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Chapters (40)
  1. FOREWORD
  2. RAILROAD OF DEATH
  3. REFERENCE LIST:
  4. Railroad of Death
  5. PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION (1948)
  6. INTRODUCTION
  7. PART ONE: SINGAPORE
  8. CHAPTER 1
  9. CHAPTER 2
  10. CHAPTER 3
  11. CHAPTER 4
  12. CHAPTER 5
  13. PART TWO: RAILROAD OF DEATH
  14. CHAPTER 6
  15. CHAPTER 7
  16. CHAPTER 8
  17. CHAPTER 9
  18. CHAPTER 10
  19. CHAPTER 11
  20. CHAPTER 12
  21. CHAPTER 13
  22. PART THREE: BASE CAMPS AND LIBERATION
  23. CHAPTER 14
  24. CHAPTER 15
  25. CHAPTER 16
  26. CHAPTER 17
  27. CHAPTER 18
  28. CHAPTER 19
  29. CHAPTER 20
  30. APPENDIX ONE:
  31. APPENDIX TWO:
  32. APPENDIX THREE:
  33. APPENDIX FOUR:
  34. APPENDIX FIVE:
  35. APPENDIX SIX:
  36. APPENDIX SEVEN:
  37. APPENDIX EIGHT:
  38. APPENDIX NINE:
  39. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  40. And The Dawn Came Up Like Thunder

. . . The gist of this evidence is that unless another ship was found living conditions could not have been improved – the 2nd accused has never been seen to ill-treat anyone and was known to be one of the better Camp Commandants in Thailand from whence some of the POWs had come. The ship’s crew were friendly and there was some exaggeration in the affidavits of prosecution witnesses . . . The evidence of the 1st accused . . . appears to be a fair summary of the difficulties he had to contend with and the same sort of thing applied to the 2nd accused . . .

In my opinion the evidence fails to show that the accused so conducted themselves as to make themselves liable for being concerned in ill-treatment with which they were specifically charged. Shore authorities and the exigencies of the war were responsible for such sufferings as the POWs were made to endure. That there should be an acquittal on the 2nd charge goes a long way to support this contention as the draft of POWs and the Japanese officer had not changed – The Hakusan Maru was a better ship on to which they had been transferred.

Considering all the foregoing I advise that the weight of the evidence is against the findings and that the proceedings should be not confirmed.

Brigadier

D.J.A.G. Far East Land Forces

CONFIDENTIAL

BM/JAG/652456

Office of the DJAG,

General Headquarters,

Far East Land Forces

23rd October 1947

WAR CRIMINALS

I forward herewith for review the proceedings of the trial by Military Court of Ship’s Master ODAKE Bunji and Lt INO Takeo both of the Imperial Japanese Forces attached to 14 Wireless Squadron. Details of the trial are shown on the attached form . . .

Brigadier

D.J.A.G., Far East Land Forces.

(2)

No: 50203/AG3

Date. 28 Oct 47

DJAG

APPENDIX NINE:

Real names of some people mentioned in Railroad of Death

H. Cary Owtram 1983, Their Name Liveth. Privately Published: Newland Hall, Near Lancaster

MacArthur (2005). The section on the theatre at Chungkai was invaluable.

Prisoners of war, Far East: 4th Battalion, Royal Norfolk Regiment; nominal roll, 1942. National Archives (TNA), WO 361/2120

Prisoners of war, Far East: 4th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment, nominal roll, 1942. National Archives (TNA), WO 361/2125

Summers (2006)