I’m Japanese and I also visited Kanchanaburi in 2018. I saw their bridge and the museum as well. I learned a lot from their museum and your videos as well. Hope can share about this bad history to the future kids to make this world peaceful!
I wanted to share some of the knowledge that I gained from my few days in Kanchanaburi via the museums, memorials, and online content such as the documentary 'The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai' . I hope you find this of interest and I apologize if any of my presentation is incorrect, I also felt I couldn't tell the whole story, and I left out a lot of the details of exactly how the soldiers were treated. If you would like to find out more the description has a list of places and content that you can find out much more information on exactly what happened here in Kanchanaburi. ❤❤✌❤❤
Anyone who has seen the film will have learnt nearly nothing about what happened here. I live in Kanchanaburi and the story and the place deserve your time. Colonel Bogie and American heroes - forget it.
Paddy this upload must be one of your best. You obviously have a talent for teaching. I would love to see you do more videos like this one and tell us more about Thai history.
Great job with this video, Paddy. It’s difficult to summarize a story like this and you did it really well. We learned a few things from this. Thank you!
Many thanks for sharing this,Paddy. My father was here in 1946 as part of the Allied effort to repatriate the remaining P.O.W.s You have told me more than he ever did as he never ever wanted to talk about it again. It caused him to have nightmares until he died in 2010. After leaving Kanchanaburi he continued on to Japan as part as of the guard on The Imperial Palace as Hirohito was under house arrest. Once again many thanks.
My first visit there was 30 years ago very emotional walking through the cemetery and looking at all the headstones. The bridge over the river Kwai was probably the first that a lot of people in the west had even heard about Thailand as it was immortalized in the movie which by the way was best picture of the year and won an Oscar. Here’s a little bit of history to ponder. In 1957 Yul Brynner won the Academy award for best actor in The King and I. Followed up by Alec Guinness winning the Oscar for best actor in 1958 for The bridge over the River Kwai. It also won an Oscar that year for best movie. I wonder how many people even knew about Thailand prior to these two movies coming out in the late 50s, what a coincidence that In 1959 the first governmental tourist authority was formed. Thailand had no organised tourism industry until the late-1950s. In that era, Bangkok had about 800 tourist-standard rooms to serve its 40,000 foreign visitors per year. Oh how the times have changed. By the way nice work on covering the history in a separate episode. Other movies that brought attention to Thailand were the “man with the golden gun” James Bond 007. Another big one was “the beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio that came out in 1999 if I remember correctly I remember seeing it in southern Thailand the theater was packed on opening night, And more recently “the hangover”. Just to name a few.
On the subject of movies, I believe 'The King and I' is still banned in Thailand, something about being disrespectful/falsehoods to the former King Mongkut. Regardless, RIP and my respect.
Excellent insight into what those poor souls endured! I recently walked 100km from hellfire pass to Kanchanburi war cemetery. Following the railway to Kanchanburi war memorial cemetery where my great uncle is buried. A very humbling experience it was!
Re the teacher / storyteller aspect. Your style reminds me of one of my high-school teachers named Mr Brown. He held the class intrigued as history unfolded before us. We couldn't wait to come to the next class because he did a masterful job of foreshadowing what was to come. You've left any of the nasty details up to our imagination if we dare go there. Well done. Thank you. dcb
I visited Thailand in October 2017 and missed so many attractions. Your videos are very educational and awe inspiring. We need an index and a brief breakdown of each video for each province. Hoping to visit again when the world returns to normal. My retirement plans have changed and I want to spend my vacation and later my retirement in Thailand visiting all the provinces. Thanks Paddy for your wonderful videos.
Oh Paddy, this was so interesting and well told. My father was a Japanese prisoner of war (British Army) and was put into Changi prison. He too worked on the Burma railway. I had a little teary listening to the story but you told it from all sides very well. Thanks again.
Hi Paddy, you managed to wrap this heartbreaking story gracefully in your video. My wife, with whom I have been married for 25 years, comes from Kanchanaburi and I have of course been to all these places several times and know this sad story too. Your video is an excellent complement to a video that Pete "Thairish Times" made as "A Hero Story" about a month ago. Living in the present one should not overlook the past because something like this should never happen again, especially at this time when the cold war seems to flare up again in Europe... Thank you very much for this great video. Greetings from Sattahip - Gerd 🌈🍀💖🌴🌈
Very school teacher like but really enjoyed this video. I have attended ANZAC day a number of times at Hell Fire Pass an extremely moving experience. Well done to the Australian Government.
Great summarizing of the history and significance of the railroad. I was able to walk the Hellfire Pass route and it is very sobering. There is a point beyond which one is told you need special permission to go, and a special radio, because it is really getting into the wilderness and becomes a very dangerous trek, and the park rangers want to keep tabs on anyone who may go missing because of an accident. We started walking that part of the route a little bit, but the farther we went, the more I got scared in case something really did happen to us because it was a bit dodgy scrambling over loose rocks and such, and we didn't have the special permission, nor the two-way radio. Beautiful views of the mountains of Myanmar in the near distance though. The museum at the pass is very informative, as is the museum back in the city near the cemetery. We hopped a train near that waterfall and took it back into the city, and across the replica bridge, and then disembarked from the train and walked across the bridge, whistling the theme song from the movie "Bridge on the River Kwai." One interesting thing to note: The river there was not actually named River Kwai, it had a different name, But Pierre Boule's book misnamed it, and in order to capitalize on the potential tourist trade, the Thai government renamed the river to Kwai Noi, so the bridge there really does now go over the River Kwai (Noi). The bridge is a re-built bridge, but there are some sections of the bridge that are the original parts, and the guide books will tell you what to look for to determine what is original. All in all, this was a wonderful and very informative video. Thank you. Can't wait to see your video about the recreational aspects of Kanchanaburi province, because in addition to a history lesson, the province is beautiful and lots of fun recreational opportunities.
