MEMORIES OF THE BURMA SIAM RAILWAY

Bill Haskell Ex WX3279 2/3RD Machine Gun Battalion.

On behalf of the ex Prisoner of War community I would like to thank all of those people who, over the years, have made it possible for us to participate in this unique Anzac Day service in Thailand.

It is appropriate that we pay our respects here, for it was in this country and Myanmar that we lost so many of our young men in the construction of the Burma Siam Railway.

Our gratitude extends to the Government and people of the Kingdom of Thailand, the staff of the Embassies, members of the defense forces, the Chambers of Commerce, cemetery staff and all concerned.

This gratitude also extends to those who have traveled so far to attend the ceremonies at Hellfire Pass and Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. I would like to make particular mention of thirty six young people from Australia who are with sixty three adults on the Annual Quiet Lion Pilgrimage which has operated since 1985. These young people are helping in perpetuating the "Railway Story", in particular the memory of the unswerving dedication of all the medical staff and the abiding friendship of wonderful mates who made survival possible in a "universe of madness and suffering" on the Burma Thailand Railway.

Those of us who were fortunate enough to have survived those dreadful years, particularly in 1943, consider it a great privilege and honor to be participating in this service and we pay tribute to the seven thousand Allied Servicemen who rest here in this cemetery and the survivors who worked long and hard on an infamous project Their captors ignored the rules of war and any vestige of humanitarian conduct. With few exceptions the deaths of those who rest here in this cemetery could have been avoided.

The major sections of the Burma Thailand Railway were put through during the so called "speedo" period when monsoonal rains drenched the countryside for in excess of one hundred days. The Japanese were merciless task masters. They harassed, coerced and bludgeoned the prisoners during interminable hours of soul destroying work and brutal bashings were commonplace.

Lack of sufficient food was always a problem due partly to the remote and inaccessible country affecting supply but mostly to the refusal of the captors to provide adequately for men working hard and long. Prisoners subsisted on a totally inadequate ration of rice with little else by way of supplement. For the most part the prisoners were scantily clad and bootless.
They were also ravaged by endemic diseases such as malaria, amoebic dysentery, tropical ulcers and cholera. Avitaminosis in many forms constantly plagued the prisoners. In their weakened state most prisoners became victims to some or all of these diseases.

The Japanese provided practically nothing by way of medical supplies and absolutely nothing in the way of toilet supplies, thereby making it extremely difficult to ward off or cope with the life threatening diseases which pervaded every camp throughout the length of the railway. Unfortunately, this resulted in thousands of deaths which could have been avoided by the provision of adequate food and basic medical supplies.

These were indeed time of great suffering but the camaraderie and mateship among the prisoners was superb. Out at the workface the stronger men went to great lengths to support their weaker companions. Incidents of sheer courage and compassion abounded daily.

Doctors and medical orderlies working under atrocious conditions went far beyond the normal call of duty in treating their patients, including handling the effluent that gushed from the victims of cholera and amoebic dysentery.
Even when things seemed at the blackest the prisoners never wavered in their belief of an ultimate Allied victory. The Japanese had deprived them of all of the material things considered necessary in a regularly organized society and demeaned them at every opportunity but they never succeeded in depriving them of their dignity, self respect and sense of humor.

At all times throughout the three and half years the men were Prisoners of War and subject to extreme brutality and mistreatment it was the prospect of ultimate liberation that enabled so many of the prisoners to survive the ordeal. Always on hand were great mates to help along the way.

Thank you and May God bless you all.