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Wampo Viaduct (114)
At Wampo viaduct half naked, starved and bashed men hung from ropes to blast and drill into the sides of the mountain and 40 metres below the men would raise the heavy logs and timbers from the Kwai Noi below.
Wampho Viaduct
Some elephants were utilised in this region. A cave now exists with a Buddha statue now currently inside. Men would sleep in this cave whilst working in the area. Some concerts at the Wampo Camps took place. Men had some musical instruments that they carried that far and were utilised in these concerts.
Wampho Viaduct
During the Speedo, 2 shifts of 1,000 men working throughout the night blasting the side of the cliff face to build the viaduct, also the hammer and tap method was utilised. The bridge was a quarter mile long about 40 metres up from the river and took 17 days and nights to build. With no handrail many men fell to their deaths.
Nam Tok/ Tarsau (130) (Namtok was once called Tarsau)
end of current day line. 9 kms further along the next camp was called Tonchan. Hundreds of men at Tonchan died from cholera. Cholera originated in this camp and was then carried to other camps up and down the line. Camps with this disease should have been isolated, however the main goal of the Japanese was to complete the line irrespective of health issues. At Tonchan (137 kms) there were no buildings only 8 tents. A cholera outbreak was endemic here and many died – the camp was knee deep in water and mud during the monsoon. It was said around this part by a high ranking Jap that, ‘If a sick man can stagger to the railway carrying a sleper, then dies, he will not have died in vain.’
Hintok and Pack of Cards Bridge
Hintok was the base of a jungle covered mountain, so was called the ‘mountain camp’. This was mainly an Australian camp, the Aussies had a good water system here and even had a shower.
Three Trestle Bridge area on the 8km walk from Hellfire Pass to Compressor Cutting.
Pack of cards bridge was about 2kms from HP and fell down about 6 times; some beaten and pushed off the bridge by the IJA guards. It was approximately 200 - 300 yards long and built across the head of the valley on rock. The bridge followed a sharp curve in the line. Sleepers were laid on girders I4 feet x I4 feet, one on top of each other.
Seven metre railway embankment on the walk from Hellfire to Compressor Cutting |
More 7 metre embankment on the railway trace. |
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