Towards the Setting Sun: An Escape from the Thailand-Burma Railway

"This was the most incredible escape story, because escaping from the railway was almost impossible. Surviving it was unheard of, and when you were caught, it was routine for all escapees to be executed. There was impenetrable jungle on all sides and the locals were offered a good sum of money to report anyone who did escape. Still, they managed for a while. Five of them died in the jungle. And when they were caught—betrayed by someone who was bribed—and brought back, they somehow managed to have their sentences commuted to jail. Dad went to see Jim Bradley in hospital after he came back. I actually included that in the diary, because it was so amazing—Dad’s words repeating what his friend had said. They’d been quite friendly all the way through, part of a group of officers. I’m a little bit uncomfortable about the separation between officers and the ordinary ranks. I’m sure the officers were more comfortable and had privileges, and I’m very conscious of that. But they also had responsibilities. James Bradley was one of the engineers who were absolutely vital to their survival in the camps. I hadn’t realized what the engineers did… First of all, building the latrines. That was always the first thing they did when they set up camp. They built huts to sleep in. They provided electricity using batteries. They just made life more comfortable. When they were sent to Selarang, there were 15,000 people in barracks built for 800. It was all concrete, and they had to dig into it to make latrines. It’s very difficult for us to imagine conditions like that. What we complain about now is nothing compared to what they had to put up with. They survived nearly seven weeks. For the last three, they were virtually starving and only had water. Jim Bradley credited his survival to my father, because one of the conditions that caused a lot of unnecessary deaths was tropical ulcers. They were hacking their way through thick bamboo. It was sharp and cut their legs. My father had given Jim Bradley some sulphonamide, which he ended up needing. Dad said that he had suspected why Jim Bradley had asked for it, but didn’t ask any questions because it was much better that he didn’t know. Unfortunately, every time people escaped, the ones who were left behind were put on starvation rations for a few weeks."