Thai-Burma Railway
The Thai-Burma Railway was commissioned by the Japanese, the purpose being to supply forces in Burma. It was thought to be a better option than by sea as boats could easily be taken. They thought having two options meant they would always have back up if one was not useable. Once completed, the Japanese then wanted to advance and attack British colonies in Asia. The construction of the railway was a fast decision. Engineers advised against it and the Japanese wanted it completed very quickly. The finished railway was 145 kilometres long. It went from Nong Pladuk in Thailand to Thanbyuzayat in Burma.
The construction of the railway started in October 1942. Construction started in Burma and Thailand and both sides were joined on the 16th of October 1943. This was remarkably quick for such a large project but the Japanese had many workers and they had terrible conditions. It was estimated that the project would take 5 years to complete. Building a railway like this in only 16 months was an incredible feat.
Railway Workers
The majority of workers on the railway were men in their 20’s. Most were illiterate and uneducated. Most workers on the railway were forced to work there, being prisoners of war captured in Japan ,Singapore or Indonesia or being a Romusha. Romushu were forced labourers from places in Asia where the Japanese had large control. They came from places like Burma, India, China, Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore and Thailand. Only few chose to go and only because they were very poor and needed money to feed their family. Their pay checks, however, rarely returned home and people then realised it was not a nice palace to be.
Overall there were about 22,000 Australians, 50,000 British, 18,000 Dutch and around 250,000 Romusha. Of Australia’s workers 15,384 were captured in Singapore and were part of the 8th Division. One third died working or at the Changmai prison camp. Numbers of Romusha are only estimates since there were no records of each individual person and, unlike prisoners of war, they were never claimed by their home country. Not many of these workers were Thai as the Japanese found them hard to control and they escaped often as it was their home territory. The Chinese were enlisted in place of many Thai workers. At the end of the War just under half of the Romusha had died (estimated to be 75,000). About 14 thousand prisoners of war had died. It is said that one person died for every sleeper on the railway. Workers often had a shorter life span than average people.
Working and Living Conditions
Working conditions were terrible. Workers only had hand tools to use and they were often very ineffective in the harsh conditions. They worked through heat, cold and the monsoon of 1943. Temperatures were often above 40 degrees during the day. The railway was often bombed by Allied Forces who didn’t know they were also bombing their people. In August of 1942, just before the start of the building, prisoners of war and Romusha were forced to sign a document saying that they would not escape and if found would be executed.
An average working day for a POW (prisoner of war) was 18 hours long, with a 10 minute break every hour and one rest day each week. They had to clear at least 1 cubic metre of land, a tough job with hand tools and rough terrain. The POW’s would have to use the drill and tap method and then clear rocks with explosives. Trees had to be cut down with blunt axes. The Romusha generally had harder tasks as there were many more and they were easily replaceable.
The workers lived in huts made of bamboo and tied with string, as there were no nails available. They slept on the ground. Mildew was common in many camps in the monsoon season and attacked everything. It rotted many shoes leaving workers without proper footwear and feet susceptible to disease. Often food and supplies were limited and what was promised never came. Worker's diet consisted mainly of rice with dried fish or vegetable like potato, cabbage, sweet potato, Japanese radish or onions. A treat was yak meat. Often food would be mouldy or off by the time the workers got to it.
In the Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, the POW's diet and allowance per week was
This is 3 times less than the rice we eat today and men lost up to 30% of their body weight. We live in conditions not nearly as harsh and don't work as hard as the POWs did. It was an incredible feat to live on this.
This was, however, actually a varied and nutritious diet as compared to what Romsha and other POWs ate. As this was in Singapore before workers were transported to work on the railway this is not exactly what they would have eaten but their meals would have been similar.
As of Feburary 1942 prisoners were expected to provide all of their own food except rice. Many communal vegetable gardens were set up.
Medical Care and Disease
Medical care on the railway was limited and sterile equipment was rarely available. The POW's had war doctors but the Romusha had none. Men lost up to 30% of their body weight on the railway. This made them highly likely to get ill. Dysentery and diarrhoea were very common. These caused over a third of all deaths. Malaria caused 8% of deaths and many caught it at some point due to many mosquitoes. Cholera caused 12% of deaths and was dreaded as it spread quickly and was highly contagious. Tropical ulcers were very nasty eating into your flesh and often workers needed to scrape rotting cells off with a spoon or get their limb amputated. Both these options were extremely painful. Starvation often caused sickness such as beriberi or pellagra. These are both caused by lack of variation in food and lack of food. BeriBeri is a deficiency of vitamin B-3.
