Who Was The Real Hero of The Bridge On The River Kwai?

[@cheshirepiper9254]

Thanks very much, my wife's Grandfather was captured at Singapore and ended up on the railway and building the actual bridge. Happily he survived. My wife tells me he mocked the film.I also saw his paybook giving his discharge and medical details, a very long list of diseases endured. An absolute miracle he survived.

[@davegoldsmith4020]

I had an operation in RAF Ely in the eighties, when in the RAF. They also treated a lot of ex FEPOW,s for a large number of diseases. The old guy in the bed next to me being one. He told me he had been in Ely in 1945 for an emergency operation, being so weak and malnourished he ended up in a coma for a few weeks, forty years later he was back for another operation, very nervous. I told him about my uncle wally, also captured in Singapore, and on the railway. Being laid up for a couple of days after our operations we chatted for hours and hours. Him and my uncle were on my mind when I visited the bridge and graveyard close by. Your wife’s grandfather, and all those who survived were very special people, although most never wanted to talk about that time, they never forgot those they left behind, nor should we. I hope your wife’s grandfather lived to a good age, he deserved it.

[@cheshirepiper9254]

@@davegoldsmith4020 Thankyou, he did, I would have loved to have met him. He became a local postie, I also saw red cross letters. A local guy who worked with my dad had a brother who never made it back from there. A terrible shame.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@cheshirepiper9254a debt of gratitude to them all...Mrs C, s da served in the Chindits in Burma and suffered bouts of malaria all his life...RIP...

[@mickcraven980]

Have you read "King Rat"? Great book!

[@cheshirepiper9254]

@@mickcraven980 I have indeed but around 30 years ago. I must reread at some point. Thankyou

[@johnhudghton3535]

That true story should become a remake of the film. It would honour the courage, honour, bravery and faith of the men who served.

[@TheHistoryChap]

An interesting suggestion. Who knows what will happen in the future?

[@Antonnick]

I am afraid that in my cynisism, there never will be a film ( if indeed it is important that one be made?) The British would never finance such a venture, US Americans could but as Sir Toosey was British, they would have no interest. Australians might though. That aside - a great documentary you have put together "history chap" - many thanks.

[@billt6116]

This and they should do a movie about the batan Garrison, And the death March that they endured. Ray Pasco, A neighbor was a survivor.

[@Ron-d2s]

@@TheHistoryChap "Burma!" "Why did you shout Burma?" " I panicked."

[@PauloPereira-jj4jv]

Nonsense. You can not rewrite Pierre Boule's book, wich was the base for the film.

[@stevenholt4936]

Thanks for this, Chris. My wife and I spent our honeymoon in and around Kanchanaburi (she is Thai). The river Kwae Noi flowed at the bottom of the garden outside our bedroom. We were about to descend into the 'Death railway ' cutting near the then (23 years ago) new museum when we noticed an elderly gent sitting on a bench. He was an Aussie and former POW who had worked on the railway. His wife and children were down in the cutting but he was too frail to make the trip - he had been twice before. I cannot tell you the contempt he felt for the portrayal in the film. Bearing out your comments, he said they went as slow as they could and did their utmost to sabotage the project. Incidentally, the museum that moved us more than the flashy new one built by the Aussies, was a small, ramshackle affair comprising mainly yellowing newspaper cuttings. It was built and paid for by a former Japanese soldier on the railway who repented of his behaviour and became a Buddhist monk in Thailand for a while after the war and created this museum. He, we later learnt, was the translator in Alan Lomax's account of the events in his book, 'The Railway Man.' I believe it was turned into a film many years later but I haven't watched it: films take too many liberties with the facts in my eyes.

[@wampuscat1831]

Yep the vets hated most war movies as stupid

[@12dougreed]

Hi I also live in Thailand, I have been many times to the Kwai also Hellfire Pass Where the Musium is situated. Unbelievable the amount of rock they had to move to create the pass.

[@chriskirkman5425]

Excellent movie😢

[@georgelintott9943]

Hello, one of my uncles was a "Chindit" he was in command of some Gurkhas in the jungle, they sometimes came within speaking distance to many of these " P.O.W's. ", to which they supplied food and medicines at the risk of being captured by the Jap's.

[@brettmccardle9303]

The railway man movie is really good

[@derekp2674]

Thanks Chris. As for all the prisoners who died or suffered there, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

[@TheHistoryChap]

I am intending to do a video about the Kohima Epitaph for 11th November

[@Johnson-9871]

You'll remember them then go about your day while it doesn't occupy my mind

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

@@Johnson-9871 what?!!?

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@TheHistoryChapvery poignant...

[@derrickchapman3870]

WE will remember them.

[@SilverDreamer62]

One of the best history segments you've ever done. Thank You for helping to right a wrong and set the record straight.

[@TheHistoryChap]

That’s very kind of you thank you

[@martinhogg5337]

Thanks for putting the record straight!

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for watching

[@spikeyflo]

My mother, as an Australian Army physiotherapist, treated many returned POWs after the war. I also had no idea about Toosey. Great respect to Brig. Toosey. I knew nothing of Sgt Saito either. All very fascinating. Thank You. Mike Floyd

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story.

