How many British soldiers died building the Burma railway?

Between 180,000 and 250,000 civilian laborers and over 60,000 Allied prisoners of war were subjected to forced labour during its construction….Prisoner of war workers and deaths on the Burma Railway, 1942–1945.

How many died building the Death Railway?

This breakneck speed of construction had a heavy toll for those who built it: around 13,000 Allied Prisoners of War (POW) died during the work, alongside 100,000 local workers from across the region. They perished in unimaginably horrific conditions – starved, overworked, sick and mistreated.

How many prisoners died on the Burma railway?

The rail line was built along the Khwae Noi (Kwai) River valley to support the Japanese armed forces during the Burma Campaign. More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and tens of thousands of forced labourers perished during its construction.

Why did the Japanese want to build the Burma railway?

The Burma-Thailand railway (known also as the Thailand-Burma or Burma–Siam railway) was built in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942.

How many Australian POWs were captured by the Japanese?

22,000 Australian servicemen
Over 22,000 Australian servicemen and almost forty nurses were captured by the Japanese. Most were captured early in 1942 when Japanese forces captured Malaya, Singapore, New Britain, and the Netherlands East Indies. Hundreds of Australian civilians were also interned.

Does the Bridge on the River Kwai still exist?

The real bridge on the River Kwai was never destroyed, not even damaged. It still stands on the edge of the Thai jungle about three miles from this peaceful town and it has become something of a tourist attraction. The bridge was erected by Allied pris oners during the Japanese occupation of Thailand in World War II.

Why is it called the Death Railway?

It originated in Thailand and cut across to the Burmese war front to aid in the Japanese invasion of India. Originally called the Thailand-Burma Railway, it earned the nickname “Death Railway” because over one hundred thousand laborers died during its 16 month construction between 1942 and 1943.

How many Australians died building the Thai Burma Railway?

2800 Australians
The railway has entered the Australian consciousness as a byword for courage and resilience in the face of extreme hardship and cruelty. About 2800 Australians died building the railway.

Do POWs get released after war?

During the conflict prisoners might be repatriated or delivered to a neutral nation for custody. At the end of hostilities all prisoners are to be released and repatriated without delay, except those held for trial or serving sentences imposed by judicial processes.

When did the Japanese build the Burma Railway?

The brutal use of British prisoners of war by the Japanese to build a railway linking Thailand to Burma in 1943 was one of the worst atrocities of the Second World War.

Who was sentenced to death for the Burma Railway?

Hiroshi Abe, a first lieutenant who supervised construction of the railway at Sonkrai where 1,400 British prisoners out of 1,600 died of cholera and other diseases in three months, was sentenced to death, later commuted to 15 years in prison, as a B/C class war criminal.

Where did the first prisoners of war go to Burma?

The first prisoners of war, 3,000 Australians, to go to Burma left Changi Prison in Singapore on 14 May 1942 and journeyed by sea to near Thanbyuzayat, the northern terminus of the railway. They worked on airfields and other infrastructure initially before beginning construction of the railway in October 1942.

What was the name of the railway between Thailand and Myanmar?

This railway completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar). The name used by the Japanese Government is Thai–Men-Rensetsu-Tetsudou ( 泰緬連接鉄道 ), which means Thailand-Myanmar-Link-Railway.