BURMA THAILAND RAILWAY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION (Inc) · BURMA THAILAND RAILWAY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION...
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30/2 ANGWIN STREET EAST FREMANTLE WA 6158 TEL/FAX: (08) 9339 8237 EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: http://www.btrma.org.au BURMA THAILAND RAILWAY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION (Inc) NEWSLETTER FOURTY SIX JUNE 2017 Albany Veteran honoured Mr Rick Wilson, Federal Member for O’Connor and the Hon Dan Tehan MP Minister of Veteran Affairs recently hosted a reception at Mr Wilson’s Albany office for three survivors of World War II: Mr Neil MacPherson, a survivor of the Burma Thailand Railway and a slave worker in japan; Mr Harold Martin, an ex-Prisoner of War of the Japanese and survivor of the sinking of the hellship Rakuyō Maru on the morning of 12 September 1944; and Mr Murray Maxton who flew in a Lancaster aircraft with the RAAF Bomber Command in 1944 over occupied Europe during World War II and was honoured by France for bravery with the Legion of Honour. Photo L>R: The Hon Dan Tehan MP Minister of Veteran Affairs, Mr Harold Martin, Mr Rick Wilson Federal Member for O’Connor and Mr Neil MacPherson. OBJECTIVE: To perpetuate the memory of the privations and sacrifices of Allied Prisoners of War and the selfless dedication of the medical personnel during the construction of the Burma Thailand Railway by informing current and future generations through all forms of education and particularly with Quiet Lion Tours to the Burma Thai Railway; The River Kwai; The Three Pagoda Pass; ANZAC Day at Hellfire Pass and Kanchanaburi War Cemetery.
Transcript of BURMA THAILAND RAILWAY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION (Inc) · BURMA THAILAND RAILWAY MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION...
30/2ANGWINSTREETEASTFREMANTLEWA6158TEL/FAX:(08)93398237
EMAIL:[email protected]:http://www.btrma.org.au
BURMATHAILANDRAILWAYMEMORIALASSOCIATION(Inc)
NEWSLETTERFOURTYSIX
JUNE2017
AlbanyVeteranhonouredMrRickWilson,FederalMemberforO’ConnorandtheHonDanTehanMPMinisterofVeteranAffairsrecentlyhostedareceptionatMrWilson’sAlbanyofficeforthreesurvivorsofWorldWarII:
MrNeilMacPherson,asurvivoroftheBurmaThailandRailwayandaslaveworkerinjapan;
MrHaroldMartin,anex-PrisonerofWaroftheJapaneseandsurvivorofthesinkingofthehellshipRakuyōMaruonthemorningof12September1944;and
MrMurrayMaxtonwhoflewinaLancasteraircraftwiththeRAAFBomberCommandin1944overoccupiedEuropeduringWorldWarIIandwashonouredbyFranceforbraverywiththeLegionofHonour.
PhotoL>R:TheHonDanTehanMPMinisterofVeteranAffairs,MrHaroldMartin,MrRickWilsonFederalMemberforO’ConnorandMrNeilMacPherson.
OBJECTIVE:ToperpetuatethememoryoftheprivationsandsacrificesofAlliedPrisonersofWarandthe selfless dedication of the medical personnel during the construction of the Burma ThailandRailwaybyinformingcurrentandfuturegenerationsthroughallformsofeducationandparticularlywithQuietLionTourstotheBurmaThaiRailway;TheRiverKwai;TheThreePagodaPass;ANZACDayatHellfirePassandKanchanaburiWarCemetery.
CongratulationstoNeilMacPhersononhis95thBirthdayOver30familyandfriendsgatheredintheRAAFRetirementVillageAlbanyonSaturday13Mayto joinNeil inthecelebratinghis95thbirthday.TheguestspresentincludedcentenarianHaroldMartin,LocalMemberofParliamentPeterWatsonandhiswifeDianeWolfer,whowrotethebooksTheLighthouseGirlandTheLightHorseBoy.
He people gathered were supplied with the usual Heineken and tasty finger food prepared by the local villageresidents.
GypsyO’Dea,Neil’s granddaughter, spokeofNeil as a tremendous rolemodel for thewhole family andhis greatstrengthandendurance.Agoodtimewashadbyall.