[@Simon.the.Likeable]

Walking through the cemetery on Anzac Day some years ago now and being bought to tears at the sight of the graves of those cut down in the flower of their youth, I realised there were so many heroes of the River Kwai. Still, Smedley Bulter was 100% correct when he said, "War is a racket."

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for sharing your journey. Must’ve been a poignant moment.

[@petersteen4014]

As is said, "never let the truth get in the way of a good story." Thank you Chris, from the son of a Royal Australian Engineer, 1st Field Coy, 6th Division, PNG campaign. I truly do believe much of his war experience was an important reason for me becoming a History teacher in Australia, later moving to Japan, [!] teaching English as a Foreign Language, then relocating to S/E Asia for a final career shift.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Apologies for not writing before this to thank you for watching, my video, glad you enjoyed it.

[@alanssnackbardailyrelaxati8155]

Great work as ever. Thank you. Growing up in the 70s, i remember my grandfather had an absolute hatred of the Japanese, refusing to buy anything from Japan. Guess he or friends or family had some horrendous experience during this time.

[@TheHistoryChap]

A former POW live down my road in Nottingham

[@jameshepburn4631]

Many of my friends in Singapore & Malaysia disliked the Japanese and made no bones about it, especially the older folks who had lived through the Japanese occupation.

[@myparceltape1169]

He was not the only one. And he was only a witness to the state of some of the liberated soldiers.

[@gordonfrickers5592]

Likewise, my uncle, he never ever bought a Japanese product, never forgave their cruelties. As bad as anything Hamas has been doing in our time.

[@MarkDenson-ld8bf]

Thank you that was an excellent video and quite emotional especially the ending Total Respect

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching. If you haven’t already, please do subscribe to my channel here on KZbin

[@sandybarrie5526]

what a fantastic Tribute you have made. My father lost 2 cousins on the railway, and i visited the Australian part of that Cemetery near the bridge, and it was superbly kept.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story.

[@yvoheaton6402]

Some years ago whilst working in Thailand I had the opportunity to visit the area. Very moving as was the walk through Hell Fire Pass and all the history of that too. The detailed information boards erected by Australian Army were very informative. One cannot imagine the heat and toil the prisoners went through.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Wow, I bet your trip was thought provoking and maybe even emotional

[@desfourie528]

Thank you from South Africa

[@TheHistoryChap]

My pleasure, thanks for watching

[@MawieStevens]

I saw the film and made the trip to kanchanburi in 1993 and travelled on the railway....thank you for your excellent presentation.❤❤❤❤❤

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@harryshriver6223]

A wonderfully told story which page respect can the man who survived and the men who died . The portrayal of lieutenant colonel Tooaey should be redone in modern times so that his real story can be told. I agree with the fact he was slighted by the film portrayal of him as a collaborator. Kudos to you, Chris, for your accuracy and your passion for history

[@TheHistoryChap]

Harry, thanks for your thoughtful comment. Glad you enjoyed the video.

[@Ugnaught82]

My father served in the US Marine Corps in WW2, first in a Defense Battalion, then a AAA Battalion, then last in the 4th Regiment, 6th Marine Division. My Mother told me after he died that it took about two years after the war before he stopped waking up in the night, failing his arms and screaming. She said that the radio had a doctor telling wives what to do, so she would leap out of bed, go to the door, and call his name softly until he came to his senses. She said once he cried bitterly because he was afraid he'd hurt her. He wasn't bitter toward the Japanese that I ever saw, and he once expressed to me that the Japanese soldiers were well trained and completely dedicated. During the war, he managed to mail home a lot of stuff. Today I have a large box filled with small Japanese flags, pictures of him and his friends, Japanese military stuff, and a lot of paperwork from his service.

[@BAM-jc7uy]

my dad (d.1951) had same back home experiences and a suitcase fiilled with like items. dad (200th coast art. +) survived the oryoku maru and was prisoner at fukuoka camp 17. We also grew up non-bitter towards the Japanese. nice to meet you. gr-granny NM

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story.

[@Angusmum]

Yes, some of the POW, despite their personal tragic stories, managed to remember that not all Japanese are cruel. My own father spent time in Tamarkan (Kwai) but he was also in railway camps deep in the jungle, including the worst ones around Hellfire Pass. When he was liberated he weighed six stone (84 pounds/36Kg). Yet in his mind an incredibly he managed to separate the idea of men who were cruel from the rest of the conscripts and told me that I should remember that not all Japanese were evil.

[@aislinnkeilah7361]

A remarkable podcast setting the record straight.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to listen

[@johnquayle7479]

I have visited the Thai / Burma railway and also went for a journey on the train. It is simply amazing with all the cuttings, jungle etc. Some really breath taking scenery as well. The war graves are kept in pristine condition. It brings a tear to the eye to see so many from around the Commonwealth and other parts of the world together, where they perished building this railway. If you're in Thailand for a visit, it's well worth the effort to visit this place.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for the recommendation. And thanks for watching my video too

[@tsunkitchiu6877]

I paid a visit in Thailand for a week about 40 years ago but didn't have a chance to visit that area. I am anticipating another guided tour for 11 days in March, 2024 including a visit to the museum at the Bridge on The River Kwai.

