We visited Hellfire Pass and the memorial museum on the 19 August 2014.
Although known as Konyu cutting by the Japanese Army, Hellfire Pass was built by POW and Civilian labour during WWII. The pass is located a remote part of the the Tenasserim Hills and was a particularly difficult section of line to build.
The pass was cut from the rock with very limited mechanical tools and with heavy loss of life ,using only picks and shovels, hammers and sticks of gelignite almost the entire pass was drilled, blasted and cleared by hand..
It was known as Hellfire Pass because of the continual hammering noise and the flickering light from smoky fires, oil fired bamboo torches and carbide lamps which created a scheme that looked like a living image of hell.
Work on the cutting started in April 1943, groups of men worked around the clock on 16-18 hour shifts to complete excavation of the 17m deep and 110m long cutting through solid limestone and quartz rock in only 12 weeks.
The museum was opened on 24 April 1998.
Although known as Konyu cutting by the Japanese Army, Hellfire Pass was built by POW and Civilian labour during WWII. The pass is located a remote part of the the Tenasserim Hills and was a particularly difficult section of line to build.
The pass was cut from the rock with very limited mechanical tools and with heavy loss of life ,using only picks and shovels, hammers and sticks of gelignite almost the entire pass was drilled, blasted and cleared by hand..
It was known as Hellfire Pass because of the continual hammering noise and the flickering light from smoky fires, oil fired bamboo torches and carbide lamps which created a scheme that looked like a living image of hell.
Work on the cutting started in April 1943, groups of men worked around the clock on 16-18 hour shifts to complete excavation of the 17m deep and 110m long cutting through solid limestone and quartz rock in only 12 weeks.
The museum was opened on 24 April 1998.
The Kwae Noi Valley photographed from the museums viewing platform, after visiting the museum we made our way down the hill to the line of the track.
Heading down the route of the railway towards Hellfire Pass, our guide told us that the Australian Army had cleared and stoned up the path.
Entrance to Hellfire Pass
In the pass
Memorial plaque at the end of the pass.
View from the track looking down into the valley, I imagine that this was the type of country cleared by the POW's.
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