Hellfire Pass

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On The Road: Thailand

Hellfire Pass: TripAdvisor's top museum in Thailand recounts gruesome history
By Richard S. Ehrlich, for CNN
November 6, 2014 -- Updated 1142 GMT (1942 HKT)

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http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/06/travel/hellfire-pass-thailand-wwii-museum/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
 
A wonderful place and a delightful area to visit.
 
A wonderful place and a delightful area to visit.

Your right of these days. But 50 years ago I believe the Aussies that were did not think so at the time. For those who lost their lives there. RIP.

PS There was a lot of Dutch and a handfull of Yanks that were survivors of the USS Houston. That sank in the Sunda straights. There as well.
 
Your right of these days. But 50 years ago I believe the Aussies that were did not think so at the time. For those who lost their lives there. RIP.

PS There was a lot of Dutch and a handfull of Yanks that were survivors of the USS Houston. That sank in the Sunda straights. There as well.



Indeed - and they are sensitively remembered with the meticulously manicured war graves.

Time moves too quickly Rice - it is nearer to 70 Years!
 
I visited Hellfire Pass 2 weeks ago with the family - I have been several times before.

It is normally possible to walk some 7kms (although you must come back the same way) However the current military government have for unknown reasons closed off the last 3 km section.

I enjoyed the 10 minute history film in the museum

A "must do" when in the area.
 
Indeed - and they are sensitively remembered with the meticulously manicured war graves.

Time moves too quickly Rice - it is nearer to 70 Years!

Except the Yanks of course. No one is left behind. I just love their moving policy.
I saw it in action some 15 years ago in PNG. A Star lifter landed and out rolled a contingent of vehicles to recover a pilot that had just been found from WWII. Some hours latter I saw them drive back in and take off.
Oh yes 72 Years, the last ANZAC day I attended there two years ago. There were five veterans, one was a relative of a mate. Not many left now.

Bye the way, did you know the war graves are paid for their upkeep in perpetuity by the Australian Government. As is the museum.
 
Except the Yanks of course. No one is left behind. I just love their moving policy.
I saw it in action some 15 years ago in PNG. A Star lifter landed and out rolled a contingent of vehicles to recover a pilot that had just been found from WWII. Some hours latter I saw them drive back in and take off.
Oh yes 72 Years, the last ANZAC day I attended there two years ago. There were five veterans, one was a relative of a mate. Not many left now.

Bye the way, did you know the war graves are paid for their upkeep in perpetuity by the Australian Government. As is the museum.



ANZAC centenary next year. Kanchantaburi will be buzzing.

My favourite is at Chung Chai, a pleasant long-tailed boat trip out to this beautiful memorial.

Don't want to turn this into a pissing contest, and I am happy to stand corrected, but I thought the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was responsible for the memorials and the CWGC is funded as follows:-

<table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="8"><tbody><tr><td>Governments </td> <td>Percentage Contribution</td> </tr> <tr> <td>United Kingdom</td> <td>78.43</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Canada</td> <td>10.07</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Australia</td> <td>6.05</td> </tr> <tr> <td>New Zealand</td> <td>2.14</td> </tr> <tr> <td>South Africa</td> <td>2.11</td> </tr> <tr> <td>India</td> <td>1.20</td></tr></tbody></table>
The statistic that shocked me was the 90,000 Asians who lost their lives.

Forced labour was used in its construction. About 180,000 Asian civilian labourers (mainly romusha) and 60,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) worked on the railway. Of these, around 90,000 Asian civilian labourers and 12,399 Allied POWs died as a direct result of the project. The dead POWs included 6,318 British personnel, 2,815 Australians, 2,490 Dutch, about 356 Americans, and about 20 POWs from other British Commonwealth countries
 
I should add that for anyone who has not been, a trip to Kanchantaburi is well worth it.

I loved the Death Railway journey and there is some beautiful scenery in that area. Enough bars and restaurants and reasonable accommodation.

AtB wrote a trip report a year or so ago.
 
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