Great story. My wife and I visited Kanchanaburi a few years ago. The museum was an eye opener. We took the train from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok. This took us over the wooden viaduct mentioned in the movie. As a strange coincidence, the weeks leading up to us leaving NZ, there were movies and documentaries about the bridge and the treatment of prisoners during that period of history. It helped us understand better what we were seeing during our trip. One movie which is worth seeing is The Railway Man with Colin Firth. It shows the mans struggle during the war and how he came face to face with one of the people responsible for the pain and suffering during that period.
Paddy some very good reading material. 1. A life for every sleeper. 2. Australian Prisoners of war 3. Burma Thai Railway 1942 - 1943. If you go into the first museum south of the bridge, go past the locomotive and to the left of the aircraft, there is a small remains of the original wooden bridge. Love your work
I'm just back from Thailand and I visited Kanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass with my sister. We did the full walk from the Interpretation Centre to Hintok Road and back. Very tough, humid and hot. We had plenty of water but it gave us something of an appreciation of the hell these guys endured building this railway.
Hi Paddy! Thank you very much for this video. I really appreciate that you offered this topic a separate video. I was deeply touched when visiting this museum some 15 years ago and highly recommend everyone to step into the Hellfire Pass Centre to learn more and feel more about the circumstances and the historical background. I highly support your decision to add this due to its portentous topic “untypical” video to your channel. This is what makes your channel worthwhile: authenticity. You got the feeling that this topic was important - and so it was. Thumbs up! Looking forward to seeing next “happy travel” videos. But in the same way to emotional things in any direction along your road. Keep on rolling!
Paddy thank you for made my day. I missed Thailand so much. Made me cry every times I can’t be there right now hopefully soon. I hope I running to you when I make it back to mother’s home again. So paddy I love you thank you.
Dear Paddy, my partner and I stayed at a hotel beside the bridge at Kanchanaburi early last month. While there I realised how little I know, so I started researching on the Internet. Unfortunately I found a lot of information that left me a bit muddled. I found a video on you tube by the grand daughter of Brigadier Sir Philip Toosey. Brigadier Toosey was the man that Alec Guinness role in the film, Bridge on the river Kwai, was very loosely based on. I was so interested that I bought the book, The Colonel of Tamarkan. I haven't finished it yet but it is a book well worth reading with an insight to what happened in those terrible times. Kanchanaburi is a lovely area to visit but tinged with sadness from the past. Paddy, thank you for your video, it is very well presented and informative.
Thank you so much Paddy, really well told. As a former British Serviceman of 30 year's now living over here, you've done an excellent job. Thank you so very much old chap.
You have made a great video on a very difficult subject matter and you were right in keeping it solely about the history of the death railway. Despite a small battle at Prachuap Kiri Khan, when an invading Japanese force was repelled by a small Thai army force, the Thais signed a Treaty of Accord allowing the Japanese into Thailand...keeping Thailand's proud record of not being colonised by another country. The Japanese used mainly Burmese and Malay labour along with POWs and its important to remember that over 100,000 of these perished and are buried in simple graves alongside the tracks of the railway (as far as I'm aware there's no memorial to their sacrifice which is extremely sad). It's a shame you didn't visit the Wang Pho Viaduct an amazing feat of engineering built by POWs and civilian labour surrounded by astounding beauty, a contrast typical of this area...incredible beauty entwined with incredible sorrow. Nevertheless, your video was incredibly tasteful but also thought provoking...well done again Paddy 😁👍👏👏
This is really an important story and you’re telling it in a very interesting way 😀 It’s easy getting lost in your words and wanting to get to know the whole story of what actually happened. Thank you so much for sharing, Paddy 🙏🏻❤️ You are my favourite teacher for sure 🤓😇❤️ Keep up the good work 👌
We are keen followers of your channel and as a couple of boomers in Australia particularly enjoyed your telling of this compelling part of history. The suffering and hardship of these young men is beyond comprehension. You told their story with such great respect and compassion.
Very nicely narrated Khru Paddy. Been there twice, going again with my son hopefully this year. This vlog will be a great source for him to learn the subject before we go.
My (Dutch) grandfather was one of the people who have worked here. It took many years to realize that even my generation is carrying the weight of trauma that was never spoken about. Thank you for this great video.
Hi Paddy, thanks for doing the video on Hellfire Pass. I suggested that might like to do something about it several months ago. ( I am the retired Royal New Zealand Navy guy who visited there with the Australian Defence Force back in about 2005.) Your video was very moving and obviously you had done a lot of research and put considerable thought into how to treat a subject that is still sensitive to many people. I am glad to see that you have received so many positive and supportive comments. Bravo Zulu. (Navy speak for Well Done. )
Well done Paddy. RESPECT. The generations of our forefathers experienced life that we can never appreciate and we should forever be grateful to them for their sacrifices. It really does make our perceived problems to be totally insignificant.
Visited there in 2019 and as an Aussie found it very moving. What our soldiers went through was sheer hell. Thanks for telling this incredible story of bravery and suffering.
I was there in 2096 and yes all of the images here: the cemetery; the bridge and last but by no means least Hellfire Pass. All three places brought tears. Oh the museum was also worth your time!
