We are grieved to share that Peter Winstanley passed away in February 2025.

This page honors his remarkable life and contributions to preserving the history of the Burma/Thailand Railway.

Peter retired in 2003 after a distinguished career, including 6 years at the Bank of New South Wales, 27 years at the Reserve Bank, and 15 years as an Associate to two Supreme Court Judges and a Royal Commissioner. He also served 36 years in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF) and Army Reserve, rising from a private in National Service to Lieutenant Colonel (RAAMC) by his retirement in 1994.

Peter’s passion for the Burma/Thailand Railway began after reading Soldier Surgeon in Malaya by Thomas Hamilton, Commanding Officer of 2/4 Casualty Clearing Station and Senior Medical Officer of "A Force" in Burma. In 1991, while visiting a friend serving as Defence Attaché in Bangkok, Peter walked through Hellfire Pass, an experience that profoundly moved him and sparked his lifelong dedication to the subject.

Peter collaborated with two former POWs who led tours to the Railway, initially focusing on the story of "Weary" Dunlop and Dunlop Force. Through personal interviews with POW Medical Officers such as Rowley Richards, Claude Anderson, Vic Brand, Peter Hendry, and Lloyd Cahill, Peter recognized the significant contributions of many Medical Officers, Dental Officers, Medical Orderlies, and Chaplains to the care and welfare of POWs. His work broadened the narrative to honor these unsung heroes.

In Western Australia, Peter was instrumental in establishing the Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association (BTRMA), an organization dedicated to preserving the Railway’s history. The BTRMA organizes Anzac Day tours to Thailand, originally centered on Hintock/Hellfire Pass and known as "The Quiet Lion Tour" in tribute to Weary Dunlop. These tours have run for over 30 years, with Peter participating in four. The Defence Reserves Association (DRA) initiated Remembrance Day Tours, with the first group holding a service at Hellfire Pass in 2001. Peter contributed to these tours until their conclusion in 2010 and made two separate trips to Burma to further his research.

Peter’s research was extensive, involving travel across Australia (excluding the Northern Territory and Tasmania) to interview former POWs. He visited the Imperial War Museum in London, the National Archives in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Perth, and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. In 2015, the Australian War Memorial archived this website in PANDORA, Australia’s Web Archive, part of the National Library, ensuring Peter’s work endures.

This website remains a testament to Peter’s dedication, maintained through the generosity of webmaster Trevor Lancaster. The Burma Thailand Railway Memorial Association and this site continue to share the Railway’s history. The active guestbook allows visitors to seek information about their loved ones who were POWs, fostering connections and preserving memories.

Gone but never forgotten, Peter Winstanley’s light shines on in the stories he preserved.