Death Railway
One of the sites on our itinerary around Thailand was to visit the Bridge over the river Kwai. Made famous by the film starring Alec Guinness it was a very interesting day and a poignant reminder of the suffering inflicted on so many by the Japanese. 160,000 men (service and civilian) died building the ‘Death Railway’ as it has become known. Above and below are photos of how the bridge looks today:
First, early one morning we walked across the bridge and then we travelled by train along part of the railway to Wang Po where we had lunch. Part of the railway we travelled along can be seen on the left of the photo.
We then visited the Don Rak war cemetery which, as with all war cemeteries, is kept immaculate by the War Graves Commision. The Japanese War Cemetary is immediately adjacent to the last resting place of the British and |Australian servicemen!
Later I will add a few words about the Jeath Museum and a very unusual Japanese soldier who served as a prison guard on the railway.