work 18 hours a day. These brave men came home and tried to get on with their lives. Many having nightmares, emotionally, psychologically and physically scarred for the rest of their lives.

Have you read anything of this in any Japanese History books? Has Japan ever admitted to this, let alone apologies? Japan enjoyed far less accountability than Germany after WW11 for its criminal despicable actions.

Please respect those brave men, many who lie in Thailand, and don't try to deflect from the crimes committed by the evil Empire of the Sun.

I don't think @mobilecontent is disputing the barbarity of the Japanese but points out that the British Gov't haven't been exactly quick in paying up following their colonial adventures.

BTW - there are plenty of documented instances of the British commiting war crimes as per Hague/Geneva conventions (Boer War, Mau Mau, Malaysia, WWI, WWII, Ireland etc.).

[Jonmarleesco]

My uncle worked on the Death Railway. He survived, with only stone deafness as a reminder.

[Baerboxer]

The Japanese should have been made to pay much more compensation to these guys than they did, around £10,000 per man not much for 4 years work, should have been ten times that

The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman is a great movie if you have not seen it, very moving

I think many Asian's and African's are still waiting for some compensations from the British Crown but they too got nothing. They would be happy with 10000 pounds but most got nothing.

Do you have evidence that the British contravened the Geneva Convention on the treatment of POW's ? Did they ever force POW's to work as slave labor under the most appalling conditions, deliberately withhold Red Cross parcels and allow torture,starvation, summary executions and working to death? Can you provide examples please?

The Japanese ignored the Geneva Convention. Deliberately starved, tortured and worked to death POW's and enslaved laborers from occupied countries. Just prior to WW11 they committed the most appalling atrocities in their invasion of China (even Nazis stationed there wrote back to Germany expressing their shock).

Many years ago I worked with a couple of survivors from the Death Railway. Neither would talk much about it except to say the Japanese were brutal, including to their Korean underlings, who took it out on the prisoners. Removal of nails (hand and toe), beatings, being forced to kneel for long periods on the corners of stairs, extra work - all meted out to people being given next to know food and forced to work 18 hours a day. These brave men came home and tried to get on with their lives. Many having nightmares, emotionally, psychologically and physically scarred for the rest of their lives.

Have you read anything of this in any Japanese History books? Has Japan ever admitted to this, let alone apologies? Japan enjoyed far less accountability than Germany after WW11 for its criminal despicable actions.

Please respect those brave men, many who lie in Thailand, and don't try to deflect from the crimes committed by the evil Empire of the Sun.

I don't think @mobilecontent is disputing the barbarity of the Japanese but points out that the British Gov't haven't been exactly quick in paying up following their colonial adventures.

BTW - there are plenty of documented instances of the British commiting war crimes as per Hague/Geneva conventions (Boer War, Mau Mau, Malaysia, WWI, WWII, Ireland etc.).

And the French all over French Indo-China, their colonies in Africa; the Russians in Afghanistan; the Americans in Vietnam; the Germans in WW1 & WW2; all the allied powers in WW1 & WW2; the Belgians in the Congo; the American settlers in America; White settlers in Australia, Turks against Armenians, Croats against Serbs etc etc Or do you want to try to suggest only the British have committed war crimes? What about those Romans, very nasty bunch. How far would you like to go back?

That's before we start on terrorist organizations like IRA,ETA,PLO, Hamas, ISIS - or do you think they're exempt from laws and compensation claims?

Man's inhumanity to man.

Have some respect save your bigoted anti-British rhetoric for a more appropriate post than one honoring a man who suffered unthinkable treatment at the hands of racist barbaric scum, many of who went unpunished.

[Jonmarleesco]

The Japanese should have been made to pay much more compensation to these guys than they did, around £10,000 per man not much for 4 years work, should have been ten times that

The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman is a great movie if you have not seen it, very moving

I think many Asian's and African's are still waiting for some compensations from the British Crown but they too got nothing. They would be happy with 10000 pounds but most got nothing.