[@snorkherder]

Thank you for telling their story, so we can understand the horror they went through.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video

[@horfieldboy9478]

Great video. I had the opportunity to visit the place of the bridge on remembrance day a few years ago. We visited the cemetery, possibly the most moving day of my life, reading the tributes to the fallen soldiers, all in their early 20's. Unbelievable cruelty but that is the nature of war. I read a book about Toosey just after my visit and he sounds like a true hero and couldn't be further from the Alex Guinness portrayal. I seem to recall it was reported he lobbied the local high command to counter attack the Japanese at Singapore which historians believe would have almost certainly succeeded due to the very stretched resources of the Japanese at that point.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Interesting point about Singapore. I haven’t heard that so thanks for sharing.

[@brianperkins4155]

Thank You.

[@TheHistoryChap]

You're welcome

[@lorlabear]

You may be interested to know that Frank Pantridge - the doctor from Northern Irelad, who invested the heart defibrilator - was a Japanese POW. His hands were so wrecked that he was unable to carry out an operations after the war. Hence his diversification into other types of medicine. subject for a future video?!

[@StevenKeery]

Lorlabear: I think you mean invented, not invested the portable defibrillator.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Kudos....

[@AncoraImparoPiper]

You are not correct. The external defibrillator as known today was invented by Electrical Engineer William Kouwenhoven in 1930.

[@daveferguson935]

​@@AncoraImparoPiperHe IS correct! Frank Pantridge invented the portable defibrillator. He was a cardiologist from Northern Ireland. A simple search would confirm this.

[@AncoraImparoPiper]

@@daveferguson935 He invented the *portable* defibrillator. Not the defibrillator.

[@Fred-px5xu]

As great as the "The Bridge On The River Kwai" was. I hated the portrayal of lead actor. And that the real story of infamous bridge would be told. And you did just as I hoped, and your narration was spot on. Thank you for bringing joy too an elderly gentleman. God bless you and family!🎉

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & apologies for late reply.

[@JoeC-h1h]

Thank you for the history lesson. Lt. Colonel Toosey was a honorable man and a hero. Humanity needs more men like him. After watching what hell he and his men went through, I‘ll just say,,, I have no problems.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to comment

[@michaelmalone9062]

I remember watching the fictional film in 1960. Thanks for bringing truth to the story of the Bridge on the River Kwai. And thanks for honoring the real Lt. Colonel commander of the POW's. "History Chap" you do an outstanding job of teaching us history in an outstanding way.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed the video and thank you for your very kind comment. If you haven’t already, please do subscribe to my channel

[@michaelmalone9062]

Yes, I'm a subscriber. Thanks for your good work.

[@DrPowerElectronics]

I had a good friend who was a Japanese POW. The horror of it was such that he never said much. On seeing a streaker he said, ‘I’ve seen too many naked men and don’t want to see another’. Simple but shocking. I believe he was a wartime Major.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for sharing. There was a former POW who live down my road when I lived in Nottingham.

[@Paladin1873]

The author of the book on which the movie is based was Pierre Boulle, himself a Free French agent who was captured by Vichy loyalists in Indochina in 1943 and subjected to harsh treatment. After the war he wrote the highly fictional novel. Your recounting of some of the actual events is a rare and refreshing treat for those of us who have studied WWII history and would like to see the record set straight. To this end I'd like to tell a highly truncated companion story involving a late friend of mine who was born and raised on the island of Bali before the war. His father was the military commander of colonial Indonesian forces there, so Carl enjoyed a privileged, but strict and colorful military upbringing. As luck would have it, Carl was attending the Dutch version of West Point (or Sandhurst) in Holland when his home country was invaded by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war serving in the Underground, eventually assisting British ground forces during their drive to liberate the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the Dutch East Indies remained independent but unable to assist. This became a moot point when the Empire of Japan invaded the Indonesian island chain in January of 1942. His father's engineering battalion retreated to the jungles and fought the Japanese for months until their supplies ran out. After their surrender they became part of the group of Dutch POWs who were pressed into constructing the Railway of Death. Carl would not see his father again until he returned to the Far East following the Japanese surrender in 1945. It was then that he learned the details of his father's plight. Major (later Colonel) Hazenberg's experiences in many ways mirrored those of both LTC (Brigadier) Toosey and the fictional Colonel Nicholson. When he refused to order his men to work on the railway, he was beaten and put in a hot box, but he did not break. Eventually the camp commander had to negotiate a deal with him. In exchange for their labor, he promised adequate rations and medical care, an action which saved many lives. When the war ended the Japanese commander surrendered his sword to Major Hazenberg, who later gave it to his son, Carl. I have seen and handled this sword, which remains in the family to this day.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to add that additional information to my comment section. Very much appreciated.

[@Paladin1873]

@@TheHistoryChap Soon all such memories of the past will be lost, save for those few fragments we post in the ether we call the internet.

