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Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 06/6/2014

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God bless all who died and still living as it must have been like this...Click

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My grandfather was a prisoner working on the Kwai bridge during the war.When he returned he was mentally unstable with what he endured and what he had seen.He committed suicide shortly after returning.

Jeff i'd recomend that you have a read of, The forgotten highlander, this book was written by Alister Urqhart who survived being there, He only wrote the book once his wife had died as he didnt want her to know the full truth of what he went through, I think he was well into his eightys when he wrote it.

Alistair Urquhart (born 8 September 1919) ^[1] is a retired Scottish businessman and author of The Forgotten Highlander, an account of the three and a half years he spent as a Japanese prisoner of war during his service in the Gordon Highlanders infantry regiment during the Second World War.

Urquhart was conscripted into the British army in 1939, at the age of 19, and stationed at Fort Canning in Singapore.^{[2] [3]} He was taken prisoner when the Japanese invaded the island in the Battle of Singapore, which lasted from December 1941 to February 1942. He was sent to work on the Burma Railway,^[4] built by the Empire of Japan to support its forces in the Burma campaign and referred to as 'Death Railway' because of the tens of thousands of forced labourers who died during its construction. While working on the railway Urquhart suffered malnutrition, cholera and torture at the hands of his captors.^[3]

After working on the railway and in the docks in Singapore, Urquhart was loaded into the hold of the Kachidoki Maru, an American passenger and cargo ship captured by the Japanese and put to use as a 'hell ship' transporting hundreds of prisoners. The ship was part of a convoy bound for Japan; on the voyage prisoners endured more illness, dehydration, and instances of cannibalism.^[2][3]

On 12 September 1944, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the US submarine USS Pampanito,^[2] whose commander was unaware of its cargo of prisoners. Urquhart was burned and covered in oil when the ship went down, and swallowed some oil which caused permanent damage to his vocal cords.^[3] He floated in a single-man raft for five days without food or water before being picked up by a Japanese whaling ship and taken to Japan.^[3]

In Japan, Urquhart was sent to work in coal mines belonging to the Aso Mining Company and later a labour camp ten miles from the city of Nagasaki. He was there when the city was hit with an atomic bomb by the United States.^[3][5]

In 2010, Urquhart published The Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East, an account of his experiences.^[6] In the book he expresses anger at the lack of recognition in Japan of its role in war crimes as compared to the atonement in Germany.^[4]

He was born in the City of Aberdeen, but has resided in Broughty Ferry, Dundee for many years. He spends his retirement teaching retired people how to use the computer and attends and teaches ballroom dancing at many Tea Dances.

Bessie   

Quote: Originally posted by bessie500 on 10/6/2014

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My grandfather was a prisoner working on the Kwai bridge during the war.When he returned he was mentally unstable with what he endured and what he had seen.He committed suicide shortly after returning. <!-- Signature -->

Jeff i'd recomend that you have a read of, The forgotten highlander, this book was written by Alister Urqhart who survived being there, He only wrote the book once his wife had died as he didnt want her to know the full truth of what he went through, I think he was well into his eightys when he wrote it.

Alistair Urquhart (born 8 September 1919) <SUP id=cite_ref-survival_1-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>1<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> is a retired Scottish businessman and author of The Forgotten Highlander, an account of the three and a half years he spent as a <A title="Prisoner of war" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_of_war#Empire_of_Japan">Japanese prisoner of war</A> during his service in the <A title="Gordon Highlanders" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Highlanders">Gordon Highlanders</A> <A title=Infantry href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry">infantry</A> <A title=Regiment href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regiment">regiment</A> during the <A class=mw-redirect title="Second World War" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World_War">Second World War</A>.

Urquhart was <A class=mw-redirect title=Conscript href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conscript">conscripted</A> into the <A class=mw-redirect title="British army" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_army">British army</A> in 1939, at the age of 19, and stationed at <A title="Fort Canning" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Canning">Fort Canning</A> in <A title=Singapore href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore">Singapore</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> <SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> He was taken prisoner when the Japanese invaded the island in the <A title="Battle of Singapore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Singapore">Battle of Singapore</A>, which lasted from December 1941 to February 1942. He was sent to work on the <A title="Burma Railway" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_Railway">Burma Railway</A>,<SUP id=cite_ref-refused_4-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> built by the <A title="Empire of Japan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Japan">Empire of Japan</A> to support its forces in the <A class=mw-redirect title="Burma campaign" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma_campaign">Burma campaign</A> and referred to as 'Death Railway' because of the tens of thousands of forced labourers who died during its construction. While working on the railway Urquhart suffered <A title=Malnutrition href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malnutrition">malnutrition</A>, <A title=Cholera href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera">cholera</A> and <A title=Torture href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture">torture</A> at the hands of his captors.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>

After working on the railway and in the docks in Singapore, Urquhart was loaded into the hold of the <A class=new title="Kachidoki Maru (page does not exist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kachidoki_Maru&action=edit&redlink=1">Kachidoki Maru</A>, an American passenger and cargo ship captured by the Japanese and put to use as a '<A title="Hell ship" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell_ship">hell ship</A>' transporting hundreds of prisoners. The ship was part of a convoy bound for Japan; on the voyage prisoners endured more illness, <A title=Dehydration href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration">dehydration</A>, and instances of <A title=Cannibalism href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism">cannibalism</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP><SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-2 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>

On 12 September 1944, the ship was <A title=Torpedo href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo">torpedoed</A> and sunk by the US submarine <A class=mw-redirect title="USS Pampanito" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Pampanito">USS Pampanito</A>,<SUP id=cite_ref-sfchron_2-2 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>2<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> whose commander was unaware of its cargo of prisoners. Urquhart was burned and covered in oil when the ship went down, and swallowed some oil which caused permanent damage to his vocal cords.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-3 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> He floated in a single-man raft for five days without food or water before being picked up by a Japanese <A class=mw-redirect title="Whaling ship" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_ship">whaling ship</A> and taken to Japan.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-4 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>

In Japan, Urquhart was sent to work in coal mines belonging to the <A class=mw-redirect title="Aso Mining Company" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aso_Mining_Company">Aso Mining Company</A> and later a labour camp ten miles from the city of <A title=Nagasaki href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagasaki">Nagasaki</A>. He was there when the city was <A title="Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki">hit with an atomic bomb</A> by the United States.<SUP id=cite_ref-times_3-5 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>3<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP><SUP id=cite_ref-stv_5-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>5<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>

In 2010, Urquhart published The Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East, an account of his experiences.<SUP id=cite_ref-forgotten_6-0 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>6<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP> In the book he expresses anger at the lack of recognition in Japan of <A title="Japanese war crimes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_war_crimes">its role in war crimes</A> as compared to the atonement <A title="German war crimes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_war_crimes#World_War_II">in Germany</A>.<SUP id=cite_ref-refused_4-1 class=reference><SPAN>[</SPAN>4<SPAN>" target="_blank"></SPAN></SUP>

He was born in the City of <A title=Aberdeen href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen">Aberdeen</A>, but has resided in <A title="Broughty Ferry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broughty_Ferry">Broughty Ferry</A>, Dundee for many years. He spends his retirement teaching retired people how to use the computer and attends and teaches ballroom dancing at many Tea Dances.

 

Bessie   

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Quote: Originally posted by julia21 on 17/12/2017

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AND When you buy your next car or camper think about Aldofe children are happy to see there stuff being snaped up by children of those they bombed.

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