Further Reading
Books by podcast guests:
Rod Beattie
The Death Railway, A brief history of the Thailand-Burma Railway
A concise and comprehensive history of the Thai-Burma Railway. All the information you need on the railway is in this book.
Brian Farrell
The Defence and Fall of Singapore
A very impressive and extensive account of the Battle for Singapore.
Sarah Kovner
Prisoners of the Empire: Inside Japanese POW Camps
A thought provoking book analysing the Japanese treatment of POWs during the Second World War.
Julie Summers
The Colonel of Tamarkan, Philip Toosey and the Bridge on the River Kwai
A wonderful biography of an amazing man.
Memoirs & diaries quoted in the podcast:
All of these are interesting in their own way. It’s worth reading a couple, at least, to see how different each man’s experience was.
Harold Atcherly
Prisoner of Japan
John Coast
Railroad of Death
Eric Lomax
The Railway Man
E.E. Dunlop
The War diaries of Weary Dunlop
David Nelson
The story of Changi, Singapore
Cary Owtram
1000 Days on the River Kwai
Ian Denys Peak
One fourteenth of an Elephant
Reg Twigg
Survivor on the River Kwai
Stanley Pavillard
Bamboo Doctor
Unpublished:
F. E. Stahl
Autobiography of a PWJ
Frank Murray
The Belfast Doctor, The POW Diaries of Dr. Frank Murray
Other memoirs:
Alistair Urquhart
Forgotten Highlander
Laurens Van der Post
The Night of the New Moon
Secondary sources:
Peter Brune
Descent into Hell
An exhaustive account of the Australian experience in Singapore, Malaya and on the Death Railway in Thailand and Burma.
Peter Fyans
Conjuror on the Kwai, the incredible life of Fergus Anckorn
Biography of a man who was lucky to survive a massacre in Singapore and then subsequently worked on the Death Railway, using magic as a way to survive and earn extra food.
Brian MacArthur
Surviving the sword, Prisoners of the Japanese, 1942-45
A book that tells of the many experiences of POWs in Asia during the Second World War. Full of fascinating personal anecdotes.
Gavan McCormack and Hank Nelson
The Burma-Thai Railway
An interesting book with several contributors – including Aiko Utsumi – writing about the Death Railway from very different perspectives.
Colin Smith
Singapore Burning
Another very good book on the battle for Singapore.
Novels:
Pierre Boule
The Bridge over the River Kwai
The novel that inspired the film. Boule was French and never worked on the Death Railway. He was, however, imprisoned in French Indochina during the war. When he heard about the death railway he thought it a perfect setting for his book. Interestingly, he also wrote the Planet of the Apes.
James Clavell
King Rat
Clavell was incarcerated in Changi during the war. This book gives a very vivd account of the racketeering and black markets that went on in and around Changi. Strong on atmosphere.
JG Farrell
Singapore Grip
A terrific satire of British colonial rule. Set during the fall of Singapore, the hypocrisy of the colonialists is laid bare. Farrell is an engaging writer. I’d also recommend his book set during the Indian Mutiny – The Siege of Krishnapur
Richard Flanagan
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
An excellent novel. The wartime exploits of the protagonist are based on‘Weary’ Dunlop’s experiences.
David Piper
Trial by battle
A really atmospheric novel set during Malayan campaign. Piper fought in Malaya and spent most of the war in captivity.
Films:
Bridge on the River Kwai
The classic movie. A terrific film but, it has to be stressed, it is based on a novel!
King Rat
A superb adaptation of the Clavell novel. Excellent (mainly British) cast.
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence
Perhaps a little overdramatic at times, but a great soundtrack by Ryuichi Sakamoto, and the Lawrence character, played by the wonderful Tom Conti, provides some ballast.
Railway Man
Based on Eric Lomax’s book. Great performances from the entire cast, although I have slight reservations about how the film takes a few liberties with the story.
A Town Called Alice
A film, set in Malaya during the war, that gives a good idea of the confusion at the time and the Japanese inability to cope with all their new captives. Lovely performances from Virginia McKenna and Peter Finch.
Places to visit:
The Death Railway Museum
The museum you have to go to if you visit Kanchanburi. If you have relatives who you believe worked on the Death Railway the team at TBRC will be happy to help you find out where they were and what happened to them.
Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre
Well worth a visit. If you have the time walk to all three cuttings – the further you go the less people there are. There are some beautiful vistas along the way. The visitor’s centre is very informative.
Changi Chapel and Museum
A good little museum with a great audioguide full of anecdotes about life in Changi. Why not pop in here for an hour before you fly home from Changi airport?
I Love Phants Lodge
Wildfire Friends Foundation Thailand is a wonderful organisation that does so much hard work for rescued animals – not just elephants. If you’re in Thailand and in the Hua Hin area you can stay with them and wake up to elephants wandering past your bedroom window!