Do you have evidence that the British contravened the Geneva Convention on the treatment of POW's ? Did they ever force POW's to work as slave labor under the most appalling conditions, deliberately withhold Red Cross parcels and allow torture,starvation, summary executions and working to death? Can you provide examples please?

The Japanese ignored the Geneva Convention. Deliberately starved, tortured and worked to death POW's and enslaved laborers from occupied countries. Just prior to WW11 they committed the most appalling atrocities in their invasion of China (even Nazis stationed there wrote back to Germany expressing their shock).

Many years ago I worked with a couple of survivors from the Death Railway. Neither would talk much about it except to say the Japanese were brutal, including to their Korean underlings, who took it out on the prisoners. Removal of nails (hand and toe), beatings, being forced to kneel for long periods on the corners of stairs, extra work - all meted out to people being given next to know food and forced to work 18 hours a day. These brave men came home and tried to get on with their lives. Many having nightmares, emotionally, psychologically and physically scarred for the rest of their lives.

Have you read anything of this in any Japanese History books? Has Japan ever admitted to this, let alone apologies? Japan enjoyed far less accountability than Germany after WW11 for its criminal despicable actions.

Please respect those brave men, many who lie in Thailand, and don't try to deflect from the crimes committed by the evil Empire of the Sun.

I don't think @mobilecontent is disputing the barbarity of the Japanese but points out that the British Gov't haven't been exactly quick in paying up following their colonial adventures.

BTW - there are plenty of documented instances of the British commiting war crimes as per Hague/Geneva conventions (Boer War, Mau Mau, Malaysia, WWI, WWII, Ireland etc.).

'... there are plenty of documented instances of the British committing war crimes as per Hague/Geneva conventions (Boer War, Mau Mau, Malaysia, WWI, WWII, Ireland etc.).' Ireland? The only reference to that being a war was the IRA calling itself an army. And they meted out plenty of treatment that would qualify as a war crime.

The Mau Mau? Last I checked, they were a classic terrorist organisation.

The Boer War, WWI, WWII - I feel compelled to point out that neither I nor, I assume, you, fought in any of those wars/campaigns. Talking the talk is always easy when the walk's been walked by others.

[Kan Win]

Death Railway Woodwork of Wampo Viaduct

Wampo Viaduct with a Train

Rest in Peace to all that worked on this Railway Line.

Win

[Kan Win]

Anyone who wants a proper glimpse of Thailand should indeed visit Kanchanaburi. Go and talk to the curator of the Thailand Burma Railway Museum his name is Rod Beattie. Fascinating chap who is I think the only ferlung fireman on a steam train here. In November he takes part in the re-enactment of the train going over the bridge while bombs etc are dropping. I have been to the cemetery next to the museum on about 4 occasions, peaceful place beautifully kept ,looking at the names of those who died always brings a tear , oh and I think my ex father-in-law has a brother buried there. My ex FIL just said once about 30 years ago his brother was killed by the Japs , his house was called Lockwood , the name of his brother.

Win

[Humberstone]

@ Baerboxer. Almost every nation that goes to war commits atrocities and they should all be held to the same standards of justice, but that wasn't the point of my post. I was answering your comment specifically concerning British war crimes.

It wasn't a bigoted post, what I said can be backed up in fact and was not, as you seem to think, disrespectful.

(BTW - I am British)

[tracker1]

I can truly say I had the pleasure of having a survivor of the Thai Burma railway a John Peter Sanderson (Jack) as a member of the fullbore rifle club I was associated with and him occasionally informing members of the events that took place and the punishment dished out to these people as prisoners May they all Rest In Peace !

https://www.awm.gov.au/search/all/?query=&section%5b0%5d=people&op=Search&filter%5brcdb_id%5d=625468

[Oziex1]

After their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Allies the Japanese moved on and became an industrial giant.

What action is required to guide the other less developed Asian nations away from their slave trading ways and into a prosperous future for all their people?

[Aussieroaming]

RIP Harry,, you will never be forgotten