Because the Japanese wanted to get the railway done as fast as possible workers only got the day off it they were unable to work. The temperature needed for 3 days of was 103 degrees Fahrenheit, equivalent to 39.4 degrees Celsius. As healthy body temperature is about 37.5 degrees Celsius you would have to be very sick. The Japanese attitude towards sickness was that it was weak so if you were sick and died on the railway working it was looked upon as courageous but if you died in hospital it was considered weak.
The Speedo Period
The period from April 1943 to the completion of the railway in August 1943 was known as the Speedo Period. The japanese decided they wanted the railway built faster, faster than had ever been seen before. They did not worry about the loss of lifeWork hours were increased , food and rest decreased, officers became extra harsh, many many died. One POW wrote a poem about it that describes it well.
The construction of the railway started in October 1942. Construction started in Burma and Thailand and both sides were joined on the 16th of October 1943. This was remarkably quick for such a large project but the Japanese had many workers and they had terrible conditions. It was estimated that the project would take 5 years to complete. Building a railway like this in only 16 months was an incredible feat.
Railway Workers
The majority of workers on the railway were men in their 20’s. Most were illiterate and uneducated. Most workers on the railway were forced to work there, being prisoners of war captured in Japan ,Singapore or Indonesia or being a Romusha. Romushu were forced labourers from places in Asia where the Japanese had large control. They came from places like Burma, India, China, Indonesia, Malaya, Singapore and Thailand. Only few chose to go and only because they were very poor and needed money to feed their family. Their pay checks, however, rarely returned home and people then realised it was not a nice palace to be.
Overall there were about 22,000 Australians, 50,000 British, 18,000 Dutch and around 250,000 Romusha. Of Australia’s workers 15,384 were captured in Singapore and were part of the 8th Division. One third died working or at the Changmai prison camp. Numbers of Romusha are only estimates since there were no records of each individual person and, unlike prisoners of war, they were never claimed by their home country. Not many of these workers were Thai as the Japanese found them hard to control and they escaped often as it was their home territory. The Chinese were enlisted in place of many Thai workers. At the end of the War just under half of the Romusha had died (estimated to be 75,000). About 14 thousand prisoners of war had died. It is said that one person died for every sleeper on the railway. Workers often had a shorter life span than average people.
Working and Living Conditions
Working conditions were terrible. Workers only had hand tools to use and they were often very ineffective in the harsh conditions. They worked through heat, cold and the monsoon of 1943. Temperatures were often above 40 degrees during the day. The railway was often bombed by Allied Forces who didn’t know they were also bombing their people. In August of 1942, just before the start of the building, prisoners of war and Romusha were forced to sign a document saying that they would not escape and if found would be executed.
An average working day for a POW (prisoner of war) was 18 hours long, with a 10 minute break every hour and one rest day each week. They had to clear at least 1 cubic metre of land, a tough job with hand tools and rough terrain. The POW’s would have to use the drill and tap method and then clear rocks with explosives. Trees had to be cut down with blunt axes. The Romusha generally had harder tasks as there were many more and they were easily replaceable.
The workers lived in huts made of bamboo and tied with string, as there were no nails available. They slept on the ground. Mildew was common in many camps in the monsoon season and attacked everything. It rotted many shoes leaving workers without proper footwear and feet susceptible to disease. Often food and supplies were limited and what was promised never came. Worker's diet consisted mainly of rice with dried fish or vegetable like potato, cabbage, sweet potato, Japanese radish or onions. A treat was yak meat. Often food would be mouldy or off by the time the workers got to it.
In the Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, the POW's diet and allowance per week was
- 1.1023 pounds rice
- 0.11032 pounds meat
- 0.033 pounds milk
- 0.22 pounds vegetables
- 0.044 pounds sugar
- 0.011 pounds salt, tea, cooking oil
- 0.11032 pounds flour
This is 3 times less than the rice we eat today and men lost up to 30% of their body weight. We live in conditions not nearly as harsh and don't work as hard as the POWs did. It was an incredible feat to live on this.