Thanks Paddy for this video. In February 2001 my gf and I experienced the history of Kanchanaburi also..the museums, the war memorial cemetery and Hellfire Pass left a lasting impression of the awful treatment of Allied POWs and local Thai and Burmese people. The movie Railway Man is about British POWs and was very moving.. your subscribers would probably like to watch it..Thanks again this video brought back many memories.
Wow! This video was so respectfully done. I really enjoyed this format, it should be called 'Next Level Documentary'. You made me forget that I was just watching a video on UA-cam...all while learning about the tragic history of the Thai people. Well done. You have honored their memory in a very kind, humble and beautiful way. Thank you.
My Thai school took me on a field trip to this place when I was in primary school. After having learned a brief history in the museum and walking through hellfire pass, I became super depressed and emotionally distressed in a way that couldn't be explained. I even cried as I walked through that pass and had to ask my teachers to leave early because I could somehow felt the pain those prisoners were feeling and it sure wasn't comforting at all. Even to this day, after growing up 15 years from then and learning more history in-depth, especially the World Wars and the Cold War, I still can't go back to this place. Wars had put so many in pain and I wish one day we learn how to SUCCESSFULLY avoid them. Rest in peace to all those who sacrificed their lives in such a horrific war.
As a Australian I've heard so much about this, But I have not experienced it, or seen such a walk though! You have made me very proud that our people help fund this very important exhibit! I have few words right now, but this level of respect and detail you put into this post I respect! Thankyou! Biased: I think this is one of your best ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just commented on your most recent vlog... Thank you for telling us more about the history of this region. This is emotional to watch. Unfortunately my Dutch Indonesian grandfather has suffered a lot under the Japanese imprisonment, forced to building this railway.. 😢
Heavy place the death and war museum was a great experience of my life I remember jumping off the top of the bridge into the water with my friend Trent from Perth and my feet hit the sand at the bottom of the Kwai river beautiful video 🤙🏽👊🏽
Great video. My father was prisoner work on the railway and at Hellfire pass. Been there many times. Very spiritual place. The bond made here between the prisoners shaped their lives and lasted until they died.
I thought this was your best video yet because you navigated such a tough subject with amazing sensitivity and thoughfullness. You are a true diplomat with a teachers heart!! I'm a 63 year old 3rd generation-Japanese American. As a person of Japanese heritage, I am alert to the atrocities Japan committed during WWII and the older I get, the more terrible things I learn. I heard about the stories this video, but the perspective and context you provided for how these things came about made a lot of sense to me. For a long time I had a couldn't understanding how Japan could've been so cruel and I still have a tough time with that, but the way you explain the situation in Japan at the time and about Emperor Hirohito put some of the pieces of the puzzle together for me. I ditto everyones compliments that wrote before me and appreciate their insights. Khaawp-khun khrap!
One of your best vlog ! I loved it. Thanks for your very interesting details and for your emotions. You’re the best. A bit disappointed that your trip is arriving shortly to its end. I love Thailand and hope to come back again with all the very interesting details of your videos !
War is horrific and heartbreaking. Never seems to end. Thank you for telling the factual side of this time in history. Through your travels I have learned so much about Thailand. You are an excellent teacher and storyteller. Your students must have learned so much from you.
Thankyou for this documentary and enlightenment regarding the Far East War within WW2. An additional piece of information you may not know was that Prime Minister Winston Churchill withheld Air support from Singapore in order to support troops in Europe and thus protect the British Isles from invasion by Germany. My father was fighting in the battle for Singapore and told me the story of when General Wavell arrived during the fight for Singapore and promised that help was coming and that the sky over Singapore would be “dark with allied planes” then promptly hopped on to a plane and left Singapore. No planes ever arrived to provide air cover for the fighting men on the ground. I can relate here that every surviving soldier in Singapore at that time remembered the betrayal, which wasn’t so much that aeroplane cover couldn’t be spared to help, but that Churchill allowed the lie to persist that Singapore could have been saved and did not admit his own part in the deception. Some so-called historians omit this info. Thankfully, the maligned General Percival, who had been left with no choice but to surrender his soldiers to the Japanese in Singapore, survived the years of being a prisoner of war and was able to go to Parliament after the war and tell the true story of why Singapore fell, including revealing the lack of even a single helpful aeroplane. Then MP’s knew the truth and eventually awarded him a knighthood. The British government did not seem to want the true story of how the soldiers, who became Prisoners of War in Thailand and Burma, suffered and after Liberation the survivors were issued with paper instructions titled “ Guard Your Tongue”. These were orders that the soldiers returning home should not reveal to relatives the details of how prisoners suffered and died in captivity. I unearthed this paperwork myself at the Kew Archives and sent it to the Daily Mail who published its contents in the Letters page. Post WW2, with regard to the “Death Railway”, a man named Rod Beatty saw that it was in danger of being forgotten when it began to be covered over again by the jungle so he and his wife began to clear the growth in order to preserve the railway. The British government had seemed to be content to let what happened in the jungle Japanese POW camps fade into oblivion. Also, it is no accident that it was the Australians who began to preserve “Hellfire Pass” in remembrance of their own countrymen as well as the British and Dutch soldiers who slaved and died there. And, on a personal level, in remembrance of my Dad who was there, I thank God for the Australian endeavours in ensuring that this part of the history of WW2 in the Far East is memorialised.
Very moving movie Paddy you have captured the feeling so well 😔 Very informative too. Well done this will help keep alive a part of history that should never be forgotten.