NeilwithHaroldMartinandMurrayMaxonwerealso invitedtoasmallafternoonteaat theFederalMember forO’Connor,RickWilson’s,office.MurrayMaxon,isa97-year-oldveteranFighterPilotwhoflewoverFrancewithhisbrotherinthesameplane,bothawardedTheCroixdeguerrebyFrance
TheMinisterforVeteransAffairsDanTehanwasvisitingAlbanyandtheyhadafternoonteatogether.Neilwasverychuffedwiththisafternoontea.
Annualex-PrisonerofWarMemorialServiceinKingsParkThememorialserviceconductedbytheMountLawleySeniorHighSchoolwasheldattheEx-POWMemorial,MayDrive,KingsParkonFriday5thMay2017at1:00pm.
In1997thestudentsofMountLawleySeniorHighSchooladoptedtheEx-PrisonersofWarAssociation'sMemorial,KingsPark.Thisceremonyisheldasanannualcommemorativeservice.2017wasthe21styearMountLawleySeniorHighSchoolhasbeeninvolvedwiththeservice.
AsinpreviousyearsthePrincipal,staffandstudentsfromMountLawleySeniorHighSchoolassistedtoconducttheserviceandprovidetheband,choir,buglerandlogisticsupportfortheevent.ManyEx-PrisonerofWarAssociationmembersattendedtopaytheirrespectsaswellasalargegroupof invitedguests includingsurvivingveteransandrepresentativesof kindredassociations.Afternoon teawasprovidedand theweatherwas fine, a beautiful sunnyday. TheMount Lawley Senior High School band and choir entertained guests prior to the ceremony and in thecourseoftheceremonyhymnsandtheAustraliansongwerepresentedbytheschool.
Survivingex-prisonersofwarpresentwereAssociationPresidentArthurLeggettwithJohnGilmourandSydShaw.EricWilson,DavidPiesseandPeterWinstanlyoftheBTRMAattended.
Thenumberofveteransleftisrapidlythinninganditwasstressedthatweneedtoensurewerememberthosenolongerwithus.Inthisregard,thefollowingisanabridgedversionofanarticlefromTheAustraliannewspaper:
"They'refadingawaybeforeoureyes,theseproudoldmenwhogavesomuchforAustralia.Fewerthan200ofthemareleftandonesaddaysoontherewillbenoneatall.
Some still can't bring themselves to speak about what happened after they became prisoners of theJapaneseorGermansinWorldWarIItoforgeaverydifferentAnzaclegendtothatofGallipoli.
Theirwarturnedintoanelementalstruggleagainststarvation,diseaseandbrutalityontheBurmarail-wayandinslavelabourcampsundertheJapanese,ortosurvivethedeaththroesofablood-soakedNaziReich.Buttheunderpinningswerethesame:mateship,sacrifice,endurance.
Time, though,waits fornooneandnewgovernment figuresshowthatonly195of the32,000AustralianmilitarypersonneltakenprisonerinWorldWarII-including61femalearmynurses-werelivinginJanuary,withanaverageageof94.
Thatnumberwillhaveslippedfurtherinthelead-uptoANZACDay.
The fade out of Australia's World War II paws points poignantly to how close we are to losing thelastlivinglinkstothegreatgenerationthatwagedthatseismicconflict.
Veterannumbersare in freefall.Of the990,000Australianswho joinedupbetween1939and1945,only19,600 remain of those who saw active war service, according to the Department of Veterans' Affairs.About7500diedinthe12monthstoJune30lastyear,thoughthisincludedspouses.
Withanaverageageof93forthesurvivingWorldWarIIvets,theDVA'sdemographicmodellingassumesanannualattritionrateof5000throughthisdecade.By2020,therewillbeachinglyfewstillwithus.
Theex-POWsaregenerallyolderbecausemostwerecapturedearlyinthewarinthedisastersinGreeceandCreteatthehandsoftheGermans,andinthedarkdaysof1942,afterJapaneseforcesseizedHongKong,Malaysia,Singapore,thethenDutchEastIn-dies,thePhilippinesandmenacedAustraliafromNewGuineaandatsea”.
Mount Lawley Senior High School have travelled on Quiet Lion Tours to Thailand for some years with generoussupportbytheEx-PrisonersofWarAssociation,theschool,parentsandtheBurmaThailandMemorialAssociation.
Thefollowingstudentshavetoured:OliviaWilliams,ClancyDavidson,CaleWilcox,NicolaBower,JohannaBattista,MonroeMassa,AlexScudder,EmmaBromham,AndreaLeonard,NicolasHortense,KatePrastandEmmaGiuffre.
