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Remembrance Day Hellfire Pass |
Thailand 2004 |
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Our large group of 46 people met in Bangkok on Mon 8th
November and we commenced our travels together with a trip to Non Pladuk
where the Thai Burma railway began.
We were honoured to have three ex-POWs in our group, John
Parkes (from Sydney 8 Div Sigs and “F” Force), Bill Haskell
(2/3 Machine Gun Battalion Syria, Java, “Dunlop” Force and
Japan) and Don Lee (2/4 Machine Gun Battalion and “H” Force).
John traveled with his wife Vera and 5 other family members, and Don and
his wife Peggy with 5 family members.
Along the way John, Bill and Don related stories of mateship,
of Japanese brutality, some acts of kindness by Japanese, sickness, the
conditions in which they lived and worked, descriptions of the ingenious
devices created out of jungle materials and scraps used for medical purposes
or pure survival, long marches, and small miracles. Is seems disrespectful
to list these stories as headings in a single sentence. However, we all
listened avidly at the time and marveled at their courage, their strength
of spirit and their ingenuity and were thankful that they were willing
to share their experiences with us.
Angela Gunn, daughter of Dr Colin Juttner (Medical Officer
“F” Force and in the most northern POW camp Kami Songkurai),
also shared stories related by her father, and her memories of his long
association with his batman, Barnie Woodbury, that lasted well after the
war.
Glad Cowie and Gail Lubicz-Zaorski, widow and daughter
of ex POW Harold Cowie and Noel and Ann Clarke, whose father and father-in-law
was a POW (he survived having his leg amputated by Lt Col Coates in Burma)
were on their first trip to the railway. Glad and Gail were fortunate
to be taken to the site of Harold’s camp at Shimo Songkurai. This
was arranged by the tour leader with Mr Rod Beattie (Rod is the Managing
Director of Thailand Burma Railway Centre at Kanchanaburi). We exchanged
two of Rod’s passengers for Glad and Gail for a couple of hours
to facilitate their visit to Shimo Songkurai.
With visits to 2 JEATH museums and a walk over the Kwai
River bridge we began to absorb the grueling journey of our predecessors.
Our train ride from Kanchanaburi to Wampo offered us a view of the amazing
construction of the railway around the mountainside, as well as enjoying
the beautiful Thai countryside along the way. When the prisoners traveled
from Singapore to Ban Pong they endured a five-day journey in rice wagons.
The small discomforts we felt on our morning trip, such as diesel fumes
and grit blowing into our faces in the open carriages, were nothing in
comparison, and as the week progressed we reminded ourselves of how much
comfort we enjoyed.
We gathered at Hellfire Pass for the Remembrance Day Service
on 11th November. This was attended by schoolchildren, tourists, local
dignitaries: the Governor of Kanchanaburi Province and his wife, Representatives
of the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce. The Australian Military Attache
and some Embassy staff. Don Lee, who worked in Hellfire Pass for three
of the four months of its construction, gave an outstanding address about
the history of the railway, and his experience working on night shift
in this Pass. Wreaths were laid. The sound of the Last Post blew from
the top of the cliff through the stillness of the jungle, contributing
to the solemn but wonderful occasion: our thanks to bugler, Garnet Buckley.
Many of us walked the trace from Hintok to Hellfire Pass,
with Bill telling us along the way about how the bridges and embankments
were constructed. Sick men, too ill to work on the railway, were made
to roll drums of fuel down mountain slopes. We completed the last 100
metres of the walk barefoot as a symbolic gesture to our friends and fathers.
Our home for 4 days was at Home Phu Toey, and it was four
days of being cared for, fed delicious food, entertained and pampered
in a superb jungle setting by the river. We enjoyed the extensive gardens,
the swimming pools, and the Weary Dunlop museum. The amazing sound and
light show re-enacted the cruelty of the Japanese to the POWs and the
bombing of the River Kwai bridge.
Our journey to the Three Pagoda Pass gave us an indication
of the length of the railway in Thailand. This gave us an appreciation
of the hardship experienced by the members on “F” Force, who
were forced to march 300 kilometres to their workstations in northern
Thailand. We visited the huge Khao Laem Dam, the hydro-electric scheme,
whose waters now cover some of the campsites and railway. Especially important
is the Konkoita camp, where the Burma and Thai railway constructions finally
met.
Although the trip was dedicated to the railway and the
many men who built it, we could not deny the tourist aspects of the journey:
the superb scenery, interesting villages, elaborate temples and golden
statues, the tiger farm, the elephant rides and the relaxing afternoon
spent on rafts being towed down the river. We could not help but notice
parts of the jungle that were still impenetrable, and marvel at the difficulty
that the prisoners had, working in that country.
On our final day we had a quick visit to a recently discovered
piece of railway between Kanyu and Kanchanaburi. Lying on the track was
a jigsaw that someone had spilled – a concentration of pieces in
one spot with many other pieces scattered in a wide perimeter.
It is symbolic of the task that Peter Winstanley, Rod Beattie,
Bill Haskell and others have undertaken to collect pieces of information
and relics of the railway, match them up, find people, trace connections,
re-introduce people to each other, and explore the trace in Thailand.
The jigsaw might never be 100% complete, but these remarkable and dedicated
people are creating an increasingly clear picture and an outstanding experience
of the Thai-Burma railway for people such as us to learn from and enjoy,
and to honour our forbears. Thank you.
Cynthia Egerton-Warburton
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