Thanks for such an informative video. I've been following you for years so I know a little of your back story. I bet the children you taught in Chang Mai miss your teaching. I'm thrilled that this channel has been so successful for you. Your family must be so prooud of your achievement. God bless you.
Terrific video and tastefully done. I went to Hellfire Pass about 5 years ago and I am planning to go back to Kanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass again next year so can stay longer there. Would be nice to meet any of your followers there as well. I'm there at the end of March (Easter 2024). Keep up the great work.
I am going next month. In 2017 took train to kanchnaburi and returned back on afternoon train. This time going to stay there for 3 to 4 days and explore more.
Fantastic video Paddy! You really are a great teacher. You pesented facts to show each sides mindset and reasons why they reacted how they did. You really create a thirst for more knowledge.
Well done and respectful approach to this regions not too distant past. A walk thru the cemetary there is a somber reminder of that tragic time. Well done.
Beautifully respectful and everyone should visit the bridge and war cemetery. I was there in 1998 and it was without doubt the most moving place I have ever been there was just a small museum run by the monks there then and the incredible cemetery huge and moving in its own right. It was a tragic part of human history and one that must never be forgotten your delivery and context in this video was bang on point thank you 🙏 looking forward to the lighter side of the province as well. We went on a train over the bridge off into the jungle that also gave toy an idea of the conditions these poor guys had to work in.
Me and my wife went there a few years ago and it brings you to tears what that went through and you did a brilliant job of informing us all about this if you have never seen the railway man it’s a must.
My great uncle was a pow on hellfire it’s a very harrowing place for me, I was only a little kid and never knew why he was a nutter, then travelling Thailand and learning what they endured thru their captivity it was all clear! Thanks for paying homage mate
Being from Germany we’re mostly taught what the war was like here in Europe and all the horrible things Jewish people had to go through. It’s unbelievable and heartbreaking to see that big parts of Asia were also on fire. I thought that video was very well done and informative!
Watched it again as I often watch your stuff multiple times. I have seen a number of utubers do this one . I think Thailand bound was the last I saw . You did an epic job . It is very apparent how your making the effort to evolve your channel . Great stuff Paddy.
Thanks Paddy. Great video. I took my adult son to hellfire pass in 2006. As a couple of Aussies we found it very moving along with the cemetery in Kanchanaburi.
Paddy your story tells what brought about this very sad time in our history, so well, with such respect to those who fell and those that remain today. I visited the museum and walked along parts of the Death railway, I remember thinking how beautiful the scenery around me was, Parts overlooking the river, And wondered what the lads thought, not the same I am sure, Much love and respect to them, The cemeteries when you walk around really brings home what happened, Pray history does not repeat itself, Thanks paddy for the video, Adrian Callen.
I’m Japanese and I also visited Kanchanaburi in 2018. I saw their bridge and the museum as well. I learned a lot from their museum and your videos as well.
Hope can share about this bad history to the future kids to make this world peaceful!
I wanted to share some of the knowledge that I gained from my few days in Kanchanaburi via the museums, memorials, and online content such as the documentary 'The True Story of the Bridge on the River Kwai' .
I hope you find this of interest and I apologize if any of my presentation is incorrect, I also felt I couldn't tell the whole story, and I left out a lot of the details of exactly how the soldiers were treated.
If you would like to find out more the description has a list of places and content that you can find out much more information on exactly what happened here in Kanchanaburi.
❤❤✌❤❤
I highly recommend visiting Pilok further on that direction.
Hin Dat hot spring is nice too.
Anyone who has seen the film will have learnt nearly nothing about what happened here. I live in Kanchanaburi and the story and the place deserve your time. Colonel Bogie and American heroes - forget it.
Paddy this upload must be one of your best. You obviously have a talent for teaching. I would love to see you do more videos like this one and tell us more about Thai history.
Great job with this video, Paddy. It’s difficult to summarize a story like this and you did it really well. We learned a few things from this. Thank you!
Paddy, this is the best ever! More, more, more please.
You are “Paddy THE Teacher”
Many thanks for sharing this,Paddy. My father was here in 1946 as part of the Allied effort to repatriate the remaining P.O.W.s
You have told me more than he ever did as he never ever wanted to talk about it again. It caused him to have nightmares until he died in 2010. After leaving Kanchanaburi he continued on to Japan as part as of the guard on The Imperial Palace as Hirohito was under house arrest. Once again many thanks.
you should go. you would like it. lots of western food if ya dnt like Thai food. worth a trip
My first visit there was 30 years ago very emotional walking through the cemetery and looking at all the headstones. The bridge over the river Kwai was probably the first that a lot of people in the west had even heard about Thailand as it was immortalized in the movie which by the way was best picture of the year and won an Oscar. Here’s a little bit of history to ponder.
In 1957 Yul Brynner won the Academy award for best actor in The King and I. Followed up by Alec Guinness winning the Oscar for best actor in 1958 for The bridge over the River Kwai. It also won an Oscar that year for best movie.
I wonder how many people even knew about Thailand prior to these two movies coming out in the late 50s, what a coincidence that In 1959 the first governmental tourist authority was formed. Thailand had no organised tourism industry until the late-1950s. In that era, Bangkok had about 800 tourist-standard rooms to serve its 40,000 foreign visitors per year. Oh how the times have changed. By the way nice work on covering the history in a separate episode. Other movies that brought attention to Thailand were the “man with the golden gun” James Bond 007. Another big one was “the beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio that came out in 1999 if I remember correctly I remember seeing it in southern Thailand the theater was packed on opening night, And more recently “the hangover”. Just to name a few.
