#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Thailands Travellers Tales >  >  Wayne Kerrs ANZAC Day in Kanchanaburi

## Wayne Kerr

Kanchanaburi is a must for Aussies and Kiwis living in Thailand come 25th April each year. This marks ANZAC day, when we remember our forefathers who served and died in various wars.

For Wayne Kerr this means a lot. My grandfather was captured by the Japanese in Singapore during WWII and worked as one of their many hundreds of thousands of farang and Asian slaves building the Thai-Burma railway. He spent what should have been the best part of his life cutting and carrying rocks out of Hellfire Pass, on rations of a small bowl of rice a day. He suffered daily from the effects of beatings, starvation, disease, and humiliation at the hands of the Japanese. But he survived.

Post war he spent time in a rehabilitation camp in Nakhon Pathom, and as far as I can tell from his writings he shipped out of Southeast Asia to Australia from Phnom Penh. Of course his return to Australia wasn’t with out heartache. One of his mates was so weak he couldn’t fetch his own food and asked my grandfather to collect some rice for him. From what I read in my grandfather’s memoirs and things he’d said to my grandmother and father he ran off to collect this but by the time he returned his mate had died. I visit his mate’s grave at the war memorial in Kanchanaburi whenever I can, but was disappointed when I went there last October as they had cut down the mango tree under which he had spent the best part of the last half century. He also lost his childhood mate to a hand grenade thrown by a Jap when they were traveling to a camp soon after they’d been told the war was over.

Anyway for me there is lots of missing information about what actually went down. It must have been bloody hard for my grandfather to tell me about it when I was a teenager, and I suspect it would have been harder for him to tell my father. I feel lucky in that the last time I saw him he told me a lot about his life in Thailand. We were talking about me be sent here to work. He told me about the time he was so sick from malaria and dysentery, vomiting on his hands and knees near the border area of a camp and he thought he was as good as dead, and then some Thai farmers risked their lives by coming into the camp to give him some herbs and chillies to eat – he reckoned it saved his life. I always remember this when I hear farangs slagging the Thais off – although I’m sure old Pop would agree that they are bloody useless when it comes to computers. He also told me about how the Thai farmers would make fun of the Japanese soldiers, and how they would call them “kwai” much to the delight of the prisoners. He never forgot the Thai and Malay language he learnt. He was the first to teach me how to say “Sawatdee Krap” and told me the best way to remember that was that you’d always have a “Sweaty Cup” (cup=armpit) and that by the time I worked out I was saying it wrong I’d be saying it okay.

Anyway, enough of the gloom and doom. I can’t ever remember my grandfather dwelling on any negative shit. Before I post any of the pics and videos from Kanchanaburi, heres a poem and some pics from before the Japs got em.


^ My Grandfather in 1940 before being shipped out to Southeast Asia


^ My Grandfather smoking a pipe (on the left) before being captured


^ A poem written by my Grandfather about life in Malaysia

----------


## Spin

cool, earns a green

----------


## MeMock

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

----------


## kingwilly

great stuff - i hope ur gonna be around for the thailand tigers ANZAC day match!

----------


## dirtydog

Pictures of the war cemetries in Kanchanaburi

----------


## ChiangMai noon

I think we should give Wayne Kerr his own forum.

----------


## MeMock

I agree and I think he should change his name as he obviously isn't one.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

Was your grandfather's poem at the Australian museum?

I've got some pictures from there, when I went there last month. I must put them up sometime.

----------


## El Gibbon

Watched a program on Discovery or History channel last week. It has been shown a couple of times previously. They did some segments on Aussia prisoners that survived... whewww

Now, THAT was tough sledding for those guys.

An interesting fact I noted that with over 100,000 dead, Burmese and Malays, only three are buried in graves. They just pitched their bodies in the nearest ditch or gully. 

The guy doing the show was 'given' the task of going down and getting one rock to carry back to the top. Damn near killed him, and that was ONE not hundred or thousands.

A truly remarkable piece of history that is now well known or recognized other than Aussie or NZ. Sad.

They showed a lot of old still photos, truly heart rending.

E. G.

----------


## Wayne Kerr

Anyway back to the road ...

*Kanchanaburi Town*

First stop on the trip after the 2 hr drive from Bangkok was Kanchanaburi town. This joint is a real tourist trap and to avoid this we ducked off to a quiet restaurant for a few hours to drink and watch the water pass under the bridge.

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> Was your grandfather's poem at the Australian museum?


^ The one above isn't as far as I remember.

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> great stuff - i hope ur gonna be around for the thailand tigers ANZAC day match!


Would love to go and watch a good game of footy with Wayne Jnr ... is the beer cold?

----------


## sabang

If you pretend to be a War veteran in Australia, you cannot buy a drink all day on Anzac.

----------


## kingwilly

> Originally Posted by kingwillyhggtb
> 
> great stuff - i hope ur gonna be around for the thailand tigers ANZAC day match!
> 
> 
> Would love to go and watch a good game of footy with Wayne Jnr ... is the beer cold?


bladdy hell - of course it will be mate!

----------


## kingwilly

details and stuff...




