Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is located in Kanchanaburi, Thailand and was established after the Second World War by the Army Graves Service to commemorate more than 5084 Commonwealth and 1896 Dutch casualties that occurred during the construction of the Burma-Siam Railway. Located within the entrance to the cemetery, the Kanchanaburi Memorial records the names of 11 men who served with Indian forces and laboured in the construction of the railway. These eleven men of the army of undivided India were buried in cemeteries in Thailand, but their graves could not be maintained. They had served with the various units including the Corps of Royal Indian Engineers, the Queen Victoria's Own Madras Sappers & Miners, the 17th Frontier Force Rifles, the 14th Punjab Regiment, the Medical Corps, the Veterinary Corps, the Ordnance Corps and the Indian Pioneer Corps. Kanchanaburi town is 129 km north-west of Bangkok and is best reached by road, along the national highway which runs north from the capital. There are bus and train services from Bangkok. The cemetery is situated adjacent to Saeng Chuto Road which is the main road through the town. When approaching from Bangkok, the cemetery is on the left side of the road, towards the far (northern) end of the town. A commission signpost faces the cemetery on the opposite side of the road. The cemetery was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes.

Images © Sohum Desai