RSLWAupcomingeventsTheRSLWAwebsitehostsacomprehensivecalendarthatdetailsupcomingeventsthatmaybeofinterest:www.rslwa.org.au/Events/Calendar.aspx
2017QuietLionTourReportTheannualpilgrimagetotheRiverKwaitookplacefromMondaythe17thofApriltothe28thofApril2017forPerthtravelers. (Eastern States travelers returned late on the evening of the 27th of April). Day onewas the travellingcomponent.
DayTwo
Aftera7:00amwake-upcallfollowedbyourfirstbuffetbreakfastinThailandandashortbriefingofthecarersforourstudentsontourweheadedforBangPa-intovisittheRoyalSummerPalace.Thisisthesiteofatimberpalacethatwasbuiltoverfourhundredyearsago.ThepalaceanditsgardenscreateamagicalwonderlandofabygoneeraintheKingdomofThailandandtobeabletostepbackintothehistoryofThailand.
AfteranhouratBangPa-InwetraveledfurthernorthtoAyutthaya,theancientcapitalofThailandpriorto1767ADwhenitwasabandonedafterwarswiththeinvadingarmiesfromBurma.ThisareaisnowanhistoricparkunderthecharteroftheUnitedNations.AtalktherefromAke(ourThaitourGuide)onthesignificanceofthehistoricprecinctandwhereitfittedintoThailand’sstory.
OurnextmovefortheafternoonwasontoapiercloserbacktowardsBangkokwhereweboardedaferryforthereturntripdowntheChayoPhrayaRivertotheRiverCitypierinthecentreofBangkokitself.ThisisadelightfultripforourtravellerstorelaxandgettoknoweachotherafterflightsthepreviousdayfromdifferentpartsofAustralia.
WearrivedbackattheRoyalBenjaHotelaround5:30pmandafteraclean-upwehadourwelcomedinnerwithallourtravelers togetherastheQuietLionTour2017.We laida fewgroundruleswhilethegroupwastogetherandhandedouttheshirtsandcaps.Thosethatneededtheirbeautysleepmovedbacktotheirrooms,IanandItookagroupofstudentsandtheircarerstoTerminal21,athemedshoppingcentrewhichcatersfortheyoungershopper.
DayThree
Sixthirtywakeupcall,bagsout,breakfastandonthebusatseventhirtyandonourwaytoNakomPathom,thesiteofPhraPathomChedi,thetalleststupaintheworld.ThesignificanceofNakomPathomisthatbeforeWWIItherewas amedical outposthere so the Japanese in theirwisdomdecided itwouldbea goodplace toput ahospital,whichtheydid.Ithadacapacityof10,000bedsabletohandleallthesickandinjuredreturningfromofftheRailwayandalsofromBurma.Therewasalotofinnovativesurgeryandtreatmentsdevelopedtherethatsaveatremendouslotoflivesandrelievedalotofsuffering.
Fromherewemove toNongPladuk, theplacewhere theRailway toBurma left themain railway line that ran toSingapore.Thiswasalsoknownasthe0kilometrepointwhereallmeasurementsweretakenfromonThailandsideofThreePagodasPass.Therewasalargeprisoncampinthisareaalongwithworkshops,foundries,fuelrefineries.ManyBritishPOWswerehereasBritainhadabigdependenceon railwaysand theobviouschoicewas tocollectexperiencedrailwayworkers.
AfewkilometresawayisthetownofBanPong,therailwaystationwherethePOWsgotoffthetrainfromSingaporeontheirjourneynorthuptherailwaylinetotheirvariousplacesofwork.Afewoftheearlierworkforceswereluckyenough tohave road transportup toTarsaoandbeyond. The rest that arrivedafter themonsoons set inhadnochoicebuttowalkasthetracksbecameimpassableandturnedintomud.Thiswasextremelydifficultasthe later
forces were also suffering frommalaria, dysentery, malnutrition and all the tropical diseases known apart fromcholerawhichwasyettocome.
WeleavethemainroadandtraveltotheMaeKlongRivereastofKanchanaburitoacampsiteknownasThaMaung,thiswas themain transit camp for POWs travelling up River and for those returning down River. At some stagenearlyeveryPOWhadcontactwiththiscamp,eventhosereturningfromBurma.Thewholeofthecampareaisnowmarketgardens for theproduceof fresh fruitandvegetables for theThaMuangandKanchanaburicityarea.Thiswasoneofthemorepleasantcampstohavespentsometimein.Foodwasmoreplentifulandthepressureofworkhadeasedconsiderably.