[@normmcrae1140]

LOVE to hear the REAL STORY of the Death Railway. ESPECIALLY the story of Lt Col Toosey. Reading comments about other Japanese who repented after the War is a telling story, too.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to watch

[@MW-oq9pv]

My father, an American, was captured by the Germans off the coast of Madagascar and turned over to the Japanese in Singapore (Changi Prison). He spent three years as a slave laborer to the JIA working on Death's Railway. This is the most accurate information I've come across regarding this historical story. Worth a listen as the feat of engineering was extraordinary and the horrors of the camps along the railway construction reflect the inhumanity of the JIA. My understanding is that somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000 men, women and children died in the construction of the railroad.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story.

[@andrewsteele7663]

Good morning. Chris, we visited the bridge a number of years ago, my brother and I having both served wanted to see this famous bridge. We visited the war graves on the way and was really pleased to see that the Graves Commision look after them so well. We did note that some of the lettering on the stones were faded or erased. We asked our guide why this was happening. He explained that the locals bring paper out and place it across the stone to create an etch copy with chalk/pencil, as they believe it brings them good luck. My brother and I were emotionally exhausted by the end of the day trip, having found long lost uncles etc. My mother also told me that they had a couple of chaps from the Thai prisons, return to our village at the end of the war. They were so thin, nobody recognized them. And when I asked what became of them. I was told not to ask. But I am led to believe that they were very traumatized and didn't live very long upon their return. Thanks for another great telling, sorry I rambled on. Cheers

[@kennyw218]

Didn’t you find it bad most if not all the museums are sponsored by Australia

[@andrewsteele7663]

@@kennyw218 Ken, not sure what you mean by your comment. other to say that the Australian War Graves Commission is a brilliant organization. And if you have seen their work in Africa and even Europe, you may not feel the need to comment

[@stillstanding123]

The Australian museum at Hell Fire Pass certainly provides greater information than the museum in Kanchanaburi but the serenity and peace at the cemetery is modelled exactly the same as other notable war graves and provides a typically British understatement. Both seem appropriate. What did offend me was the Thais complete lack of respect to this bridges significance by the errection of a mock " PoW camp" targeting the sale of junk food and trinkets on the opposite side of the bridge.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Apologies for the late reply but thanks for watching my video & for sharing your very interesting family story.

[@stillstanding123]

Another superb account Chris and thank you for your respect not only to the captured soldiers but also the even greater numbers of locals who also perished. Your research into the post war effects and stories behind Toosey and Saito was so interesting. I now live in Thailand and each year try to pay my respects at the CWG cemetery at Kanchanaburi. It is a calm and well kept memorial to those men who died and quietly walking around reading the families inscriptions brings tear to my eye. Your videos are so good at reporting the often overlooked facts. Thank you Chris

[@TheHistoryChap]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@margaretklos8937]

​@@TheHistoryChapthank you for making this video. I never knew the true story of the bridge until I found your video.

[@nigelhamilton815]

To compare Toosey to the film character is a travesty. A brave and selfless officer who worked everyday to improve the lot of his men and took beatings for them on many occasions for being stubborn. His brave contacts with the civilian resistance increased food and medicines into the camp. He should be revered IMO.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Totally agree with you. Many veterans were angry with the film portrayal of the british commanding officer.

[@jacktattis]

@@TheHistoryChap I think too much influence by US producers

[@rachelhenderson2688]

Any American film; you can guarantee that the only heroes in the story are Americans! @@jacktattis

[@garyburford5774]

Very good video, indeed. I was reminded that the actor, Percy Herbert was a prisoner of the Japanese and was in the film and acted as technical advisor to David Lean. His experience was crucial to Lean. I knew former prisoners of the Japanese and unlike the real Lt Colonel, they all never forgot their experiences nor ever forgave the Japanese. In at least two cases, when the Japanese Emperor was on a state visit to Britain, in I think, when the cortège was going down the Mall, they were among the many in the crowd that turned their backs to the Emperor - in Japanese culture an insult.

[@Paladin1873]

I remember seeing him in a lot of war movies while I was growing up, but I never knew he had been a POW.

[@jacksimpson-rogers1069]

There's a more extreme version, called "mooning" where the image from behind does not include the upper part of the body. It's not necessarily Japanese.

[@gregmichael8473]

My great uncle was on the railway and survived but had a life long hatred of the Japanese. He was a surveyor in Malaya but was in a local military unit and captured. He returned to Australia and continued his surveying career. He was working at a coal mine when some Japanese visited. He was asked by management to assist by carrying their luggage and of course refused. The story goes that he resigned after this, if not on the spot. RIP Harry.

[@TheHistoryChap]

thank you for taking the time to share. Much appreciated.

[@MeowingWhale]

Thanks for this video - My grandfather worked on engineering the bridge in the film when he worked in Sri Lanka! Great content as always

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story. Apologies for my late reply.

[@Ceilliau]

Thank you so much. What a wonderful story brought to life for us all to appreciate. Those men on both sides made so many sacrifices that we can not possibly imagine that hardship in our modern, comfortable, and frankly placid lives

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for watching my video

[@pugowner1347]

Thanks for the perspective.

