Bridge on the River Kwai

[Peter Laidler]

Bridge on the river Kwai............. When I was in Australia, many/most of the maintenance staff at our camps were ex FEPOW's (Far East POW's) and I was quite friendly with our boilerman who was a prisoner, taken with the author Russell Braddon. He didn't say much, but sat down with a cup of tea on the evening shift he'd chatter a bit and dear me .............. He didn't have much time for them either.

When I went back to Malaya, I went up to where he was captured at a place called Parit Sulong and just stood by the road and thought about him. God bless him wherever he is now.

[krinko]

Multicultural points for anyone who can tell us why the Japanese guards were particularly fond of abusing redheads.
-----krinko

[Critch]

Are redheads considered unlucky in their culture?

[Terrylee]

Sketch by Ronald Searle of one of his Japanese guards while he was a P.O.W.

[Hank Stone]

When Bridge Over The River Kwai was seen by the Real POWs of the camp,they said it was 95% Hollywood BS.They didn't sing,whistle or in anyway fraternize with the Japanese.After I seen their interviews I never watched that movie again.


Mr Searle condemns the movie.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...iver-Kwai.html

[Victor Six Bravo]

I once interviewed, while sitting in the bombardier's seat of the last flying B-24 (it was actually a Brit LB-30 converted) the man who actually blew the bridge. Got an autographed copy of his book, which includes combat photos of their bombing run.

They were nearly shot down over the target by a Japanese AAA crew, and they did crash many miles away to be picked up and rescued.

Apparently 40-50 years later visiting the camp, bridge, etc he actually ran into several of the Japanese gun crew members (doing the same thing). They talked through a translator, and when the crew found they actually HAD shot down their bomber he said that it was like they won the Superbowl.

They didn't wish him in particular any harm, but the entire war that gun crew basically never fired a shot at a target they could identify except for that one day, so finding that they had actually done their job right (and his crew even walked away unhurt) really made their decade.

They all apparently, no harm-no foul feelings-wise posed for pictures and had dinner together afterwards I think.

He enlisted as a B17 tailgunner, made navigator and officer and retired flying B52 nuclear polar patrols in the '60s as a full bird.