NextplacetovisitwastheBridgeontheRiverKwaiandlunchatTidaLoa'sRiverKwaiRestaurant.Afterlunchtherewasachancetowalkoverthebridge.
ThetourisstartingtocometogetherverywellaswehaveseensomeDVDsonourwayoutfromBangkok.WetookanopportunitytovisitTBRC(RodBeattie’sThailandBurmaRailwayCentre)to letthemknowwewereintheareaandthentoPungWaanKanchanaburiResortforaswim,welcomedinnerandKaraoke.
DayFour
Breakfast, bags out, group photo at the front of Pung Waan Resort then out to the Chungkai Cutting for anexplanationofhowcuttingswerebuiltandthemethodofclearingthebrokenrocktobeabletodrillandblastagainusingthehammerandtap.
The visit to the Chungkai War Cemetery was well received with time for contemplation walking amongst theheadstones.FromherewewenttoTBRCtowaitforthetraintotakeusovertheWampoViaductandbacktoTamKraseaforlunchandwaitingtowatchthetrainreturnacrosstheviaductonreturntoBangkok.
When lunchwas finished itwasbackon thebus toheadup tohighway323withamonkeystopon theway.WeheadedtothePungWaanRiverKwaiResortwhichwasthesiteof theTarsaohospitalcampanda largeJapaneseRailwayheadquarterscamp.
Thiswas theonlyprisonerofwar camp thatnamed their cemeteries, three cemeterieswere associatedwith theTarsaocampandhospital.Numberone,StGeorge'swith206(19Australian)graves.Numbertwo,(StLuke's)with558graves(120Australians)andNumberthree(cholera)with52graves(9Australian).Afourthun-namedcemeteryhad23graves.
Of the many atrocities which occurred on the Burma Thailand Railway one was at this camp and has beenauthenticatedwasthemurderofPteEricBernardHiltonoftheSherwoodForesters.
FromthesiteoftheTarsaocampandhospitalourjourneytookustothedelightfultownofTarsaoitself,situatedonHighway 323with the Sai YokNoiwaterfalls in the towns centre. Tarsao is also the terminus for the part of theRailwaystillinusewiththestationcalledNamTok.AfteravisittotheSeven11storeandstreetmarketstostockuponsnacksandnibblesforourfive-daystayatHomePhuToey.
DayFive
Itisnicenottohavetoputyourbagsoutandraceforbreakfastandthebus.
TodaywehadtheBuddhistCeremonyintheWearyDunlopPark.Thisisaneventthathastakenplaceforanumberofyearsandistocommemorateandremembertheex-prisonersofwarthatneverreturnedhomefromtheRailwayandparticularlytorememberthosethathavepassedintheyearsinceourlastvisit.ThisyearwerememberedthemembersoftheQuietLiongroupinEricRoedigerandMiltonFairclough("Snow")whopassedawayinOctober2016.
ThiswasfollowedbytheobeliskceremonyandamemorialtoKhunKanitandKhunOonjaiwithoutwhomwewouldnothavehadHomePhuToey.
WeleftHPTforthesiteofTheHintokMountaincamp,nowanarboretum.ThiscampwasthehomeofDunlopForceand where Weary Dunlop performed his life saving medical skills with very little in the way of medicines andequipment.Fortunately,hehadsomeveryingeniouspeopleinthecampwithhimthatwereabletobuildawaterreticulationsystemthatmeantthecookhousehadrunningwaterandthemenreturningfromworkontheRailwaycouldhaveashowerandgetwashedandfeelalittlelikehumanbeingsagain.Thiswatersystemalsoallowedforthestill tobebuiltthatprovideddistilledwaterwithsalinethatwasusedtoovercomethecholeraepidemicthatwasrampant during themonsoon. This allowed 60 percent of cholera victims to survive the disease as compared toapproximately90to100percentdeathsatthestartoftheepidemic. ItwasfromherethatJimAllpikecarriedthesalineinglassdemijohnstotheHintokRivercamptwiceadaysavingcountlesslives.
Next piece of the story is the visit to Sai Yok Yai waterfalls and National Park. A significant place in the Railwayhistory, this is the site of a large camp which included a large contingent of indentured “romusha” which wascreditedwiththeconstructionofahugeembankmentnearlytwokilometreslongtoasubstantialtrestlebridge.Thisis still visiblealongwith theconcretebridgeabutments.There is thepreserved remainsofa Japanesecookhousewhichisworthlookingat.