[@TheHistoryChap]

At the end of the day, History is all about perspectives

[@FranceDuseberg-yo8ej]

What a wonderful story of very brave men. Thank you.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@bobclover4634]

Brilliant video as always. Your portrayal of the people involved in these historic events really is magnificent. I look forward to the next one.

[@TheHistoryChap]

it's like painting the Forth Bridge! Ha ha

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@TheHistoryChapthe old ones are the best....maybe next ,the battle of Handforth parish council...only kidding...😅😅😅...what would I know I,m from Birkenhead....E...

[@kevinfuller1805]

I just came back from visiting Kanchanaburi cemetery and Hell fire pass. It is a place certainly worth a visit and brings home the horrors of war. May all the soldiers from both sides rest in peace.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for posting that nice comment

[@bruceferguson6637]

Enjoyed this clarification of events over the movie. Quite a story.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching

[@HeavyDragoon]

How a man can respect another foe...this is priceless..they shared what is known..and unknown to us..and this man became respectful of this man's resilience and passion. This gave him back his life

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for watching and for taking the time to write a comment too.

[@mylesmcleod8446]

Tom Watson was the bombing commander on this mission and he was my loyal neighbour for 20 years. I learnt so much from his humble conduct. Only later in life did I understand that he was such a hero and saved many lives from a horrific ending. Salute Tom Watson ❤

[@markfisher8206]

Excellent Chris. I have marched across the bridge whistling “ the tune” along with a troop of Thai Boy Scouts in uniform who must have wondered about the crazy round eye. The other fact that I have never forgotten from the museum at one of the cemeteries is that the first soldiers to die were all members of the battalion ( Dorsets I believe) soccer team as they had no accumulated body fat to sustain them,and thus weakened and died.The other fact was the steel part of the bridges were taken from a railway in the dutch East Indies and shipped to the site.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your story.

[@coult001]

It took longer than usual to look at this story because I grew up in the care of my grandparents who both were in Japenese camps in Java. You have told that period very well, thank you! Many good friends of my grandparents were lost on that railway...! My grandmothers life was saved by the Japanese commander of the camp on 15 August 1945 by holding back local gangs wanting to kill all Dutch woman and children in the camp. He handed his weapons to the Gurka's a week later.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for sharing your family history, and for watching my video

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Great to hear the entire, true story. Thank you.

[@simonnoble7589]

Hi , that was fantastic to watch , you tell the story so well ... Loved your work , on my fav film .. Thank you 😃🙃😊

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it.

[@richardbailey3343]

I remember listening to a audio recording of this brave fellow many years ago and still when i speak of the movie behind it, people still cant get past the movie.😮

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching.

[@easycamperdandog]

I enjoyed the movie, suspected it was not accurate in any way, was pleased to get this truthful version from you. What a great story, you did a great job telling it. Thank you.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for your comment. apologies for my late reply.

[@Lemmi99]

My uncle was in Philip Toosey's TA regiment before the war and was evacuated from Dunkirk with him. He was 19.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks so much for sharing your family story

[@roddixon368]

Thanks, my father was stationed at RAF Seletar 1965-7. Even then there were still many examples where the POWs had managed to poorly construct things. The roads between Seletar and Changi where my school was had several good examples. The Japanese and Korean troops had very few trained engineers in their ranks and had to rely on the POWs for these skills.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Fascinating to hear how the POWs quietly resisted

[@stuartdavey1327]

Another great video! Filled me with anger and sadness and everything in between keep them coming

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you so much for watching and for taking the time to comment

[@PtangPtangBiscuitBarrelSmith]

I have lost count how many times I watched the film...I know,,,MADNESS Bloody Madness! Because of that i went to Kanchanaburi to see it for myself.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video

[@craigcarroll8953]

I genuinely believe the true story would have made a better movie, another brilliant video thank you

[@TheHistoryChap]

Sorry for the late acknowledgement, but thanks for watching my video

[@Katmando007]

Thank you, Chris, one of the best videos you have done!

[@TheHistoryChap]

Very kind of you, thanks.

[@eamonnclabby7067]

​@@TheHistoryChaptotally echo that sentiment...E...

[@josephnardone1250]

Thanks! Thanks for this fascinating and educational video of what really happened during that time in WWII. I've seen the movie more than once and it is an excellent movie. I also know that the movie was based on Pierre Boulle's novel but I thought both were more historically accurate then what was presenten in the video. As an Honorably Discharged Veteran of the US Army, I can understand how former POW's and military men have a negative reaction to the movie. As with all historical movies, it doesn't surprise me with the liberties taken. This was an excellent video restoring honor to all the people who suffered under Japanese occupation.