This was, however, actually a varied and nutritious diet as compared to what Romsha and other POWs ate. As this was in Singapore before workers were transported to work on the railway this is not exactly what they would have eaten but their meals would have been similar.
As of Feburary 1942 prisoners were expected to provide all of their own food except rice. Many communal vegetable gardens were set up.
Medical Care and Disease
Medical care on the railway was limited and sterile equipment was rarely available. The POW's had war doctors but the Romusha had none. Men lost up to 30% of their body weight on the railway. This made them highly likely to get ill. Dysentery and diarrhoea were very common. These caused over a third of all deaths. Malaria caused 8% of deaths and many caught it at some point due to many mosquitoes. Cholera caused 12% of deaths and was dreaded as it spread quickly and was highly contagious. Tropical ulcers were very nasty eating into your flesh and often workers needed to scrape rotting cells off with a spoon or get their limb amputated. Both these options were extremely painful. Starvation often caused sickness such as beriberi or pellagra. These are both caused by lack of variation in food and lack of food. BeriBeri is a deficiency of vitamin B-3.
Because the Japanese wanted to get the railway done as fast as possible workers only got the day off it they were unable to work. The temperature needed for 3 days of was 103 degrees Fahrenheit, equivalent to 39.4 degrees Celsius. As healthy body temperature is about 37.5 degrees Celsius you would have to be very sick. The Japanese attitude towards sickness was that it was weak so if you were sick and died on the railway working it was looked upon as courageous but if you died in hospital it was considered weak.
The Speedo Period
The period from April 1943 to the completion of the railway in August 1943 was known as the Speedo Period. The japanese decided they wanted the railway built faster, faster than had ever been seen before. They did not worry about the loss of lifeWork hours were increased , food and rest decreased, officers became extra harsh, many many died. One POW wrote a poem about it that describes it well.
THE SPEEDO PERIOD
by R.H.Jelley Nike Nike, Siam. Oct 1943
‘Speedo! Speedo! “All men work faster”
Shouts the Japanese engineer
We just carry on at our usual pace
And make out we do not hear.
Then, in move the guards-bash!bash!
Down comes rifle butts and bamboo
The railway’s well behind schedule
Good- that’s what we’re trying to do.
Death is here, all around us
Along this thick jungle trail
We’ve dug cuttings, built embankments and bridges
And now we are laying the rail.
We work from very early morning
And toil through till noon the next day
Then wearily trudge back to our huts for some food
Before backspiking the rails that we lay.
This surely can’t go on forever
Somehow, one day it must end
We’ll either make it back to Australia
Or our belongings taken home by a friend.
But no matter what the outcome
Rest assured we’ll have done our share
To keep the Japs out of Australia
So generations can live in peace there.
by R.H.Jelley Nike Nike, Siam. Oct 1943
‘Speedo! Speedo! “All men work faster”
Shouts the Japanese engineer
We just carry on at our usual pace
And make out we do not hear.
Then, in move the guards-bash!bash!
Down comes rifle butts and bamboo
The railway’s well behind schedule
Good- that’s what we’re trying to do.
Death is here, all around us
Along this thick jungle trail
We’ve dug cuttings, built embankments and bridges
And now we are laying the rail.
We work from very early morning
And toil through till noon the next day
Then wearily trudge back to our huts for some food
Before backspiking the rails that we lay.
This surely can’t go on forever
Somehow, one day it must end
We’ll either make it back to Australia
Or our belongings taken home by a friend.
But no matter what the outcome
Rest assured we’ll have done our share
To keep the Japs out of Australia
So generations can live in peace there.
Impact of the Railway on the Thai People
Although not many Thai people were involved in the construction of the Thai Burma railway, its construction did affect many. The Government of Thailand loaned 491 million baht, this is just over 16 million dollars today. This would have left a significant budget hole for the government. The land used was taken from the Thai people and they could no longer use it.