Swimming in thewaterfall is ratherdelightfulas thestreamsarespring fedandthewater isquitecoolunlike thewarmbathtemperaturesofmostoftheresortswimmingpools.AftereveryonehashadachancetocooloffwethenboardedahouseboatforaleisurelytripdowntheKwaiNoiRiveraccompaniedbyalongtailedboatforcontrol.Afteranenjoyablelunchonthehouseboatandthebeautifulriverscenery,wecometoHintokRivercamp.
Itwas fromHintokRivercampthat thecompressorcutting, thecompressorembankment, theHintokCuttingandtheThreeTieredBridgewascompleted.
OwingtothedifficultyofbuildingtheCompressorembankmentandthetorrentialmonsoonrainsthatkeptwashingthebaseaway,itwasdecidedtobuildatrestledetourtothesideoftheembankment.
Thisbecameknownasthe"PackofCards"bridgebecauseitkeptcollapsing.ThiswasthelastsectionoftheRailwaytobecompletedtoallowtrainsaccesstothefulllengthoftheRailwayfromNongPladuktoThanbyuzayat.
The last stop for today is thesiteof theKonyuRivercamp.Thiswas the first campthatDunlopForcewas tocallhomeontheThailandBurmaRailway.TheywereveryfortunatethatitwasJanuary1943andtheweatherwasfineanddry, this enabled them to arrive here bymotor transport. The next jobwas to erect a camp fromattap andbamboo and on completion the group were moved to the Hintok Mountain (or Hintok Road camp) just as thewettest monsoon that Thailand experienced in the twentieth century, with sixteen thousandmillimetres of rainrecorded,setin.WiththatinmindweboardedourbusandreturnedtoHPTfordinnerandagoodnight’ssleepinairconditionedaccommodation.
DaySix
Slept in until 7:00am, breakfast and a visit to the Hellfire PassMuseum, an institution of the Australian FederalGovernment, opened in 1998 by the Australian PrimeMinister the Rt Hon John Howard. From themuseumweheadedintoKanchanaburifortheCadetsandStudentstohavesomedrillpracticefortheWreathLayingCeremonyonANZACDayattheWarCemetery.
Lunchatthefootball,ThailandTigersversusSingapore,burgersandsausagesinrollswentdownratherwellwithacolddrink.ThailandovercameSingaporetowinaratherhardfoughtmatch,thetemperaturewasamild42degrees.OnthebusagaintoreturntoHPTfordinnerandaquietnight.
DaySeven
TodaywehadtoleaverelativelyearlytotravelHighway323totheKaoLaemDam,animpressivestructurebuiltbytheSnowyMountainAuthorityfromAustraliaundertheColomboPlantohelpcountriesaftertheSecondWorldWartobuildnew infrastructure.Thisdam inundatestheRailway line fromtheTakanuncampsforadistanceofninetykilometrestotheSongkuraicampsneartoThreePagodasPass.TodaywehavelunchattheEGATstaffClubwhichisasetmenuandoneofthenicestThaimealsyoucouldwishtohave,ourthanksgototheclubmanagerandstaffformakingussowelcome.
Back onto the bus and head back onHighway 323,we pass through the townof Brankassi, site of the Brankassicamp,anda fewkilometres furtheronwepass thesiteofHindatocampwhichhasahotspringonthebankofasmallriver.ThiswasafavouriteplaceforJapaneseengineersandsoldierswhohadthePoWsbuildaconcretepoolfortheuseofJapanesestaff.
NearHellfirePassMuseumweturnontotheHintokRoadwhichtakesustothereststationontheHeritageWalkfromHintokRoadbacktotheHellfirePassMuseum,adistanceofapproximately4kilometresbythetimeyouhaveclimbedupanddownsteps,clamberedoverrocks,walkedacrosstrestlebridgesitesandbombcraters.Oneandahalftotwohourslater,ifyouhavehadalookatalltheworksthatwerecarriedoutbythePOWstocompletethissectionoftheRailway,saidtobethemostdifficultontheentirerailway.Wehavemadesureweusedtheplentifuldrinkingwateravailable.Themenworkingontherailtracelefttheircampat4:00amwithone-pintbottle(600mls)tolastuntiltheygotbacktocampuptoeighteenhourslater.ArrivingbackatHPTat4:30pmitwastimeforavisittothepooltorelax,andprepareforourconcert.