[@jacksimpson-rogers1069]

You surprise me. My father survived being posted to Burma, I think without actually being in a killing zone, and even survived contracting malaria, probably because the bombing of Hiro-shima and Nagasaki shortened the war. I wish people would remember that our invention of the "atomic bomb" was a genuinely necessary defensive move based upon the possibility that Hitler had physicists clever and willing enough to threaten us with one. I am also persuaded that _bushido_ was sufficiently fanatical among the Emperor's war cabinet that some of them were prepared to have the whole country die rather than surrender, and that it took the second bomb to convince Hirohito to declare defeat and surrender. In other words, the two bombs saved more Japanese lives than they'd cost.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you so much for your generous support

[@jameshepburn4631]

The famous 1957 movie “The Bridge On The River Kwai” was based on the 1952 book by Frenchman Pierre Boulle which in English was “The Bridge Over The River Kwai”. Boulle was an engineer by profession. He was working for the Free French in Singapore when the Japanese captured it and they made him a forced labor prisoner for two years. He wrote ‘Bridge’ inspired by personal experience. Boulle also, in 1963, wrote his other classic “Planet Of The Apes” on which the series of 9 movies is based.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for sharing. he always argued that the CO in the book was not based on Toosey but on French Vichy collaborators whom he came across in Indo-China.

[@billswink6711]

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing the true story of those brave men in horrible circumstances!

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watchng my video

[@d.g.n9392]

Very well done video, I have watched the movie several times through the years. Interesting to hear the real story and the men’s biography

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@davidarchibald50]

Thanks for that HC. In these days of the returning of the bestiality of war across the globe it is easy to fall into despair about the moral arc of humanity. The story of LC Toosey and SM Saito is an indication that there is a goodness given to some that will survive even the darkest horrors. Maybe there is hope yet for humanity.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video

[@bradwilliams7212]

Thank you. Like so many, I had no idea. Your research is well respected.

[@TheHistoryChap]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Thank you for another informative video. I have visited the bridge, museum and graves. I found it a very moving experience. However, rightly or wrongly, I think that my overwhelming emotion was anger.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

@@TheHistoryChap further to my comment above. I have just visited my uncle’s grave at Trois Arbres cemetery near Lille in France. It is a relatively small ww1 cemetery surrounded by farms. The strange thing is that compared to visiting the war graves near the bridge on the river Kwai I experienced very little emotion at all, even though my uncle is buried there. Perhaps just sadness.

[@lesskinner8588]

All these men of the services were heroes in some way, but yes, there are a rare breed that shows extra fortitude, resilience, resistance, compassion, and so on under such conditions. One hero I am aware of was the Australian surgeon Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, in the Aussie camp. Nearby to British and Dutch quartering at times, he was a legend fighting the Japanese for supplies, begging, stealing, 'buying' from the locals, medical supplies, bits & pieces to make rudimentary medical equipment, food, any form of compassion he could get from the Japanese for the very ill that couldn't work each day. He saved many lives both physically and mentally, Australian, British, Dutch, and even Japanese. This on top of his surgery / medical care, often with camp commander duties too. Played Rugby for Australia, played a huge part in post war care for veterans (and families) with long term medical problems from the harsh environment and treatment by their captors. God bless Weary, Toosey, and all others like them that rise to the top under such duress.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share your in-depth stories. I hope others read and appreciate them too.

[@lesskinner8588]

@@TheHistoryChap no problems, this era was different than modern times for sure, not as many now could deal with what that generation did. If interested in Weary's story, the biography 'Weary" by Sue Elbury is a great read. Weary was also head surgeon at Tobruk during the siege.

[@sfopilot8]

Tough and resourceful men in a horrendous situation. I really have no idea how they survived. Thank you great story.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & your comment.

[@santoksingh5193]

Thank you for sharing this video but the Readers Digest article mentioned that both the adversaries were alive and met each other despite their misgivings. They hugged each other and became friends. It was an emotional account. I did shed tears reading the true account. It was indeed a moving narrative.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for your interesting feedback

[@Aguilatriste46]

Thank you very much for this. My husband and I visited the camp when we went to Thailand and we saw the museum. I saw the movie and I remember crying. The real story is much more moving. My husband was French and I am Mexican regards and thank you again.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to tell me about your visit to Thailand and the camp

[@thehumancanary131]

Also, the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was made in Sri Lanka (Ceylon). I have visited the site, and am surprised the film crew survived the awful curries that were sold in nearby restaurants. You should have mentioned "Weary Dunlop" - a famous Australian doctor who treated many of the POWs - being a POW himself.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to contribute

[@robert43g]

My mums sisters husband never spoke to anyone including his wife and 2 children about him being on the building of the Burma railway . I only came out at his funeral to be opened . My father told me he saw the picture at the local pictures and said to a friend that was at the movies what a great film it was and the the friend informed him about the real story of the railway these 2 people were Australians ( I live in Australia)

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for your interesting feedback.

[@robertsansone1680]

Excellent as always. Thank You

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@DraigBlackCat]

My Uncle, John Evans, was also from Birkenhead, was captured at Singapore. He was in the first draft of PoW's shipped out, to Saigon, where they spent time unloading ships on the docks - one group was sent inland to build an airfield. Then later on they were moved to the railway. He was one of the troops listed in the book, The Prisoner List. The men had to build their own POW camps as well as building the railway. Some sections had elephants to help haul the timbers, but they weren't much good as they hadn't been trained or have proper handlers. The biggest issue with building the railway wasn't so much the work, but the short duration allotted. Not all work was done manually - some of the cuttings were blasted, although the shot holes were drilled by hand. The Japanese frequently fired the explosive before the men had moved away and lots were killed and injured by this. The railway and bridges were repeatedly bombed but the Japanese kept PoW's along the route to perform repairs. Beri beri, maleria, dysentery, cholera, broken bones and septic cuts were feared, but not as much a the jungle ulcer, which could form on unbroken skin and, if unlucky, would eat through the soft tissue right to the bone, with the only remedy then being amputation - generally without anaesthetic.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for your very interesting feedback.

