Australian in Thailand devotes life to 'Death Railway' POWs

[duckmandon]

Beattie you are a legend, the Thai Burma death railway is as important to Australian history as "Auschwitz-Birkenau" is to the Jewish community. It embodies the spirit of the fight against a tyrannical enemy and of the suffering in that fight. Australia has a proud but sad history of being great warriors in times of conflict but also of being used and abandoned by our allies. Searching for the truth about these matters is often difficult if not impossible and being able to visit and/or understand the real nature of these events and places can provide descendants with clarity and closure. Thank you, from one very grateful Aussie.

Agree with you totally. This man is a legend.

From another inspired Aussie.

[peterb0576]

Not mentioned but Thais did die at the hands of the Japanese.

The whole business with how Thailand "sat back" and let their country get invaded is a strange one. I have tried to find out more on why and what really happened. My Thai GF from Isaan has a grandfather who is 93 years old and claims he spent 3 years fighting the Japs in the Thai army.

From what I have gleaned the Thais barely fought for 3 weeks ?

There was some Thai resistance to the Japanese invasion which mostly took place down in the south but there was also an invasion through Cambodia. Soldiers died on both sides.

As for Thais dying on the railway construction - not sure on that one.

I do know the French had an agreement with the Japs that as POW's they did not undertake hard labour duties and got off a lot lighter than the Allied forces.

In 1941 the U.S. refused to help Thailand before the invasion after Churchill told the Thais that an invasion would result in Britain declaring War on Japan. The Americans disagreed and the UK was not prepeared to go it alone as they were already fighting the Germans.

Pearl Harbour took place in 1942....

The article also does not mentions Sikhs that died on the railway. Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. Other nationalities and ethnic groups working on the railway were Tamil, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and Singaporean Chinese. I doubt the conditions for them would have been any better than those of the POW's - heat Beriberi dysentry etc... The highest total is for the Romusha labourers estimated at 300,000 which were S.E. Asian "locals".

Thais did work on the railway but being in Thailand it was easy for them to "abscond" or go home basically.

another book to read on the subject is "The Forgotten Highlander".

[peterb0576]

At that time Thailand did have a resistance FTA (The Free Thai Army) which included aircraft aprrox 60,000 Thais joined. If you visit Hellfire Pass museum it explains the help given to POW's by local people. Also Wikepedis FTA

[lostoday]

In 1941 the U.S. refused to help Thailand before the invasion after Churchill told the Thais that an invasion would result in Britain declaring War on Japan. The Americans disagreed and the UK was not prepeared to go it alone as they were already fighting the Germans.

Pearl Harbour took place in 1942....

The article also does not mentions Sikhs that died on the railway. Approximately 90,000 Burmese and 75,000 Malayans worked on the railroad. Other nationalities and ethnic groups working on the railway were Tamil, Chinese, Karen, Javanese, and Singaporean Chinese. I doubt the conditions for them would have been any better than those of the POW's - heat Beriberi dysentry etc... The highest total is for the Romusha labourers estimated at 300,000 which were S.E. Asian "locals".

Thais did work on the railway but being in Thailand it was easy for them to "abscond" or go home basically.

another book to read on the subject is "The Forgotten Highlander".

I think you are confusing the Thais with the Dutch as far as Churchill declaring war on Japan but perhaps you can provide a link.

Thailand fighting war against France (Indo China) Oct 1940 See Franco Thai war. (US objected strenuously) UK reaction?

US, Netherlands and Great Britain froze Japanese assets I also think Thai assets but can't find a link. Jul 26, 1941.

July 26 1941 - U.S. Army Forces, Far East is organized under Lt. General Douglas MacArthur. Philippine military is called into service with U.S. Army. U.S. freezes Japanese and Chinese assets and suspends relations with Japan.

Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941

http://faculty.virginia.edu/setear/students/fdrneutr/38%20to%2041%20Alt.htm

[lostoday]

At that time Thailand did have a resistance FTA (The Free Thai Army) which included aircraft aprrox 60,000 Thais joined. If you visit Hellfire Pass museum it explains the help given to POW's by local people. Also Wikepedis FTA

After Thailand surrendered they were occupied by the British and Indian armies under Lord Mountbatten in 1946. The United Kingdom demanded war reparations in the form of rice shipments to Malaya, and France refused to permit admission of Thailand to the United Nations (UN) until Indochinese territories annexed during the war were returned to them. They also held war crimes trials.

If you want to know what the Thais did in WWII read "Thailand’s Secret War: The Free Thai, OSS, and SOE during World War II"

Edited August 11, 2015 by lostoday

[northernphil]

Best post for a while and thanks for all the comments. I just reached over to my bookshelf and picked up The Death railway by Rod Beattie. First time in Kanch. was 2005. We went to the Thailand-Burma Railway museum and met Sir Beattie ,wow what a lovely man. He gave us facts about the railway , sat us down and had a cup of coffee with us and 1 fact that comes to mind was ,when he opened the museum he said he would only do so if admission was one price , he rightly so didn't want Thais to pay less than visiting relatives or any ferlung. Another point when I asked him about the wars' end , he said the Japs fled into the jungle and the locals fed them the same as they did the prisoners during the war when the Thais got the chance to.

A lovely man and great to know he is a Sir and I hope to take my book The Death Railway back to him so he can re sign it A brief factual account that should prove of interest. Rod Beattie Kanchanabari Nov. 2005. ​ SIR ROD BEATTIE. Oh , I think my ex father in law has a brother buried in the cemetery , will need to pursue.

[lonewolf99]

Apologies folks I typed 1942 in my initial post for Pearl Harbour it was in 1941

[NewlyMintedThai]

A very nice private museum. Pity the guy chose to engage in dual pricing, though.