Thiseveningafterdinnerweheldourannualconcertbasedonthe1943ChristmasConcertheldatHintokMountainCampcalledFunWithF.A..TheRailwaywascompletedandthepressurehadeasedsomewhatbuttherewaswork
partiesstillrequiredformaintenanceworkonthetrackandwoodcuttingforfuelfortheengines.ThisconcertwasverywellreceivednotonlybytheprisonersbutalsobytheJapaneseandguards.
AguestinourmidstthiseveningwasamemberoftheNewZealandNavy,CommanderTrevorLesley,hewasverywellreceivedbytheQuietLionsanditwasnicetohaveanNZcomponentofANZACtojoinus.
DayEight
Wehaveafreedaytoday,achancetovisittheWearyDunlopPark incorporatingtheWearyDunlopPavilionsandtheJackChalkerGallery,bothveryworthwhileexhibits.
Thereisalsoadisplayofaworkingprisoncamphospitalwithanimprovisedorthopaedicbedwithtractionpulleysandamechanismforraisingandloweringsectionsofthebedindependently.
Variousotherexhibitswereadentist’schair,anexercisebikealongwithpiecesofequipmentusedforphysiotherapytorecuperateinjuredlimbsandbodies.Theseweremadefrombamboo.
ThereisalsoaworkingmodelofthestillthatwasbuiltattheHintokMountaincampalongwithotherparaphernalia,intravenousdripsmadefromsakebottlesandstethoscopetubingandtreatmentsfortropicalulcers
After the morning spent atWeary Dunlop Park, it was time for lunch and an afternoon at leisure taking in thedelightsofHPTandrepackingbagsforaveryearlymorningdeparturetogettotheDawnServiceatHellfirePass.
A small group travelled to Three Pagoda Pass to follow in the footsteps of F Force to the Songkurai campsaccompaniedby IanHoldingwhosefather,WallyHoldingOAMwasamemberof the2/4AustralianMachineGunBattalionAIFandasaPoWwaspartofFForce.ThisintrepidgrouparrivedbackintimefortheWelcomeReceptionatWearyDunlopPark.
At7:00pmwehadtheLightandSoundshowfollowedbydinnerwiththeAustralianandNewZealandAmbassadorsandtheQuietLionGroup.Dinnerconcludedat10:00pm.
DayNine
Earlymorningwake-upat2:30am,bagsdroppedattheLobbyofHPTandonthebusforHellfirePassandtheDawnServicewhichisduetocommenceat5:30am.
As the sky starts to lighten in the east, the dawn chorus of the birds starts, a callwhich breaks the silence in abeautifulway,as ifthereismoretocome.At5:30am,astheCatafalquePartymountsandtheservicebegins, it isalmost light enough to read the service books. Dawn Service in Hellfire Pass is a very moving and emotionalCeremonyandeveryonewhoattendsfindsthemselveswipingatearfromtheireye.ThehauntingsoundsoftheLastPostandtheRouseechoingofftheCuttingwallsaresomethingtobehold.ThelonePiperplayingTheFlowersoftheForestusuallybringseventhehardiestundone.
ThisyeartheQuietLionStudentshadachancemeetingwithagroupofThaiMilitaryCadetswhowereverykeentointeractwithourgroup,maybesomethingmayeventuateinthefuture.
AquickGunfirebreakfastat theHellfirePassMuseumandback toHPT,have breakfast and check bags onto the bus. This morning breakfast isserved just inside the front entrance to HPT, as we have to go on toKanchanaburiforthe11:00amWreathLayingCeremony.Wesaygoodbyeto thestaffwhohavemadeus sowelcomeatHomePhuToeyover thelast five days and with promises to be back again in 2018 with a newQuietLionTour.
WearrivedinKanchanaburiat9:45amandtimeforourStudentstohaveone more drill practice before the main service where they will bepresentingtheWreathstobelaidbyvisitingworlddignitaries.
ItisamovingceremonyamongthegravesofthosewhoperishedonthiscursedRailway,withascrapofhumanityandfeelingforourfellowman,there really isnoneed for thesegraves tobehereatall.Wehadcomeheretorememberthemandtohonourthemthattheygavetheirlivessowemightbeabletoliveinpeaceandharmony.NeilMacPhersongaveaverymovingaddressandreceivedastandingovation.ThankyouNeil.
OurStudentsexcelledthemselveswiththeWreathLayingasusual,ajobthathasbeengiventotheQuietLionTour.ThiswasformerlydonebymembersoftheThaiMilitaryandtheywouldliketodoitagain.ThankstoourremarkablegroupofCadetsandStudentswhoparticipatedinTheQuietLionTourof2017.
