After the early morning start at the floating market we started on the long journey to Kanchanaburi. On the way we stopped for lunch and went to a snake show. I was not very impressed with this as I thought it was cruel. Particularly when they set up a fight between a cobra and a mongoose. I have included a few pictures out of interest.
Go on bite the tormentor!
The Burma railway just over 400km long linking Thailand to Burma was built by the occupying Japanese in 1942 using 15,000 prisoners of war and over 100,000 ( mostly Thai’ ) civilians. Almost all died during the construction as a result of sickness, malnutrition, exhaustion and mistreatment.
The Kanchanaburi prison camp was on the banks of the River Kwai where many of the military prisoners were held and used as forced labour to build the railway bridge.
These are pictures of the River Kwai. taken from the bridge.
The bridge today, rebuilt after one section was destroyed by allied bombing.
Unfortunately the area has become a tourist attraction rather than the museum and shrine that it should be.
Observation and refuge areas have been built on the sides of the bridge as there is still some rail traffic.
I walked along the track away from the tourist area for about 1 km to try and get some atmosphere of the past in my solitude but it was difficult.
There is a museum but it is rather poor and has very little information on the building of the “Death Railway” as the Thai’ people call it.
A nice old Mercedes, I don’t think it dates back to wartime but it may do. Not sure why it was there.
One of the many Commonwealth war memorials, this one dedicated to the Burma railway soldiers that perished.
One of many graves. Private Baldwin 3rd July 1943 age 24 most of the British were around this age almost all under 30. The ANZAC stones were on the other side of the field, these guys were older most in their 40’s I assume they may have been regulars rather than conscripts and possibly served in WWI.
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