February 2015 - Bangkok Thailand
In looking through my photos about World War II I realized that I had never done a detailed post on the River Kwai.
Our full day activities.
The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (known locally as the Don-Rak War Cemetery) is the main prisoner of war (POW) cemetery for victims of Japanese imprisonment while building the Burma Railway. It is on the main road, Saeng Chuto Road, through the town of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, adjacent to an older Chinese cemetery.
It was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There are 6,982 POWs buried there, mostly Australian, British, and Dutch. It contains the remains of prisoners buried beside the south section of the railway from Bangkok to Nieke, excepting those identified as Americans, whose remains were repatriated.
There are 1,896 Dutch war graves, the rest being from Britain and the Commonwealth. Two graves contain the ashes of 300 men who were cremated. The Kanchanaburi Memorial gives the names of 11 from India who are buried in Muslim cemeteries.
Wow! Everyone remembers, even in Thailand!
ReplyDeleteWhat a tragic waste of so many young lives.
ReplyDeleteIt feels rather peaceful.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and beautiful place. I have always wanted to visit this part of Thailand.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to imagine so many lives lost / sacrificed to build a railway. Wow!
ReplyDeleteThat was a very sad part of the war and my heart goes out to those who died building the railway. It is good to see that the cemetery is so well looked after.
ReplyDeleteWar cemeteries should be a must-see on every travelers list. It seems the least we can do to honor those who sacrificed their lives so we have the freedoms to travel. Beautiful photos of a lovely final resting place.
ReplyDeleteThe cemetery is beautifully maintained. The railway construction was a terrible thing, especially for Australians.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cemeter worthy of its place and they should be remembered with honour
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing this.
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