Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Burma-Thai Railway, Land Warfare Exhibition, Duxford Airfiels, Cambridgeshire. - Remembering FEPOW on Waymarking.com

1992 was the 50th Anniversary of the building of the Burma-Thai Railway in which some 276,700 men were involved. Of these around 200,000 were Asian labourers, 61,811 P.O.W.s (30,131 British) and 15,000 Japanese and Koreans. The attrition rate was very high and of the Asians some 80,000 died, some 12,621 P.O.W.s died (6,904 British) and 1,000 of their guards died.

The line was 416km long and ran from Nong Pladuk in Thailand, work started from here in June 1942, to Thanbyuzayat, Burma, where work started in October 1942. Along the way 14km length of bridges were constructed, 640 of timber and 8 of steel. Of these the most famous was the steel Bridge on the River Kwai - Tha Makham - "built between October 1941 and May 1942 using eleven 21m prefabricated spans plundered by the Japanese from Dutch Java." A wooden trestle bridge was also built 300m downstream and became the bridge famous through book and film. The construction time for the railway was 17 months and it was only in effective use for 21 months, until June 1945, the line was dismantled after the war. It has since been partially relaid to Nam Tok, a distance of 130km.

The plaque, sculpted by Ross J.Bastiaan, also gives details other notable sites along the route, 'cross' markers for the war cemeteries, and all the main details written in Burmese

The co-ordinates given are for the entrance to the museum.

Type of Resource: Museum Exhibit/Display Other from above - Please Specify: Memorial Date if Relevant: 01/01/1992 Relevant Position in Armed Forces: Not listed Nationality: Not listed Relevant Website: Not listed

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