Thailand, Kanchanaburi. This is the Kanyu Cutting known as Hellfire Pass on the infamous Burma-Siam Death railway of the Second World War built more or less by Allied Prisoners of War and press ganged local people tasked with building the overland railroad route from Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand to Rangoon in Burma as part of the Imperial Japanese Army strategic plan to invade Around 1000 PoW's mostly Australian were put to work to construct the cutting. Once built over 400 men has died due to starvation and shear brutality, hence the saying "a man for every sleeper"
This is the infamous Burma-Siam Death railway of the Second World War built more or less by Allied Prisoners of War and press ganged local people tasked with building the overland railroad route from Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand to Rangoon in Burma as part of the Imperial Japanese Army strategic plan to invade A few facts about the film Bridge on the River Kwai, the film is Hollywood fantasy, The British as portrayed in the film did not co-operate or collaborate with the Japanese with building the bridge, but used every opportunity to sabotage the bridge and other structures. The tide did not go out as seen in the film as the River Kwai is not tidal. The bridge was destroyed by the Royal Airforce in June 1945 not as per film as a commando raid. The author Frenchman Pierre Boulle never visited Thailand nor the Bridge. The film was filmed in Sri Lanka not Thailand. Of 63,000 Allied PoW's serviceman over 12,000 died constructing the railway. Over 3,000 Dutch Nationals also perished. 133 American nationals known as the Lost Battalion from the sinking of the USS cruiser Houston also perished. Of the press-ganged labour force of 250,000, around 90,000 Thais died during construction. Only a handful of men escaped captivity, when caught they were executed. Around 1,000 Japanese soldiers died from natural causes. The image here at the JEATH museum is of the Kanyu [Konyu] Cutting better known as Hellfire Pass. In April 1943 around 1000 PoWs mostly Australian were put to work to construct the cutting by hand. The PoWs were brutally treated to the point of starvation, working 18 hour shifts throughout the night that the PoWs named it Hellfire Pass as the sight of emaciated men working by candlelight gave the impression of men slaving in Hell. Once constructed almost half of the 1000 men put to work had died hence the saying "A man for every sleeper" Of they that survived they too would later die elsewhere on the Burma Siam Death Railway
Size: 6000px × 4670px
Location: Kanchanaburi, Northern Thailand around 1995-6
Photo credit: © Allan Hartley / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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