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All the Information in the ‘FEPOW Family’ belongs to the writer and are not ‘Public Domain’. Permission must be obtained before any part is copied or used.
Killed in Action
Royal Army Medical Corps
198 Field Ambulance
History
Compiled by Ron Taylor
Thailand-Burma Railway
The June Parties were the first to be entrained to Thailand, starting 18th June 1942. The PoWs were used to ready the Service Yard and attap shelters as living quarters for the Work Parties to start arriving from October 1942 to the medics in ‘L’ Force, August 1943.
The highest deaths were in ‘F’ force who left Singapore. They were the sick from Singapore, some taken from hospital. They travelled for five days to Thailand in the cattle trucks, Thirty PoWs to a truck in very cramped conditions, with just a bucket as a toilet, many of the already had dysentery.
Cattle trucks to Thailand
by Charles Thrale
After arriving at Bampong, the PoWs were ordered off and had a nearly a mile walk to a transit camp where they were then informed they would be marching North West along the railway route in 14 mile stages. Many of the PoWs tried to sell their possessions to the Thais but not at a good price as the Thais knew the the PoWs from ‘F’ Force were already in bad shape and could not carry their baggage for long.
After two days of walking through the night, as it was too hot in the daylight sun, they reached the small town of Kanchanaburi. Many who tried to carry their possessions, left them at this staging camp.
Walking at night caused many problems as the track was uneven with bamboo shoots cutting into their feet, in time tropical ulcers would form.
After one month in these appalling conditions they reached Songkurai, with many of the PoWs dropping out along the almost 300km route.
‘F’ Force Summery
|
|
British
|
Australian
|
Total
|
|
Departed April 1943
|
3336
|
3664
|
7000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Returned Dec. 1943 - Sime Road
|
175
|
165
|
340
|
|
Returned Dec. 1943 - Changi
|
835
|
2060
|
2895
|
|
Returned Apr. 1944 - Changi
|
295
|
411
|
706
|
|
|
1305
|
2636
|
3941
|
|
Less Died at Changi
|
17
|
32
|
49
|
|
|
1288
|
2604
|
3892
|
|
I.J.A. Custody (Including Changi Hosp.)
|
11
|
|
11
|
|
Alive as at 30th Apr. 1944
|
1299
|
2604
|
3903
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Died Thailand Burma Railway
|
2013
|
1014
|
3027
|
|
Died Changi
|
17
|
32
|
49
|
|
Missing
|
7
|
14
|
21
|
|
Total Casualties
|
2037
|
1060
|
3097
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Casualty Percentage
|
61.03%
|
28.95%
|
44.21%
|
|
Because of the PoW and Romusha deaths mounting on the railway, many of the Field Ambulance left for Thailand in June 1943 with ‘K’ Force. This ‘Force’ contained 30 Medical Officers and 200, orderlies and were to care for the sick along the railway course.
They did what they could with very limited medical supplies.
The railway tracks from Burma and Thailand were joined at Konkoita in October 1943.
The price paid 12,614 Allied deaths
Plus an estimated 80,000 Romusha (Native Labour) deaths.
Death Roll
Thailand-Burma Railway
| |
Died
|
Name
|
Service/No
|
 |
1943/05/25
|
Bantock, Alfred
|
7258779
|
|
1943/06/01
|
Brown, Horace
|
T/211236
|
|
1943/06/02
|
Rogers, Henry Harold
|
7379467
|
|
1943/06/12
|
Hamilton, John Alexander
|
7386509
|
|
1943/07/04
|
Newton, Frank
|
T/232968
|
|
1943/07/17
|
Goudie, Charles
|
T/227400
|
|
1943/07/19
|
Oldroyd, Norman
|
7380723
|
|
1943/08/16
|
Juckes, Reginald
|
T/175389
|
|
1943/08/19
|
Allen, Percy Scott
|
T/154768
|
|
1943/08/26
|
Alexander, David George
|
T/81208
|
|
1943/10/11
|
Harker, Jack
|
T/175462
|
|
1943/11/14
|
Willis, Percy Edward
|
7372031
|
|
1943/11/30
|
Linford, Roy Wilfred
|
T/168315
|
|
1944/11/16
|
Bellringer, Francis Arthur Herbert
|
T/118234
|
|
1945/07/19
|
Carnegie, Alexander
|
T/234415
|
|
|