Wow…you have a great memory and knowledge.
Another Chinese movie “Lost in Thailand” in 2013 it made Thailand super popular with Chinese tourists.
@@wisarut.nualkaew yes good memory. The golden gun one I was a little kid about 13
@@ian-wu2bb I grew up with Pierce Brosnan 007. 😅
On the subject of movies, I believe 'The King and I' is still banned in Thailand, something about being disrespectful/falsehoods to the former King Mongkut. Regardless, RIP and my respect.
Excellent insight into what those poor souls endured! I recently walked 100km from hellfire pass to Kanchanburi war cemetery. Following the railway to Kanchanburi war memorial cemetery where my great uncle is buried. A very humbling experience it was!
Re the teacher / storyteller aspect. Your style reminds me of one of my high-school teachers named Mr Brown. He held the class intrigued as history unfolded before us. We couldn't wait to come to the next class because he did a masterful job of foreshadowing what was to come. You've left any of the nasty details up to our imagination if we dare go there. Well done. Thank you. dcb
Thanks for that David!
Absolutely agree on that !! I would really like to see more of this side of Paddy. Informative storytelling…
I visited Thailand in October 2017 and missed so many attractions. Your videos are very educational and awe inspiring. We need an index and a brief breakdown of each video for each province. Hoping to visit again when the world returns to normal. My retirement plans have changed and I want to spend my vacation and later my retirement in Thailand visiting all the provinces. Thanks Paddy for your wonderful videos.
Oh Paddy, this was so interesting and well told. My father was a Japanese prisoner of war (British Army) and was put into Changi prison. He too worked on the Burma railway. I had a little teary listening to the story but you told it from all sides very well. Thanks again.
Hi Paddy, you managed to wrap this heartbreaking story gracefully in your video. My wife, with whom I have been married for 25 years, comes from Kanchanaburi and I have of course been to all these places several times and know this sad story too. Your video is an excellent complement to a video that Pete "Thairish Times" made as "A Hero Story" about a month ago. Living in the present one should not overlook the past because something like this should never happen again, especially at this time when the cold war seems to flare up again in Europe...
Thank you very much for this great video.
Greetings from Sattahip - Gerd 🌈🍀💖🌴🌈
Very school teacher like but really enjoyed this video. I have attended ANZAC day a number of times at Hell Fire Pass an extremely moving experience. Well done to the Australian Government.
Great summarizing of the history and significance of the railroad. I was able to walk the Hellfire Pass route and it is very sobering. There is a point beyond which one is told you need special permission to go, and a special radio, because it is really getting into the wilderness and becomes a very dangerous trek, and the park rangers want to keep tabs on anyone who may go missing because of an accident. We started walking that part of the route a little bit, but the farther we went, the more I got scared in case something really did happen to us because it was a bit dodgy scrambling over loose rocks and such, and we didn't have the special permission, nor the two-way radio. Beautiful views of the mountains of Myanmar in the near distance though. The museum at the pass is very informative, as is the museum back in the city near the cemetery. We hopped a train near that waterfall and took it back into the city, and across the replica bridge, and then disembarked from the train and walked across the bridge, whistling the theme song from the movie "Bridge on the River Kwai." One interesting thing to note: The river there was not actually named River Kwai, it had a different name, But Pierre Boule's book misnamed it, and in order to capitalize on the potential tourist trade, the Thai government renamed the river to Kwai Noi, so the bridge there really does now go over the River Kwai (Noi). The bridge is a re-built bridge, but there are some sections of the bridge that are the original parts, and the guide books will tell you what to look for to determine what is original. All in all, this was a wonderful and very informative video. Thank you. Can't wait to see your video about the recreational aspects of Kanchanaburi province, because in addition to a history lesson, the province is beautiful and lots of fun recreational opportunities.
Well done Paddy.
Respectfully told, considerate to all angles of this unfortunate event in history. A difficult job very well done.
Great story. My wife and I visited Kanchanaburi a few years ago. The museum was an eye opener. We took the train from Kanchanaburi to Nam Tok. This took us over the wooden viaduct mentioned in the movie. As a strange coincidence, the weeks leading up to us leaving NZ, there were movies and documentaries about the bridge and the treatment of prisoners during that period of history. It helped us understand better what we were seeing during our trip. One movie which is worth seeing is The Railway Man with Colin Firth. It shows the mans struggle during the war and how he came face to face with one of the people responsible for the pain and suffering during that period.
You outdid yourself on this one. I learned a few more things about this part of history thanks to you, and I am 76. You are a great teacher !
Paddy some very good reading material.
1. A life for every sleeper.
2. Australian Prisoners of war
3. Burma Thai Railway 1942 - 1943.
If you go into the first museum south of the bridge, go past the locomotive and to the left of the aircraft, there is a small remains of the original wooden bridge.
Love your work
You did a great job on this one Paddy. These poor souls should always be remembered. It's frightening what people are capable of doing to each other.
I'm just back from Thailand and I visited Kanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass with my sister. We did the full walk from the Interpretation Centre to Hintok Road and back. Very tough, humid and hot. We had plenty of water but it gave us something of an appreciation of the hell these guys endured building this railway.
Hi Paddy! Thank you very much for this video. I really appreciate that you offered this topic a separate video. I was deeply touched when visiting this museum some 15 years ago and highly recommend everyone to step into the Hellfire Pass Centre to learn more and feel more about the circumstances and the historical background.