[@DraigBlackCat]

@TheHistoryChap one more thing my Uncle John mentioned, the guards knew about dysentery and didn't want themselves or the work sites contaminating, so the POW's could ask and were permitted to go into the jungle. My Uncle said that you would go toward the guard, hold your guts and shout 'benjo?!' The guard would nod and off you went. A steady trickle of men would soon make the guard lose track of who was out for a benjo and who had returned, so this was used to give the sick and very weak a longish break, especially through the hottest part of the day. The trick was to either filter back unnoticed or come back with someone who had just come out. The guards weren't worried about escapes into the jungle so counts were generally only held in the morning, on arrival at the work site, when formed up to return to camp and then upon arrival back at camp. My uncle found a cave and would spend midday in there. He attributed his survival to that cave and used caveman as his email handle. He said you couldn't do this if you stood out in any way so couldn't have been done earlier on, when uniforms and their remnants were still around, but when they had rotted and been replaced by a loincloth or sarongs then it was more doable because so many looked alike, but woe unto the short, the tall and men with ginger hair because they stood out more!

[@gregorylumpkin2128]

One thing that is highly accurate stands the test of time is the statement made by the good doctor at the very end: "madness".

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video.

[@edlicsathiamurthy4520]

Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.. thanks for the education received

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video and for your comment,

[@kmorton54]

Chris, this was one of your best videos. Well done you 👏

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for your comment & I apologise for my late reply.

[@martynhamer3044]

Great Video, I have visited the area to see the Bridge and the war cemeteries which are kept immaculate, so touching, also visited Colonel Tooseys grave at Landican cemetery , a marvellous part of our history that shows the british fighting spirit, god bless all those brave men.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for sharing the story of your travels

[@garynurkiewicz7789]

Brilliant, mate

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks.

[@kaythomas5884]

A friend of my father worked on the railway and survived to return to Australia and work as a sleeper cutter for our Queensland Railways. His name was Phil Davis. He was nearly blind from beri beri. They used to go cane cutting, also hard work. Kay

[@TheHistoryChap]

Kay, thanks for taking the time to share your story about Phil Davis.

[@kaythomas5884]

Those men were forgotten for a long time, but this has changed a lot. Not that it worried them. They continued on with life and were thus victorious. I have included this in my book the Pilgrims Progress to Victory, since I found out my father is descended for one of the Pilgrim Fathers of America, the Rev Thomas Blossom, Kay Thomas@@TheHistoryChap

[@steverosario5962]

This was a superb story ! Well done sir 👍👍👍

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks, & thanks for watching my video

[@johnboomerboy3042]

Excellent presentation. Hollywood never fails to fail.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@johnbrinsden8751]

Thanks!

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for your support & for watching my video.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video.

[@Sociologist66]

Thank you so much for sharing this video with us.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.

[@billyredtail]

My aunt who lives with me is Thai and her grandad worked on one of these bridges over the river. I didn't believe them when they told me because I didn't think there was actually a real bridge over the river Kwai. But it's true. He was a Thai civilian and maintained throughout his life that he never was treated badly. I guessed that this was because they were volunteer workers and that Thailand had voluntarily surrendered to Japan. But I'm curious why he was able to be involved in a project so famous for its mistreatment of everybody else and claim that it was just a job for him.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your interesting family story.

[@steveaxell2487]

Great story thanks, really great timing, I am travelling up to look at the bridge in the next week or so something I have wanted to do since seeing the film as a child ( I now live in Thailand).

[@TheHistoryChap]

Have fun!

[@davidwhite4874]

I took a short break there while living in Bangkok in '93. Walked across the bridge in flip-flops (not advisable). There's an interesting little museum there, too, called the JEATH museum, for some reason.

[@kevinfuller1805]

The Jeath name is made up from the country's of Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and I think the last is Holland. So I am told.

[@michaelfranz6937]

Thank you so much for this excellent clarification! I was a 10 year old military dependent on my way to Japan in 1957 when I watched the movie several times aboard the US Navy ship transporting my mother and sister and I the Yokohama.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

[@venividiviking]

It´s in Kanchanabury, Thailand. I lived in Thailand from 10-17. One evening, me and gf sat and watched the movie. Suddenly she said "they speak thai now". I was surprised and googled the location of the bridge. It was only few hours drive from Bangkok, so we went to Kanchanabury a couple of weeks later (i love history and historical locations). Ofcourse it´s a "money-machine" from the tourists now and bridge was rebuild after WW2. Even moved a little, if memory serves me. And with a little train But it was a interesting weekend anyway. There´s also the "Hell fire pass" and a big graveyard with Aussies,Dutch and british POW´s who didn´t survived. If you come to BKK, i will recommed to visit Kanchanabury.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for your feedback.