On the other side many Thai people helped the POW’s . They smuggled in medicine, money and food. Boonpong Sirivejaphan received lots of recognition for his work and helping Weary Dunlop, an Australia prisoner of war. Weary was the doctor. Boonpong was a shop keeper who was employed by the Japanese to supply vegetable to various camps along the railway. Boonpong and his daughter, Paneen Subhawat worked closely with Weary Dunlop smuggling in life saving medicines, money and radio parts. He also cashed cheques and lent money on watches and jewellery. He kept these to be redeemed after the War. If he was found out Boonpong and his family would have been killed or tourtured. He was incredibly brave.Boonpong’s help was never known about by anyone but Dunlop until Dunlop’s 1985 ANZAC day speech when his help was revealed to the world. Boonpong Sirivejaphan has been formally recognised by Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. Australia has presented a certificate of a appreciation to his grandson for unpayable debt owned to Boonpong. A small museum is kept at his house. A movie, Quiet Lions, has been made about the friendship between Boonpong and Weary Dunlop. This is the most famous story of a Thai and POW friendship but there are many others who risked their lives to save others.
After the war
The officers treated the workers very badly. Workers were punished and kept in conditions we could barley imagine. At one point on Hellfire Pass 68 men were beaten to death. Many officers and supervisors were tried and found guilty of war crimes after the War was over. The Code of Bushido is a Japanese customs stating that a solider who is captured or surrenders is nothing. This meant that after the war many Japanese men killed themselves so they would not be caught.
The 2,646 Australians who died along the railway at now at cemeteries in Thanbyuzayat, Chung Kai and Kanchanaburi. Americans were returned home. Many Romusha are buried in unmarked mass graves scattered all along the railway.
The railway was in function for 2 years, 1944 and 1945, it was useful to the Japanese to supply their forces but it had been built at such a cost. It is estimated that for every plank a person died. It was briefly used to transport POW’s after the War but then the Burma side was torn down and many Thai parts were left to be buried in trees and some flooded. The Thai government bought it for 1.5 million dollars after the war. In was only opened in 1957 as a tourist attraction after the popular movie 'Bridge on the River Kwai'.
Although not many Thai people were involved in the construction of the Thai Burma railway, its construction did affect many. The Government of Thailand loaned 491 million baht, this is just over 16 million dollars today. This would have left a significant budget hole for the government. The land used was taken from the Thai people and they could no longer use it.
On the other side many Thai people helped the POW’s . They smuggled in medicine, money and food. Boonpong Sirivejaphan received lots of recognition for his work and helping Weary Dunlop, an Australia prisoner of war. Weary was the doctor. Boonpong was a shop keeper who was employed by the Japanese to supply vegetable to various camps along the railway. Boonpong and his daughter, Paneen Subhawat worked closely with Weary Dunlop smuggling in life saving medicines, money and radio parts. He also cashed cheques and lent money on watches and jewellery. He kept these to be redeemed after the War. If he was found out Boonpong and his family would have been killed or tourtured. He was incredibly brave.Boonpong’s help was never known about by anyone but Dunlop until Dunlop’s 1985 ANZAC day speech when his help was revealed to the world. Boonpong Sirivejaphan has been formally recognised by Australia, the UK and the Netherlands. Australia has presented a certificate of a appreciation to his grandson for unpayable debt owned to Boonpong. A small museum is kept at his house. A movie, Quiet Lions, has been made about the friendship between Boonpong and Weary Dunlop. This is the most famous story of a Thai and POW friendship but there are many others who risked their lives to save others.
After the war
The officers treated the workers very badly. Workers were punished and kept in conditions we could barley imagine. At one point on Hellfire Pass 68 men were beaten to death. Many officers and supervisors were tried and found guilty of war crimes after the War was over. The Code of Bushido is a Japanese customs stating that a solider who is captured or surrenders is nothing. This meant that after the war many Japanese men killed themselves so they would not be caught.
The 2,646 Australians who died along the railway at now at cemeteries in Thanbyuzayat, Chung Kai and Kanchanaburi. Americans were returned home. Many Romusha are buried in unmarked mass graves scattered all along the railway.
The railway was in function for 2 years, 1944 and 1945, it was useful to the Japanese to supply their forces but it had been built at such a cost. It is estimated that for every plank a person died. It was briefly used to transport POW’s after the War but then the Burma side was torn down and many Thai parts were left to be buried in trees and some flooded. The Thai government bought it for 1.5 million dollars after the war. In was only opened in 1957 as a tourist attraction after the popular movie 'Bridge on the River Kwai'.
The video above was filmed shortly after the end of World War 2. It shows the trains used, the tracks, camps, graveyards of fallen solders and the rough terrain they worked on. This is a silent film.