Wandering Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi

Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi, was built by prisoners of war (POWs) for the Thai-Burma railway for the Japanese in 1942-43. In the previous post, Visit to River Kwai, we saw how the area became a popular tourist attraction, immortalised by the film Bridge over the River Kwai.

Our visit to Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi

We visited the biggest site of war graves at Kanchanaburi, north of Bangkok, Thailand and started to learn more details about the horrific suffering of those involved in building the railway. A feat previously dismissed as impossible by the British.

The Thai-Burma railway was needed to supply the Japanese forces in Burma as the Japanese naval strength had been depleted, and the overland route was considered preferable to the sea routes.

The railway was constructed by units working on its entire 415 km length, but an area called Hellfire Pass symbolised the horror’s height.

The History of Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi

The Japanese needed to finish as quickly as possible and decided to use more than 60,000 Allied prisoners mostly British, Australian and Dutch for the work, when it was proving difficult to complete to their timescales, they added a further 200,000 Asian labourers.

Because 13,000 of the prisoners were from Australia the area holds special significance to  Australians and Hellfire Pass a deep cutting outside of the town of Kanchanaburi is especially significant. In the early 1940’s it was here that many of the POW’s were housed, the tricky geographical area gave rises to bridges and embankments.

The significance of Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi to Australians

The area fell to the jungle after the war, but it was reclaimed in the 1980s. The Australian Government built the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum in 1988. The area is now a popular memorial spot for all nationalities.

It is particularly significant for Australians on Anzac Day, and the Dawn Service and other events draw visitors from across the globe.

You can take a walk along the paths and imagine the horrors of working impossibly long hours in the tropical humid conditions, where the tropical disease was rife, and the POWs were starved of food and adequate medical supplies.

Over 12,000 POWs, including more than 2700 Australians, died. The number of Asian rōmushadead workers is unknown, but it was probably up to 90,000.

Now, it is a tranquil area of reflection, a beautiful landscape that hides war’s horrors.

When you walk through Hellfire Pass and remember that this was totally man-made, you can gain some appreciation given the huge size of the cutting. We are sweating like mad just walking through.

The POWs worked in torrid conditions, and their bravery and courage are remembered. The site is dotted with handwritten notes, flags, and mementoes. One that stands out is a small koala.

Flags of Remembrance at Hellfire Pass, Kanchanaburi, Thailand