This week’s Monochrome Monday is a photo from 2011 of a steel bridge that the Japanese forced Allied prisoners of war build during the Second World War.
The movie The Bridge Over The River Kwai is a 1957 Academy Award winning fictional account of the building of the Death Railway between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar). The bridge in the photos was built by prisoners of war in WWII, but in reality the POWs built dozens of bridges along the 250 mile (402 km ) length of the Death Railway. Only a handful of the bridges were steel. When you think about it, building one bridge as depicted in the movie would be easy.
This bridge is located at Kanchanaburi, Thailand about 66 miles (106 km) west of Bangkok. The arched sections of the bridge were constructed by POWs. The sections with rectangular trusses were built by the Japanese after WWII as reparations to replace portions of the bridge destroyed by Allied bombers during the war.
An accurate account of the building of the Death Railway is here.
Salsaworldtraveler'sblog 
In the movie, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Tom Hanks plays a role as an escaped slave who travels through Thailand on horseback, searching for his long-lost freedom. But that wasn’t in the movie either. The actual real bridge on the River Kwai wasn’t even damaged, much less destroyed. It’s still standing three miles west of this quiet town on the Thailand Cambodia border and it’s becoming something of an attraction to visitors who make the trip north for the spectacular scenery and dramatic cliffs. For those of you who like horses but don’t want to go on a horseback escapade, or who just prefer a more controlled environment, there’s another option: the steel bridge.A steel bridge, also called a suspension bridge, is a concrete and steel structure that spans a suspension span over a roadway. As the name implies, it can be suspended between two adjacent retaining walls, which are usually made out of logs or steel. Suspended over a roadway, it allows vehicles to pass through it as if they were driving across an open field. It’s a great way to bring some much-needed vehicular traffic to a dead end or to make a small town nearby seem like a larger region.The Bridge On The River Kwai is one of many such suspension bridges that have been built in Thailand, most of which are located on major Riverside roads. Just north of Pattaya, you’ll find the Thon Buri bridge, which spans the mighty Mekong River. And just north of Phuket, Thailand’s second largest city, is the Soi Bangla Ton Sai, which also functions as a suspension bridge, taking the visitors from Phuket to Krabi. The steel bridge is used for a variety of reasons, but its main function is to connect the two countries’ cities. Whether you are on a business trip an eco-tour, or just want to go for an early morning bicycle ride, travelling by this mode of transport is convenient, fast, and safe, making it a perfect bridge to take the tourists to your preferred destination.
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Thanks for the info.
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It’s good to know that at least one bridge is still standing!
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This was a sturdy bridge as you see. I bet the other bridges POWs built along the railway are standing as well.
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if they are like that one, I am sure they are…
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i was there in 2000, and strangely didnt find the actual bridge memorable. but it works well in black and white actually!
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The movie prepared me for a huge wooden structure so I was a little underwhelmed also. The actual story is much bigger than one bridge.
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My late step-mom was born and raised about midway between Chiang Rai and Bangkok. During her university student years, she sold food and cigarettes to tourists visiting Kanchanaburi.
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Beautiful picture, but with the rising tide of anti Asian hate, it seems a bit tone deaf to post it today…..
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Hmm. I think everyone knows WWII happened. I don’t think mentioning it is off limits now or in the future.
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Hate crimes against Asians have spiked 150 percent in the last year. None of the modern generation of Japanese had anything to do with Kwai, and right now the Asian American community is reeling under a wave of violence and race related murder…it just seems a little….ill timed. But that’s just me.
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By far more Asians than non Asians were victims on the Death Railway. I probably should have mentioned that in the post. Hopefully the post gives no one reasons to hold the current generation of Japanese responsible. Just as the current generation of Americans had nothing to do with the A bombs and fire bombings of Japanese cities in WWII. Hopefully all of the hatchets from WWII have been buried long ago. Hate against people of color is not new or likely to go away anytime soon.
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I will always remember that film. How lovely it is to hear about it.
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Bridge Over the River Kwai is an exceptional film. Critics rate it very highly and I liked it too. Thanks for your comment.
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great Picture!!!!!
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Thanks Cindy! Great story behind it.
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I noticed that!!!!!!
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Love these John, I have great memories of my trip to Kanchanaburi. Still need to put out most of my Thai articles. A good reminder!
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I would love to see your Thailand articles. I’m hooked on your stories from Qatar.
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