AftertheCeremonywascompletedweadjournedtotheBanRaoRestaurantforasetmenulunchwhichisareallynicemeal.LunchcompleteditwastimetostarttorelaxaswehadachievedwhatwehadsetouttodointellingthestoryoftheThailand-BurmaRailway,thehardshipsandtheatrocitiesandthemateshipoffellowPOWs.Themainobject was to get the story of the selfless dedication of the Doctors and themedical staff, quite often with notrainingandjustsheerdeterminationtohelpthesickoftenignoringthedangertotheirownhealthbyjustcomingintocontactwithcholeraandamoebicdysentery.
Next on the list was the swimming pool at PungWaan Kanchanaburi Resort, a quiet dinner and retiring for theeveningaftertheshockofa2:30amwakeup.
DayTen
TodaywereturntoBangkokviaSampranRiversideResortandCulturalShow.
AsidetriptoDamnoernSaduakFloatingMarket.Weleavefromthepier,visitthemarketandreturnbacktothepierwithoutleavingthelongtailedboats.Mostenjoyedthisstyleofretailtherapycomingbackwiththeirmarketgoods.
Sampran Riverside, formerly known as The RoseGarden certainly did not disappointwith an enormous range ofdishestodelightthepalate,therewasdesertsjustwaitingtobetriedandfreshfruit,surelyagourmand’sparadise.Thiswas followed by the Cultural Show showing traditional Thai village lifestyle and dances. Next stagewas thejourneytotheRoyalBenjaHotel,approximatelythirtytofortykilometresaway.
NothinglikearelaxingdrivethroughpeakhourBangkoktraffic,afterseveral"arewethereyets"wefinallycrossedtheSuphanTaksinBridgeover theChaoPrayoRiver.With twokilometers to go, it still takesanhourormore toreachourgoal.
OwingtoourgroupbreakingupthefollowingdayweholdourfinaldaydinnertowrapthetourupandtothankallthattravelledontheQuietLionTourfor2017.
A specialnoteof thanksneeds togo toEsperanceSeniorHighSchooland their contingentof Students, Staff andCarers, toMelville Rotary Club and their sponsorship toMelville Senior High School, to Geraldton RSL and localsponsors for their contribution to send Students and Carers, the Three Springs District RSL and sponsors for theStudents and Carers, the Peel Health Campus-Mandurah RSL-Holding family group for sponsoring cadets and theLions Club of Wagin for their sponsorship. Every Student that attended the Quiet Lion Tour of 2017 had localsponsorshipsandwe,thecommitteeandmembers,thankeveryonethathelpedmaketheQLT2017suchasuccess.
AveryspecialthankyoumustgotothefamilyofMrNeilMacPhersonOAMforthecareandattentiongiventoNeilandenablinghimtobeavailabletogivethePoWAddressattheWreathLayingCeremonyandtobeabletorelatehistimeontheRailwayasaPoWtotheyoungermembersofourgroup,andabigthankstoNeilforbeingwithusonceagain.
DayEleven
AfreedayforshoppingandroundingupsouvenirsandgiftstotaketolovedonesathomeandtoseesomeofthesightsofBangkok.TheStudentswerelookedafterbytheirsupervisorsandhadasuccessfulday.
Sydneytravellershadtoleaveat3:30pmfortheairportandMelbourneandBrisbanetravellersleftat8:00pm,whichonlyleftthosegoingtoPerthleavingat4:30amthenextmorning.
Anothersuccessfultourcompletedandnowweplanfor2018.
DavidPiesse
TourLeaderQLT2017
2016ANZACDayWreathLayingCeremonyatKanchanaburiWarCemetery.
AddressbyNeilMacPhersonWX165722/2ndPioneerGoodmorning,
OnbehalfofallEx-POWs,IwelcomeyoutothispeacefullocationattheKanchanburiCemeteryThailandonthisdayofremembrancefortheAustraliandeadofallwarsinwhichournationhasbeeninvolved.
The firstAustralians to arriveon theBurmaThailand railway inOctober1942were inGreenForce led byMajorGreen,CommandingOfficerofthe2/4thMachineGunBattalionaWestAustralianunit.
TheywerealsothefirstAustralianprisonerstoarrriveontheBurmaendoftherailway,followedlaterinthemonthbymygroupinWilliamsForceunderLtColonelJohnWilliamsofthe2/2ndPioneerBattalion.
CampshadbeencunninglyestablishedbytheJapaneseevery10kilometresalongthesurveyedrailwaytrace, thismeantnotimewaswastedtravellingfromcampstoworksites.
