Memories Of The Burma Siam Railway
Bill Haskell Ex WX3279 2/3RD Machine Gun Battalion

As one of the prisoners who were forced to labour on the construction of the Burma Siam Railway by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War two I consider it both an honour and a privilege to pay a tribute to those thousands of servicemen who laboured long and hard on that infamous project. Early this morning in the solemnity and eerie beauty of Hellfire Pass our traditional Anzac Dawn Service honoured the sacrifice of all service people who had fallen in all wars. Although the service was conducted in an area that had witnessed much suffering and distress an inescapable sensation of serenity and appropriateness was present. That service commemorated the courage, devotion to duty and sacrifice of life itself of the Anzac forces at Gallipoli and later in the Middle East, France and Belgium during World War One.

Earlier wars in which we had been engaged as a Nation had produced bitter fighting and huge casually lists but the opposing forces invariably respected each other in observing the conventional rules of warfare particularly in dealing with the sick and wounded and with prisoners of war.

Here in the hallowed grounds of this cemetery are the remains of seven thousand Allied Servicemen whose captors ignored the rules of war and any vestige of humanitarian conduct. With few exceptions their deaths could have been avoided had the captors not considered the completion of the railway more paramount than the welfare of the prisoners. In one form or other these men perished from overwork, malnutrition, brutal bashings and exposure to the elements and endemic diseases. These diseases could have been readily contained had adequate food and basic medical supplies been made available. Instead they were withheld. Doctors and medical staff had the mortification of losing patients unnecessarily. People were not important, as there were plenty of replacements from the conscripted labour force.

Work on the railway would have been hard for men in good physical condition but was an absolute nightmare for the prisoners. The long working hours, extreme harassment on the job, the starvation diet and lack of footwear or clothing made the prisoners completely vulnerable to the prevalent tropical diseases.

The medical officers and their staff in the numerous camps in Burma and Siam performed magnificently. Theirs was a never-ending struggle to ease the suffering of the sick. Diseases such as amoebic dysentery, malaria, pellagra, tropical ulcers, beri-beri and cholera were the constant companions of the prisoners, particularly during the "speedo" period at the height of the monsoon season.

Despite the unswerving dedication of the medical personnel these diseases
took a tremendous toll. Cholera patients were naturally put into isolation but the Japanese, because of their dread of the disease, insisted that the isolation areas were at the
greatest distances possible from what served as hospital lines. At Hintok Mountain Camp the cholera compound was placed in a swamp. What applied at Hintok would most certainly have been the case in similar compounds along the length of the Railway.

The following account is very relevant:

"Coming back to camp at night it was often necessary to skirt the cholera compound and there by the dim light of a slush lamps see the silhouettes of the medical staff against the tattered tents as they changed the drips on their cholera patients. There was so little protection from the incessant rain as their emaciated bodies lay on bamboo slats over a sea of mud. It was a time when the whole world seemed to have stopped still and centred
on this small valley at Hintok where men were fighting so desperately for their lives whilst being encouraged and nursed by the most dedicated of doctors and orderlies working under atrocious conditions. The work continued night and day throughout the epidemic as they handled the disease-ridden effluent that gushed from the stricken patients. If ever there was a labour of love this was one of the highest order".

People who attend theses ceremonies are a constant source of encouragement. They are representative of the post-war generations with a sprinkling of veterans. In most cases they have travelled thousands of kilometres to pay their respects to the fallen servicemen. They are deeply conscious of the ravages of war and recognise its utter futility. They are wonderful advocates for a world where people can live in peace and harmony.

Also in the gathering today are a number of young people including service cadets. These young people have been brought from Australia for the Annual Quiet Lion Pilgrimage, which has operated since 1985. These young people have taken on the grand task of 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.

These youngsters have learnt at first hand of the privations endured and the courage displayed in the face of great adversity. They will certainly use the knowledge gained to ensure, in some small way, that such a debacle will never be repeated.

May God bless you all.