Death Railway Revisited
Season 1
1. Everlasting Oblivion
2. Extreme Separation
3. Dante’s Inferno
4. Playing god every day
5. Beautiful Doughnuts
by Nicholas Fordham
I start my journey in Singapore and hear about the fall of the city in 1942 and what happened to the men who surrendered.
I travel from Singapore to Thailand by train along the same route used by those sent to work on the Death Railway. And I discover that it wasn’t just POWs who worked there.
I hear the the real story of the so-called ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ and visit the infamous Hellfire Pass.
I learn about the fatal diseases that were so prevalent on the Death Railway and also about the heroic doctors who did so much to help the sick under such challenging circumstances.
I discuss the lengths men would go to in order to survive on the railway and, with the railway complete, what happened next to those involved.
I attend the opening ceremony for a memorial for victims of the Death Railway and reflect on how people sought closure from their experiences of working on the railway.