Introduction

Quick Facts for the Death Railway

Introduction

Quick Facts

Why did this happen?

Map of the Burma-Siam Railway (click for larger view). Lost Battalion Association

Course: Ban Pong, Siam (now Thailand) to Thanbyuzyat, Burma
Distance: 273 miles
Construction begins: June 1942
Construction ends: October 1943
# of POWs who worked on railway: 55,000-61,000*
Death Rate of POWs: 20%-40%*

Many of the POW's who helped to build the Death Railway were captured when the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. At this time, there were approximately 80,000 British, Australian, and Indian troops within the city. Of the POWs who worked on the Death Railway, about half were British, another quarter were Australian, and the remaining twenty-five percent were Dutch, taken from the Dutch colonies in the Indies and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. There were also approximately 700 Americans who helped to construct the railway, but American soldiers were never a large part of the work force.

*Because the Japanese Army destroyed its POW records at the end of the war, it is hard to determine a precise figure for many key facts. Therefore, I have given a set of numbers that cover the most universally agreed upon range for these statistics.

This exhibit was researched and designed by Hill Davis.

This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002.

The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.

Quick Facts for the Death Railway
Introduction Quick Facts Why did this happen? Building the Railway Aftermath Conclusions Bibliography Museum Home	Map of the Burma-Siam Railway (click for larger view). Lost Battalion Association Course: Ban Pong, Siam (now Thailand) to Thanbyuzyat, Burma Distance: 273 miles Construction begins: June 1942 Construction ends: October 1943 # of POWs who worked on railway: 55,000-61,000* Death Rate of POWs: 20%-40%* Many of the POW's who helped to build the Death Railway were captured when the British surrendered Singapore to the Japanese on February 15, 1942. At this time, there were approximately 80,000 British, Australian, and Indian troops within the city. Of the POWs who worked on the Death Railway, about half were British, another quarter were Australian, and the remaining twenty-five percent were Dutch, taken from the Dutch colonies in the Indies and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. There were also approximately 700 Americans who helped to construct the railway, but American soldiers were never a large part of the work force. *Because the Japanese Army destroyed its POW records at the end of the war, it is hard to determine a precise figure for many key facts. Therefore, I have given a set of numbers that cover the most universally agreed upon range for these statistics. Next Page
This exhibit was researched and designed by Hill Davis. This exhibit and museum were created during an introductory seminar on the Asia-Pacific War, taught at Wake Forest University during the spring semester 2002. The material and opinions are those of their respective authors and do not represent the views of the University or the Department of History.