Page 14 - Cadet Review Autumn 2024

 SCC
VISIT TO WAR CEMETERY
– KANCHANABURI,
THAILAND
By Leading Cadet Michael Southall
In the heart of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, lies a Cemetery, the final resting place for nearly 7,000 Allied Prisoners of World War II.
These men perished during the construction of the infamous Death Railway. The Bridge on the River Kwai became an iconic symbol of WWII and was constructed by prisoners, where they experienced forced labour and deprivation under the harsh supervision of the Japanese Army, The Bridge was part of the Death Railway which was intended to connect Thailand and Burma to support Japanese military operations. The gruelling work, brutal conditions and rampant disease claimed the lives of thousands, which earned the railway its name.
The cemetery and grounds are meticulously maintained and walking through the rows of gravestones surrounded by greenery, it is hard to contrast the brutality of the conditions suffered by the prisoners against the tranquility of what we saw, experienced and read. Each gravestone is marked with a name, rank and epitaph.
These men experienced forced labour and deprivation under
the harsh supervision of the Japanese Army.
Junior Cadets from TS Iron Duke had placed messages and their signatures on crosses given to them. As I was visiting Thailand with my father, we offered to take the crosses with us. The message from TS Iron Duke was WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
We also visited a museum, which contained artifacts of the construction and displays showing the conditions of the prisoners.
For me, the visit was an experience I will never forget, particularly reading the personal stories left at the cemetery from grieving families
14 CADET REVIEW AUTUMN 2024