I highly support your decision to add this due to its portentous topic “untypical” video to your channel. This is what makes your channel worthwhile: authenticity. You got the feeling that this topic was important - and so it was. Thumbs up!
Looking forward to seeing next “happy travel” videos. But in the same way to emotional things in any direction along your road.
Keep on rolling!
Probably the most respectful and informative video I have seen on this subject and others like it, many thanks.
Wow I'm really happy to hear that because I was really worried I might have miss spoke or something similar. Appreciate it 😊
G'day Paddy, well done mate.
You've just been anointed an honorary Aussie. 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇹🇭
Thanks mate 😊
Paddy thank you for made my day. I missed Thailand so much. Made me cry every times I can’t be there right now hopefully soon. I hope I running to you when I make it back to mother’s home again. So paddy I love you thank you.
Dear Paddy, my partner and I stayed at a hotel beside the bridge at Kanchanaburi early last month. While there I realised how little I know, so I started researching on the Internet. Unfortunately I found a lot of information that left me a bit muddled. I found a video on you tube by the grand daughter of Brigadier Sir Philip Toosey. Brigadier Toosey was the man that Alec Guinness role in the film, Bridge on the river Kwai, was very loosely based on. I was so interested that I bought the book, The Colonel of Tamarkan. I haven't finished it yet but it is a book well worth reading with an insight to what happened in those terrible times. Kanchanaburi is a lovely area to visit but tinged with sadness from the past.
Paddy, thank you for your video, it is very well presented and informative.
One of your best videos, Paddy. I have goose bumps imagining the angst those men endured. Thank you for presenting it so poignantly.
Thank you so much Paddy, really well told. As a former British Serviceman of 30 year's now living over here, you've done an excellent job. Thank you so very much old chap.
Your best work. Australians see this episode as an important part of their military history. A sacred place for many.
This is why I subscribed to your channel 1 year ago. Great teacher combined with my beloved country.
You have made a great video on a very difficult subject matter and you were right in keeping it solely about the history of the death railway. Despite a small battle at Prachuap Kiri Khan, when an invading Japanese force was repelled by a small Thai army force, the Thais signed a Treaty of Accord allowing the Japanese into Thailand...keeping Thailand's proud record of not being colonised by another country. The Japanese used mainly Burmese and Malay labour along with POWs and its important to remember that over 100,000 of these perished and are buried in simple graves alongside the tracks of the railway (as far as I'm aware there's no memorial to their sacrifice which is extremely sad). It's a shame you didn't visit the Wang Pho Viaduct an amazing feat of engineering built by POWs and civilian labour surrounded by astounding beauty, a contrast typical of this area...incredible beauty entwined with incredible sorrow. Nevertheless, your video was incredibly tasteful but also thought provoking...well done again Paddy 😁👍👏👏
This is really an important story and you’re telling it in a very interesting way 😀 It’s easy getting lost in your words and wanting to get to know the whole story of what actually happened. Thank you so much for sharing, Paddy 🙏🏻❤️ You are my favourite teacher for sure 🤓😇❤️ Keep up the good work 👌
The links in the description will help if you need more information and THANKS!
@@PaddyDoyle. this is so interesting that I’ve watched it 4 times now… 🙈🙈
We are keen followers of your channel and as a couple of boomers in Australia particularly enjoyed your telling of this compelling part of history. The suffering and hardship of these young men is beyond comprehension. You told their story with such great respect and compassion.
The curator who set up that museum is a very clever communicator. 🙏
You are a good story teller. History well narrated. Thanks for the research and history of that railway. Much appreciated .
Very nicely narrated Khru Paddy. Been there twice, going again with my son hopefully this year. This vlog will be a great source for him to learn the subject before we go.
You narrated it well. Informative 😊
Thank you! 🙂
Iv'e watched this 3 times now and get more from it! DO MORE OF THIS !
My (Dutch) grandfather was one of the people who have worked here. It took many years to realize that even my generation is carrying the weight of trauma that was never spoken about. Thank you for this great video.
Classy not moving away from the history in order to add excitement 🙌🏻
Hi Paddy, thanks for doing the video on Hellfire Pass. I suggested that might like to do something about it several months ago. ( I am the retired Royal New Zealand Navy guy who visited there with the Australian Defence Force back in about 2005.) Your video was very moving and obviously you had done a lot of research and put considerable thought into how to treat a subject that is still sensitive to many people. I am glad to see that you have received so many positive and supportive comments. Bravo Zulu. (Navy speak for Well Done. )
Excellent information thank you so much
Because of your recommendations and my generation referenceing the movie ..Bridge over the River Kwai, I am excited to see this history.
Well done Paddy. RESPECT. The generations of our forefathers experienced life that we can never appreciate and we should forever be grateful to them for their sacrifices. It really does make our perceived problems to be totally insignificant.
Visited there in 2019 and as an Aussie found it very moving. What our soldiers went through was sheer hell. Thanks for telling this incredible story of bravery and suffering.
I was there in 2096 and yes all of the images here: the cemetery; the bridge and last but by no means least Hellfire Pass. All three places brought tears. Oh the museum was also worth your time!
Thank you for a good presentation of some important history on my new home Thailand. A close friends grandfather was a POW. Very sad.
Well done. You and Pete of Thairish Times have done an excellent job giving a feel of the history and suffering during the war.
