Thailand — Chungkai War Cemetery, National Hwy No 3228, Mueang Kanchanaburi, Changwat Kanchanaburi 71000, Thailand
Another “Death Railway” Cemetery
September 2015
Chungkai was one of the major base camps on the “Death Railway” and contained a hospital and a church built by the prisoners. The Chungkai Cemetery was the hospital camp cemetery.
The Chungkai Cemetery is one of the three cemeteries, the others being Kanchanaburi and Thanbyuzayat, that contain the remains of Allied Prisoners of War who died during the construction of the “Death Railway” between Burma (now Myanmar) and Siam (now Thailand). The Chungkai Cemetery is about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the Kanchanaburi Cemetery.
In 1942, the Prisoners of War from the camp started building the cemetery near the river. But, after a flood in May 1943, they moved to a second cemetery on higher ground.
The Chungkai Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 1,400 Commonwealth and over 300 Dutch soldiers who died working as forced labour on constructing the Thailand-Burma railway. Around 1,200 of the men died at the nearby hospital.
The hospital could treat up to 5,000 prisoners but was ill-equipped to treat the severe diseases and injuries suffered by those working on the railway in the remote jungle.
After the war, the Army Graves Service moved those buried along the railway in Thailand, and along the river, to Chungkai and Kanchanaburi.
I found the Chungkai Cemetery to be much quieter than the Kanchanaburi. And like Kanchanaburi, the Chungkai Cemetery was maintained to a very high standard. The Cemetery also smelt beautiful with the scent of the local flowers that were in bloom.
As I said about the Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetery, I enjoyed visiting the Chungkai War Cemetery. It sounds wrong to say that, but I did enjoy my visit.
As at Kanchanaburi, walking around the Chungkai gave me time to reflect on what those men must have experienced. It was strangely uplifting and comforting to visit such a beautifully maintained place. Add the lovely smell of the blossom, and the site had a respectful and tranquil atmosphere.
Again, as I found at the Kanchanaburi Cemetery, the number of graves was overwhelming.
Foursquare: Chungkai War Cemetery