Thehutswerewellconstructedtowithstandthewildweatherencounteredduringthewetseason.Generallytheywerebuiltwithsplitbambooplatformsrunningthelengthofthehutswithacentralpassageway,theroofwasmadeofatap,ahomefortheratsthatinfestedthehuts.
Mentionshouldbemadeherethatthistypeofacomodatonwasnotuniversalalongthelengthoftherailway-forinstanceatHintockinThailandtheprisonerswerehousedintentsthatweresoondamagedbythewildweather.
Ourgroupof800wasmadeupofmostlyofAustralians,afewAmericansandDutchcapturedwithusinJava.ThefirstAustralianstostartworkontheThailandsidewerecapturedinJavaandformedDunlopForceledbyColonelDunlop,asurgeonfromthe2ndsecondCasualtyClearingStation.
InBurmatheseveralgroupsunderoveallchargeofAustralianSeniorofficer,BrigadierVarley,wereknownbythenameoftheirleader.OurForcewasknownasWilliamsForceledbyLtColonelJohnWilliamsCommandingOfficerofthe2/2ndPioneerBattalion.AndersonForcewasledbyLtColonelAndersonV.C.
OntheThailandendoftherailway,apartfromDunlopForcewhichcamefromJava,mostAustralianswerepartofthe8thDivisionandwereknownasDForceandFForce.
InBurmawewere initiallyusedtobuildembankmentsandexcavatesmall cuttings. TherewasnogreatpressurefromtheJapaneseEngineers -howeverthissoonchangedas theworkgotbehindscheduleandbyMay1943theSpeedoiniitivestarted.
Beatingswerecommonplace.Australianofficersinchargeofworkpartieswereespeciallynotedfortheircouragousactionstoprotectthemenundertheircontrol,buttheywerebeatenfortheirefforts.
MajorBruceHuntofF.Forcewasananoutstandingsurgeon.HewasalsooneofthemostableandefficientCampAdministratorsontherailway.Hedidalottomaintaindisciplineandliftsaggingmoralepfthesickprisoners.
Intheearlymonths,despitelonghoursandinsufficientfood,wegraduallyaccustomedourselvestoadietofmainlyrice.We lacked theessentials suchasmeat,vegetables& fruit somalnutritionsoonset inandas thewetseasonarrivedwithallitspestilenceanddiseasetheworkhourswereextended.
Within 12 months of us starting work,diseases such as Cholera, Dysentery, Malaria, Berri Berri and leg ulcers,worsenedbymalnutritionandlonghoursoflabour,woulddecimateourforce.
Themorning sickparades lengthened to theextent that the JapaneseEngineershad topressmanyof these sickmenintotheunder-mannedworkparties.Attheendoflongworkshiftsmenwouldreturntocampandtheirfirstdestinatonwasthesickwardtoseetheirmatesandcheerthemup.
Duringtheconstructionoftherailwayitcontainedalongitslengthandbeyondhundredsoflabourcamps-allwerebad,someworsethanothers-notonecouldbecalledgood.
Japanesecampcommandantsinthesecampsandinthetransitcampsweremostlytyrants,metingoutpunishmentsforminorinfringements.
Inearly1943weinWilliams&AndersonForcewereselectedtolaythesleepersandrailsfromThanbyuzayatthroughtoKonkoitawherethetwoendsoftherailwayweretobeconnected-adauntingtask.
Itwasheavyworkcarryingtheheavysleepersandlonglengthsofrail. BySeptember1943WilliamsForceof800hadbeenreducedtoaworkpartyof300skeletonsofmen.
TheJapanesestartedmovingprisonersfromBurmaintocampsinThailand.Theseprisonerswereconcentratedintwocamps-TamuanandTamarkan,asthiscamphereontheRivernexttothebridgeandthiscemetarywasthenknown.SomeprisonerswereleftinisolatedcampsbackinBurmatocarryoutmaintenancework.
Onarrival inTamarkantheprisonerswhoarrivedfromBurmawereastonishedtoseethevarietyoffoodavailableherecomparedtothebarrenjungleinBurma.
Thailandwasalways knownasthefoodbowlofAsia,DespitethisabundancetheJapaneseauthoritiesrefusedtoprovidesufficientrationstomeetthedailyneedsofthemenwhoweremeremereshadowsoftheirpreprisonerlife.
Thankyouforyourattention,mayIwishyouasafereturntoyourhomes.
NeilMacPherson
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