|
|
|
|
Rail Travel Siam
|
|
by W.C. Wilder
|
|
The promises of “Rest Camps” up north, persuaded many of the POW´s to volunteer to get away from Changi.
Trucks carried them to Singapore Railway Station, where they were put 31 to a truck. The trucks were used for the transport of cattle and were made of steel. During the day these trucks were very hot and at night very cold.
|
|
|
Cattle Trucks
|
|
by Leo Rawlings
|
|
© Copyright J.Mullender 1990
|
|
The doors did not shut properly and the rain would drive in, to sleep in these cramped quarters was near impossible.
The journey up the length of Malaya took in Kuala Lumpur and Prei Station, near the beautiful island of Penang, for some the monotony of the rubber plantations was overcome by reliving their retreat from the Japanese advance, but now they were travelling in the opposite direction.
Food was provided in a bucket, one bucket of boiled rice per truck per day, in the heat the rice went sour. At the daily stop at a station the food buckets were filled with the rice stew by an orderly. The guards did not ill-treat the prisoners, but the last man to fill his bucket would always receive a sharp reminder that last was not good.
|
|
|
Native Traders
|
|
by Leo Rawlings
|
|
© Copyright J.Mullender 1990
|
|
The new Thai border was now crossed, the Japanese had given the Thais the four northern states of Malaya. Whenever the train stopped at a station along the route, natives traded food for valuables, but as yet these were still Malays and no Thais. A Thai could be recognised by his slightly lighter complexion and the kind of scarf worn around their waist.
The Thai army had sentries at most stations and the Japanese had equipped them with Lee-Enfield rifles.
Most of the prisoners suffered from dysentery and the trucks had only one bucket per truck. Dysentery can cause a trip to the toilet about fifty times in a day, so the open door of the carriage had to be used to relieve themselves.
This necessity was carried out while the train was at speed, hanging from the door backwards and the rest of the passengers hoping the wind was in the right direction.
The Japanese did stop the train on occasions and the men had to throw away their modesty and squat by the line.
|
|
|
Dysentry Strikes
|
|
by Leo Rawlings
|
|
© Copyright J.Mullender 1990
|
|
Now the rubber plantations had given way to paddy fields. Each paddy field was ankle deep in water and was enclosed by a raised earth mound. The water did hold small fish, providing another form of diet for the Thais.
On reaching Ban Pong the men were very tired, filthy and their limbs ached from their cramped quarters.
They carried their kit out of the trucks into the station yard, no transport awaited them so they had to walk to their first camp through the Ban Pong streets.
|
|
|
Thailand Trek
|
|
by Leo Rawlings
|
|
© Copyright J.Mullender 1990
|
|
Ban Pong had a population of about 5,000 Thais. The main street was very muddy and held little shops with grubby looking markets down the side streets.
|
|
|
Arrival at Ban Pong
|
|
by Leo Rawlings
|
|
© Copyright J.Mullender 1990
|
|
Their destination was Ban Pong Camp.
From Ban Pong the men walked to their next destination, for some it would a short journey, for others like “F” Force it would mean a long trek upcountry and the loss of many on the way.
Where were these promises of Rest Camps, the prisoners were never to find them, instead they were the workforce for building a railway for the Japanese where the death toll was to be, for every three prisoners, one survived, for the natives the loss of life was horrendous.
|