Thanks Paddy for this video. In February 2001 my gf and I experienced the history of Kanchanaburi also..the museums, the war memorial cemetery and Hellfire Pass left a lasting impression of the awful treatment of Allied POWs and local Thai and Burmese people. The movie Railway Man is about British POWs and was very moving.. your subscribers would probably like to watch it..Thanks again this video brought back many memories.
Wow! This video was so respectfully done. I really enjoyed this format, it should be called 'Next Level Documentary'. You made me forget that I was just watching a video on UA-cam...all while learning about the tragic history of the Thai people. Well done. You have honored their memory in a very kind, humble and beautiful way. Thank you.
My Thai school took me on a field trip to this place when I was in primary school. After having learned a brief history in the museum and walking through hellfire pass, I became super depressed and emotionally distressed in a way that couldn't be explained. I even cried as I walked through that pass and had to ask my teachers to leave early because I could somehow felt the pain those prisoners were feeling and it sure wasn't comforting at all. Even to this day, after growing up 15 years from then and learning more history in-depth, especially the World Wars and the Cold War, I still can't go back to this place. Wars had put so many in pain and I wish one day we learn how to SUCCESSFULLY avoid them. Rest in peace to all those who sacrificed their lives in such a horrific war.
As a Australian I've heard so much about this, But I have not experienced it, or seen such a walk though!
You have made me very proud that our people help fund this very important exhibit!
I have few words right now, but this level of respect and detail you put into this post I respect!
Thankyou!
Biased: I think this is one of your best ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A very well narrated story about Hellfire Pass, probably one of the best videos about it on youtube
I just commented on your most recent vlog... Thank you for telling us more about the history of this region. This is emotional to watch. Unfortunately my Dutch Indonesian grandfather has suffered a lot under the Japanese imprisonment, forced to building this railway.. 😢
Heavy place the death and war museum was a great experience of my life I remember jumping off the top of the bridge into the water with my friend Trent from Perth and my feet hit the sand at the bottom of the Kwai river beautiful video 🤙🏽👊🏽
Man I really really really like these kind of video, I'm sick of all these vloggers doing the same boring food videos, this is the real deal, history!
Very informative for someone visiting Kanchanaburi. Hats off. 💯
Great video. My father was prisoner work on the railway and at Hellfire pass. Been there many times. Very spiritual place. The bond made here between the prisoners shaped their lives and lasted until they died.
Excellent video paddy....very important for people to know this history....well done.
I visited some years ago. Important to remember and tell future generations. Good video.
Well done good Sir. Definitely a must visit. Thanks
I thought this was your best video yet because you navigated such a tough subject with amazing sensitivity and thoughfullness. You are a true diplomat with a teachers heart!! I'm a 63 year old 3rd generation-Japanese American. As a person of Japanese heritage, I am alert to the atrocities Japan committed during WWII and the older I get, the more terrible things I learn. I heard about the stories this video, but the perspective and context you provided for how these things came about made a lot of sense to me. For a long time I had a couldn't understanding how Japan could've been so cruel and I still have a tough time with that, but the way you explain the situation in Japan at the time and about Emperor Hirohito put some of the pieces of the puzzle together for me. I ditto everyones compliments that wrote before me and appreciate their insights. Khaawp-khun khrap!
This was a really great video , first class . Thanks for taking time to cover this story the way it should be done.
One of your best vlog !
I loved it.
Thanks for your very interesting details and for your emotions.
You’re the best.
A bit disappointed that your trip is arriving shortly to its end.
I love Thailand and hope to come back again with all the very interesting details of your videos !
War is horrific and heartbreaking. Never seems to end. Thank you for telling the factual side of this time in history. Through your travels I have learned so much about Thailand. You are an excellent teacher and storyteller. Your students must have learned so much from you.
Great job. Hats off to an awesome storyteller!
Thanks Will! ✌
Thanks for this, it's a great little history lesson and refresher
Absolutely agree about the 15 minute video. The Japanese soldiers' mindset expertly described 👍👍+1.
Hellfire pass is an amazing piece of history, Great video Paddy, & well done to the Australian Government.
Thankyou for this documentary and enlightenment regarding the Far East War within WW2. An additional piece of information you may not know was that Prime Minister Winston Churchill withheld Air support from Singapore in order to support troops in Europe and thus protect the British Isles from invasion by Germany. My father was fighting in the battle for Singapore and told me the story of when General Wavell arrived during the fight for Singapore and promised that help was coming and that the sky over Singapore would be “dark with allied planes” then promptly hopped on to a plane and left Singapore. No planes ever arrived to provide air cover for the fighting men on the ground. I can relate here that every surviving soldier in Singapore at that time remembered the betrayal, which wasn’t so much that aeroplane cover couldn’t be spared to help, but that Churchill allowed the lie to persist that Singapore could have been saved and did not admit his own part in the deception.
Some so-called historians omit this info. Thankfully, the maligned General Percival, who had been left with no choice but to surrender his soldiers to the Japanese in Singapore, survived the years of being a prisoner of war and was able to go to Parliament after the war and tell the true story of why Singapore fell, including revealing the lack of even a single helpful aeroplane. Then MP’s knew the truth and eventually awarded him a knighthood. The British government did not seem to want the true story of how the soldiers, who became Prisoners of War in Thailand and Burma, suffered and after Liberation the survivors were issued with paper instructions titled “ Guard Your Tongue”. These were orders that the soldiers returning home should not reveal to relatives the details of how prisoners suffered and died in captivity. I unearthed this paperwork myself at the Kew Archives and sent it to the Daily Mail who published its contents in the Letters page. Post WW2, with regard to the “Death Railway”, a man named Rod Beatty saw that it was in danger of being forgotten when it began to be covered over again by the jungle so he and his wife began to clear the growth in order to preserve the railway. The British government had seemed to be content to let what happened in the jungle Japanese POW camps fade into oblivion. Also, it is no accident that it was the Australians who began to preserve “Hellfire Pass” in remembrance of their own countrymen as well as the British and Dutch soldiers who slaved and died there. And, on a personal level, in remembrance of my Dad who was there, I thank God for the Australian endeavours in ensuring that this part of the history of WW2 in the Far East is memorialised.