[@michaelstraker1027]

Thanks, Chris, for another informative video. I very much enjoyed it. Goodness knows what the survivors thought about the book and film. They must have been enraged.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video

[@michaelhayden725]

I have had to joy or sorrow to walk across the bridge displayed in the doco. I have also walked “ hellfire pass”, it brought significant tears to my eyes. Australian Doctor and war hero E. E. (Weary) Dunlop who worked day a night to keep the prisoners alive. His ashes are interred in a section of that Pass. Seeing this again brought more tears.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for sharing your travels and your tears

[@davepask4706]

Another great video Chris. Love your work. Would you consider doing a video on the Wager mutiny and Captain Cheap? Little known but fascinating story.

[@johnpage4581]

About 10 years ago friend of my mothers her daughters managed to get details of their fathers time in the pow camp.He was originally used on the railway,but then sent to where the Japanese were attempting to build an airstrip,after some time they gave it up and left the prisoners to die of starvation including their dad.Another gentleman who made it back use to live a couple of doors from me in Edmonton ,Mr Final, as a teenager then I use to see him leaning on the front gate with an oxygen tank by his side,it was only after he passed away that I found out he was a pow in Burma and the japanese guards beat his feet with rifle butts.As with many of these heroes never spoke about it .

[@nozecone]

Which Edmonton - the one in UK or the one in Canada - if not somewhere else? I once picked up a respectable old gent who was, incongruously, hitch-hiking, in the Strathcona neighbourhood of the Edmonton in Canada. Long story, but to get to the point. He was a soft-spoken Englishman; I steered the conversation to his war-time experience. He had been with the RAF; eventually sent to China, where he and the rest of his unit were immediately captured, and spent the rest of the war in a "goddamned Japanese forced-labour camp". That was clearly all he wanted to say about it - except that he thanked Harry S. Truman every day for dropping the atom bomb, which he credited with saving his life - because "they were planning to kill us all."

[@johnpage4581]

Edmonton London N 9.Great Story,thanks.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thank you for taking the time to share that poignant story about Mr Final in Edmonton

[@bob_the_bomb4508]

It’s great to remember the treatment of the local population…. As you say, the bridge wasn’t over the Kwai. The Burma Railway doesn’t cross the Kwai. The railway bridge goes over the Mae Klong. However for years after the film was released tourists started to arrive looking to find ‘the bridge over the river Kwai’. The ever enterprising Thais subsequently renamed a section of the Mae Klong to ‘Kwai.’ As you say the bridge was bombed and indeed you can see the carcasses of two unexploded 1000lb bombs on the eastern abutment. It’s only a reasonably short bus ride from Bangkok and still worth a visit, not least to see the excellent Australian-run museum at Hellfire Pass and the beautifully maintained Commonwealth War Grave at Kanchanaburi.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this information and how close it is to Bangkok.

[@eddyhammerton3310]

Brilliant work history chap.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video, glad you enjoyed it.

[@Sociologist66]

Respect, Admiration, and Honor to the memory of all the fallen men, during the construction of those bridges.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Nice comment. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[@RJM1011]

Thank you for this video a family member on my mothers side worked on this bridge also.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks

[@roycanriz]

A great programme. Thanks.

[@TheHistoryChap]

My pleasure

[@brianmitchell4957]

Excellent ❤

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks 😊

[@xltrt]

Excellent video. The true story is so much different from the movie. So far I've seen you do the movies Zulu and The Great Escape and the truth is so much better than the Hollywood versions. Well done, sir.

[@Sociologist66]

Greetings from the other side of the ocean, from Lima, Peru, South America.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Great to meet you.

[@WaltANelsonPHD]

The Man Behind the Bridge. Written by Peter Davies. Presents the story in detail. Shows the bravery of Toosey, his medical staff, his men and also civilians who helped the Brits. After having read this book, I formed the opinion that the movie should be shelved and any awards revolked. Thanks for posting the facts. Toosey is a great man.

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & your feedback.

[@WaltANelsonPHD]

@@TheHistoryChap Best wishes to you!

[@Love_rainy_days]

Thanks for sharing! that was a great movie and a great march.💂‍♀💂‍♀ My dad was a POW in WW2 with his brother in Germany. The Germans put them on a farm to work. The American POWs acted like they did not know how to do farm work and the German said "All Americans are all cowboys and gangsters and don't know how to do farm work". Then, a farm kid from Minnesota, came to the farm. And he was a working fool. When the German saw him working they knew all the Americans knew how to work, and the American POWs holiday was over. Love the channel.💖 My dad passed in 2000 at age 78. The VA ruled his death was related to him being a POW in Germany 40 years before. So all the POWs of WW2 had it bad. They were the greatest generation. Cheers 🍺🍺🤠

[@TheHistoryChap]

Thanks for watching my video & for sharing your family story. I apologise for the late reply.

[@alexdieudonne1924]

Thanks History Cappie. My Grandad was one of the Dutch pows on the railway. If your looking for material what about HMS Amethyst ?

[@TheHistoryChap]

I produced that video a week before this one!