Original HQ camp for 'F' Force. The first 700 Australians to arrive were separated from the rest of the force and became Pond's Party.

Despite all of our precautions, early in May 1943, the first cases of cholera appeared in Nike POW Camp. Hundreds of prisoners were soon to be infected and before the epidemic came to it’s end 300 of them had died. Their bodies were cremated and the ashes put in a box, which was buried in the camp cemetery.

An estimated 1800 POWs died of cholera. After the war, the remains of all prisoners whose burial places were known were assembled and re-buried in the three Allied war cemeteries. The ashes of the cholera victims were re-interred in a common grave at the Kanchanaburi cemetery. Their names are inscribed on the wall of the memorial pavilion built there.

From Neil´s Story

Here somewhere in Thailand, very close to Burma, at a Kampong called Nikki, we had only a very limited space in which to move around, probably 200 X 400 yards. This did not give the fellows any chance for a walk or any change at all.

There were up to 10 cases of cholera and suspects but seems to be clear now.

From, Unknown Soldier. Taken from “My World War ll Travels”

“F” Force

The truck lurches slowly along the road to Sonkurai (1943) Before we had even reached Lower Nikki Colonel Harris Came to greet us and told us Nikki proper was only two miles across the river and if we wanted we could go there straight away.

Nikki, was the main base for seven camps of F Force, dispersing over a seventeen-mile stretch all the way to Three Pagodas Pass. Lower or Shimo Nikki, was the southernmost of the working camps allotted to F Force.

Colonel F.J.Dillon, Indian Army was in charge of Nikki. The British and Australian prisoners numbered around 600.

The Main British Camp. Koreans and Japanese always presented a rosy picture of any situation but a Korean I had known in Changi told me while I was in Nikki that Sonkurai was taihen. Bloody terrible. Cholera was sweeping through the camp. The Japanese engineers were savage and the rations desperately scant. I was only in Nikki for four days and had to travel to Sonkurai.

From, To The River Kwai. (Unknown Author)

“F” Force

28th May 1943

Terrible shock: Natives who get sick go out a few yards or chains from others and lie in wet and cold till death! I saw it myself, two dying first night we got here. They were dying in the next hut too, moaning all night. Later, they were taken Into the bush to die, then, when they were dead, were hardly covered with soil.

They had not the slightest idea of hygiene or sanitation - no lavatory at all - just leave their excreta outside their huts anywhere for flies to carry germs to food. They are just filthy, and the flies that are bred . . . they exist In millions! It would he no wonder If a terrible epidemic of disease broke out here in this new Camp.

1June 1943

Back at the last Camp - by the river, 3 miles back - over 60 Englishmen died, nearly all of cholera in the last few days.

The Japs have now given us alternative days to work, one for them, then one day to work for the benefit of the Camp cleaning, clearing stumps, getting wood for the cookhouse and odd work - with some time to ourselves.

3 June

The English who marched with us 9 days ago, and are camped ahead of us at a place on the  Burma Border, have had disasterous losses of comrades since arriving. In the last nine days they have had 33 men die from cholera - 12 died two days ago. This place certainly seems to be a white man's grave.

Major Hunt came to this Camp this afternoon and gave anti-cholera vaccine to all those who did not get their second dose. I recieved mine today.

Since leaving Singapore 2 months ago, we have lost 500 men dead out of the force of 7,000 “F” Force - through disease, exhaustion and malnutrition.

Private GBW (Glen) Skewes

Keeping The Candle Burning

In Memory of FEPOW Family Loved Ones

Who Suffered in the Far East

Thanks for all the support

Designed by Ronnie Taylor

Ronnie.Taylor@fepow.family

© Copyright FEPOW Family