Been there 3 times and still found your video interesting . Well done
Top shelf PD - your commentary & editing on this is better than many docos 👌 one of your best - Thanks 🍻👊😎👌🙏👍
Very moving movie Paddy you have captured the feeling so well 😔
Very informative too. Well done this will help keep alive a part of history that should never be forgotten.
Thanks for watching Mark!
Your Teacher skills are on point Paddy. Amazing video and narrative
Thanks for such an informative video. I've been following you for years so I know a little of your back story. I bet the children you taught in Chang Mai miss your teaching. I'm thrilled that this channel has been so successful for you. Your family must be so prooud of your achievement. God bless you.
Wow thanks 😊
Best of all your videos👍
Thanks for being back on the road.
Very moving story . Saw the film years ago.well done Paddy
Terrific video and tastefully done. I went to Hellfire Pass about 5 years ago and I am planning to go back to Kanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass again next year so can stay longer there. Would be nice to meet any of your followers there as well. I'm there at the end of March (Easter 2024). Keep up the great work.
I am going next month. In 2017 took train to kanchnaburi and returned back on afternoon train. This time going to stay there for 3 to 4 days and explore more.
So enjoyed your history of Kanchanaburi .Unfortunately sad memories for all of us.
Fantastic video Paddy! You really are a great teacher. You pesented facts to show each sides mindset and reasons why they reacted how they did. You really create a thirst for more knowledge.
Thanks so much
Well done and respectful approach to this regions not too distant past. A walk thru the cemetary there is a somber reminder of that tragic time. Well done.
Thanks for the positive feedback 👍
Puts
My issues to rest!! Thanks Paddy!! Such a emotional video that people need to see. Safe travels
Very captivating Paddy... Thank you
Thank you Paddy my father was awarded the Burma star for his service during WW2 , you presentation was both dignified and rewarding to watch .
Thank you ,perhaps you could look at the story of Jim Thompson in Bangkok fascinating man not covered enough on you tube.
One of your best albeit a very sombre vlog. You presented that brilliantly Paddy and I learnt plenty. Thankyou so much :)
Beautifully respectful and everyone should visit the bridge and war cemetery. I was there in 1998 and it was without doubt the most moving place I have ever been there was just a small museum run by the monks there then and the incredible cemetery huge and moving in its own right. It was a tragic part of human history and one that must never be forgotten your delivery and context in this video was bang on point thank you 🙏 looking forward to the lighter side of the province as well. We went on a train over the bridge off into the jungle that also gave toy an idea of the conditions these poor guys had to work in.
Thank you very much for all the knowledge!
Me and my wife went there a few years ago and it brings you to tears what that went through and you did a brilliant job of informing us all about this if you have never seen the railway man it’s a must.
Well done Paddy. I will be traveling Kanchanaburi for sure!
I thought the video was too short. The way you explained the events was easy to follow and at point emotional. Thank you.
Well done ...thank u for the fruitfull historic informations 🌹
My great uncle was a pow on hellfire it’s a very harrowing place for me, I was only a little kid and never knew why he was a nutter, then travelling Thailand and learning what they endured thru their captivity it was all clear!
Thanks for paying homage mate
Being from Germany we’re mostly taught what the war was like here in Europe and all the horrible things Jewish people had to go through. It’s unbelievable and heartbreaking to see that big parts of Asia were also on fire. I thought that video was very well done and informative!
Watched it again as I often watch your stuff multiple times. I have seen a number of utubers do this one . I think Thailand bound was the last I saw . You did an epic job . It is very apparent how your making the effort to evolve your channel . Great stuff Paddy.
Thanks mate 😊
@@PaddyDoyle. most welcome
This is one of your best videos, excellent, thank you!
Great video Paddy, thank you for doing this. One of my favorite videos.
tastefully done Paddy. History is connected to our present day life the good and the bad. I liked the 2 part video. thanks
I loved hearing about this! Thank u for doing all the research
Thanks Paddy. Great video. I took my adult son to hellfire pass in 2006. As a couple of Aussies we found it very moving along with the cemetery in Kanchanaburi.
Paddy your story tells what brought about this very sad time in our history, so well, with such respect to those who fell and those that remain today. I visited the museum and walked along parts of the Death railway, I remember thinking how beautiful the scenery around me was, Parts overlooking the river, And wondered what the lads thought, not the same I am sure, Much love and respect to them, The cemeteries when you walk around really brings home what happened, Pray history does not repeat itself, Thanks paddy for the video, Adrian Callen.
Well done. Glad you made this a stand alone episode
Well done Paddy, i have attended ANZAC ceremonies at hell fire pass a number of times, very moving experience.
Thanks 🙏
Fantastic job paddy! U did a tremendous job honouring the history here and giving context to the province which should never be forgotten. Nice one
Been there on a school trip 8 years ago. Unforgettable time.
Thanks Paddy! I have traveled on the railway but didn’t get to Hellfire Pass. God I wish I had but thanks for taste of what I missed.