The plaque is located near the ticket box and
telephone booth at the quiet little railway station at Nam Tok. The
station is located approximately 2km from the original main P.O.W. camp
and hospital.
In 1942 Nam Tok was a base camp on the Burma-Thailand Railway. It soon
became a large hospital for thousands of sick and dying prisoners
brought fromdistant northern labour camps further along the line.
British, Australian and Dutch doctors used the most primitive and
improvised equipment and medicines. They fought to save the lives of
thousands of starved, overworked and exhausted Asian labourers and
Prisoners of War. Local Thais, including those in the Free Thailand
Organization, risked their lives to smuggle medicines, equipment and
food past Japanese and Korean guards and thus saved many lives.
At Wang Pho (Wampo) today the railway clings to the cliff face above the
Kwai Noi River as it passes over the longest viaduct of the railway.
This viaduct was rapidly constructed during March and April 1943 and
cost the lives of hundreds of POW's.
| |
TOTAL |
DEATHS |
| Asian Labourers |
2000,000 +/- |
80,000+/- |
| British P.O.W. |
30,000 |
6,540 |
| Dutch P.O.W. |
18,000 |
2,830 |
| Australian P.O.W. |
13,000 |
2,710 |
| American P.O.W. |
700+/- |
356 (Buried in U.S.A) |
| Japanese and Korean |
15,000 |
1,000 |
Construction time for the railway was 17 month. Period of effective use
was 21 months ending in June 1945. The railway line was dismantled by
the British after the war as it was unsafe. It was later relaid along
the section from The Bridge on the River Kwai to Nam Tok, a distance of
130kms. It is along this section that todays tourists can relive the
feelings of the war
|
