|
|
Newcastle Doctors (Medical
Officers) |
Who Were Pows On The Burma Thailand Railway In 1942-43. |
|
17th October 2003 marks the 60th anniversary of the completion
of the Burma Thailand Railway. The Imperial Japanese Army forced 60,000
Allied prisoners of war, and approximately 250,000 natives of Javanese,
Malayan, Tamil, Singaporean-Chinese and Burmese background, to perform
manual labour in the construction of the railway. More than 13,000 of
the POWs and an estimated 90,000 natives died over a period of about 14
months. There were 44 Australian Medical Officers (Doctors), and approximately
450 men who performed the function of Medical Orderlies, who laboured
selflessly, with little equipment or medicines, to try and preserve the
health of the POWs. 4 of these Medical Officers came from the Newcastle
area. They were Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Hamilton and Captains Roy Mills,
Thomas Brereton and Peter Hendry. The first 3 of these Officers are deceased.
|