The Bridge over the River Kwai, Kanchanaburi

One of the most critical sections of the railway was the bridge spanning the Mae Klong River (later renamed the Khwae Yai River) near Ban Tha Maka Ham (then called Ban Tha Ma Kham) in Tambon Tha Maka, Mueang District, Kanchanaburi Province. The site was chosen because of its firm ground foundation, making it suitable for supporting the structure. Initially, a temporary wooden bridge was erected about 100 meters away from the current location. Construction took three months before work began on the permanent steel bridge, which utilized materials transported from Malaya (now Malaysia).

Construction Challenges

Building the bridge posed numerous challenges. Workers faced extreme hardships, including sweltering heat, rampant diseases like malaria and cholera, inadequate food supplies, and relentless physical abuse by their captors. Many perished while working on treacherous terrains, particularly around the Hellfire Pass and Konyu Cutting areas, where cliffs loomed over swift-flowing rivers teeming with dangerous wildlife. Conditions were so dire that survivors often remarked, “Each wooden sleeper laid along the Death Railway represented a life lost.”

The final steel bridge measured 300 meters long and consisted of 11 concrete piers. British POWs played a key role in laying the tracks across the bridge, completing what would become an enduring symbol of resilience and suffering. Officially opened on December 25, 1943, the bridge facilitated the movement of troops and supplies until Allied air raids targeted it in November 1944. Heavy bombing destroyed the central section of the bridge, rendering it temporarily unusable. Following Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945, the railway fell into disuse, though parts of it remain today as poignant reminders of wartime history.