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All the Information in the ‘FEPOW Family’ belongs to the writer and are not ‘Public Domain’. Permission must be obtained before any part is copied or used.
Killed in Action
Royal Army Medical Corps
197 Field Ambulance
History
Compiled by Ron Taylor
Thailand-Burma Railway
The June Parties were the first to be entrained to Thailand, starting 18th June 1942. The PoWs were used to ready the Service Yard and atapi shelters as living quarters for the Work parties to start arriving in October 1942 and arrived throughout 1942 up to ‘H’ force in May 1943.
The highest deaths were in ‘F’ force who left Singapore. They travelled for five days to Thailand in the cattle trucks, Thirty PoWs to a truck in very cramped conditions, with just a bucket as a toilet.
Cattle trucks to Thailand
by Charles Thrale
After arriving at Bampong, the PoWs were ordered off and had a nearly a mile walk to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.
After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions left them at this staging camp.
Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.
After one month in these appalling conditions they reached Songkurai, with many of the PoWs dropping out along the almost 300km route.
‘F’ Force Summery
|
|
British
|
Australian
|
Total
|
|
Departed April 1943
|
3336
|
3664
|
7000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Returned Dec. 1943 - Sime Road
|
175
|
165
|
340
|
|
Returned Dec. 1943 - Changi
|
835
|
2060
|
2895
|
|
Returned Apr. 1944 - Changi
|
295
|
411
|
706
|
|
|
1305
|
2636
|
3941
|
|
Less Died at Changi
|
17
|
32
|
49
|
|
|
1288
|
2604
|
3892
|
|
I.J.A. Custody (Including Changi Hosp.)
|
11
|
|
11
|
|
Alive as at 30th Apr. 1944
|
1299
|
2604
|
3903
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Died Thailand Burma Railway
|
2013
|
1014
|
3027
|
|
Died Changi
|
17
|
32
|
49
|
|
Missing
|
7
|
14
|
21
|
|
Total Casualties
|
2037
|
1060
|
3097
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty Percentage
|
61.03%
|
28.95%
|
44.21%
|
|
Because of the PoW and Romusha deaths mounting on the railway, many of the Field Ambulance left in ‘K’ Force in June 1943 as medics to care for the sick along the railway course, They did what they could with very limited medical supplies.
Excerpts from ‘Mr Sam’ Far Eastern Heroes by Ray Watson
On the 28th day of June 1943, our men and friends left for the journey to, what we all knew as; ‘The Infamous Railway’ which was to sacrifice so many lives. Nearly all of the ‘fit’ men, if anyone could call them fit that is, went to the Railway.
One night in December 1943 we were told to standby in the hospital. The Japanese informed us that a number of our colleagues were returning from the Railway. We waited patiently with gladdened hearts that we would see our mates again. Our PoW Colleagues entered at the far end of our hospital.
Never in my whole life have I ever seen such a heart-rending sight as met my eyes that day. Many tales have been told about that Railway and the tortures that our men endured in the building of it, but to see those poor souls dragging their drained carcasses into that hospital filled my eyes with tears. I wept that day for those walking dead.
I would have certainly made those vicious Japanese bastards pay dearly for what they did to those poor boys and indeed for every Prisoner of War. The atrocities were of such high order as to churn the guts of the hardest men. No words can ever explain the sickening sights that went on and I have no intention of even trying to describe them. One would have had to see them with their own eyes to realise the magnitude of that horrifying scene.
Nearly all of those men died before dawn broke, they had been literally worked to death.
The railway tracks from Burma and Thailand were joined at Konkoita in October 1943.
The price paid 12,614 Allied deaths
Plus an estimated 80,000 Romusha (Native Labour) deaths.
Death Roll
Thailand-Burma Railway
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Died
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Name
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Service/No
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 |
1943/05/27
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King, Raymond Leonard
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T/191074
|
|
1943/05/31
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Dykins, Osmond Kenneth
|
T/198401
|
|
1943/06/22
|
Moseley, Alfred Eric
|
7383142
|
|
1943/08/18
|
Bradley, Charles
|
7374110
|
|
1943/10/01
|
Galsworthy, Lewis Thomas
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T/181578
|
|
1943/10/29
|
Chilton, Stanley Ernest
|
7521748
|
|
1943/11/25
|
Waple, Ronald Edwin
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T/85374
|
|
1943/11/27
|
Gibbs, Albert George (Bert)
|
T/181560
|
|
1944/03/17
|
Godsalve, Frederick George
|
7368858
|
|
1944/06/22
|
Austin, Douglas
|
7344041
|
|
|