> The Thailand Tigers will host the Bali Geckos in the all-important ANZAC Day Commemorative Match at the *Kanchanaburi Sports Ground* at *3-00 pm* on *Saturday 28th April* and to hold a private ceremony at Hellfire Pass on *Sunday 29th April*. 
>  The Thailand Tigers have arranged a package for players and supporters for the weekend of 28th/29th April. Cost for travel, accommodation at Pung Waan Resort and Spa, and dinner on Saturday night is 2,500 baht on twin share basis. We have lined up a venue for the final of the Cricket World Cup later in the night. 
> If you are interested let Mark Robson vicepresident@thailand-tigers.com as soon as possible to reserve your place. 
>  ANZAC Day, Kanchanaburi, and Hellfire Pass 
>  As all Australians know, 25th April is ANZAC Day, the anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zeand troops on the Gallipolli Peninsula in Turkey, and the day on which the whole of Australia holds solemn ceremonies of remembrance, gratitude and national pride for all our men and women who have fought and died in all wars.
> For some years now, a dawn service has been held on 25th April at Hellfire Pass, near Kanchanaburi. Hellfire Pass was a part of the infamous Burma Railway, the construction of which claimed the lives of thousands of Australian, New Zealand and allied soldiers. 
> Full details of the ANZAC services at Hellfire Pass can be found on the Australian Embassy website. 
>  
> The ANZAC Day Commemorative Match 
> ...

----------


## Wayne Kerr

Seems I missed the boat on the footy match ... sounds as though it would have been a good day up there.

 Anyway, back to the road …

*ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass*

  As far as I know there are two ANZAC Day services in Kanchanaburi. The first is the dawn service at Hellfire  Pass about 80km north of the city centre. The other is at the war cemetery in town later in the day. This year we just went up north for the dawn service and enjoyed a lazy day around the hotel pool before pissing off back to Bangkok for work. We stay at the River Kwai Village Resort, the food there is absolute crap, but the pool is great, and the beer is always icy cold.

  The dawn service this year was as eerie as ever. I guess about 1000 people walk down into the small Konyu Cutting and listen to all manner of speeches, an old bloke playing the bag pipes from up on a small cliff (finished off with Amazing Grace this year), and the military guys play the Last Post. Then everyone ducks back up the hill to the Hellfire Pass Memorial  Museum to eat meat pies and drink Bundaberg Rum.

  I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but the speech from the Kiwi Ambassador to Thailand was a standout this year. Had a chat and a drink with him later on … he is just new on the job here and a really nice chap. My videos of the speeches worked out crap, so I wrote down what I heard him say to pass on to Wayne Jnr one day. Here it is:




> *KIWI AMBASSADOR'S SPEECH ON ANZAC DAY 2007: HELLFIRE PASS*
> 
> Veterans, Families of Veterans, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
> 
> Good morning.  Sawatdee khrap.  Kia ora.
> 
> It is an honour to be asked as a New Zealander to speak in this place.
> 
> ANZAC Day commemorates the shared catastrophe of Gallipoli and has become the day when the people of New Zealand and Australia stop to remember all of those who fought and died in war.  It is the day, more than any other, when trans-Tasman cousins stand shoulder to shoulder.
> ...


  ^ Loved the bit about listening to the cricket on a hot Saturday afternoon  :Smile: .

----------


## Wayne Kerr

My photos from this trip aren’t much chop. Experimenting with a new camera and all that. Anyway here’s a few I managed to salvage from the service.


^ A big bunch of people gathered around the commemorative stone down in Konyu Cutting at Hellfire Pass at about 5.00am


^ It is candle lit down in there except for all the camera flashes going off all the time


^ Getting photos was pretty hard work down in there – especially with this bloody TV camera man getting in everyone’s way


^ The commemorative stone down in Konyu Cutting


^ A scene from inside the cutting look down to where the ceremony took place


^ Looking south down the cutting


^ Looking west over the range into Burma – taken from the track on the way back up the hill to the museum for a nip or two of Bundy Rum  :Smile: .

----------


## Wayne Kerr

^Wayne Jnr. propping up the bar  :Smile: .

----------


## kingwilly

that dawn service is good, here's my little boy and his friend.

----------


## gos

Great thread Wayne I must try to get there next year

----------


## dirtydog

> Wayne Jnr. propping up the bar .


Doing an impression of his father no doubt  :Smile:

----------


## sledge

are you wanye kerr from new plymouth

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> are you wanye kerr from new plymouth


No but I think I may have met him, he married Theresa Green right?

----------


## sledge

don't know, I knew his younger brother Troy about 20 yrs ago. Had a hotted up Mark 2 Escort that we use to pull the chicks in.

----------


## Jock Itch

Great post Wayne - would truly be an eerie place with the ghosts of so many who fell there.

My Grandfather was posted in New Guinea, whilst several of his brothers suffered in concentration camps.

It seems ironic that now in his late years having been plagued by parkinsons and alzheimers for the last few years; that some of his war stories have started trickling out.
Whilst sometimes struggling to remember my name; he can recall shellings by the japs and near misses by US planes whilst on patrol as if it happened yesterday.
Much that he has kept secret for over 60 years has finally trickled out - but never too late.

Shame my trip couldn't have been a few days earlier to take in the experience

L.W.F.


DM

----------


## NickA

> I agree and I think he should change his name as he obviously isn't one.


This post brought up for real quesyions for me....

a) Is the poster known as Wayne Kerr's real name Wayne or not?

b) Is his son's name Wayne Jnr, or not?

I will be very upset and confused if the answer to either is no.

----------


## Thetyim

> he married Theresa Green right?


I think that went straight past Sledge  :Smile:

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> I think that went straight past Sledge


Just trying to remember if Sledge is the lad that used to drink down the pub with Frank Lee  :Wink: 

*Anyway, back to the road ...*

A few pics from our quick Anzac Day trip to Kanchanburi:


^ The bag pipe man belting out a few tunes


^ A big pussy at the Kanchanaburi tiger farm we dropped in at


^ Looked a little hungry - fortunately the camera had a great zoom


^ A lovely hot spring we stumbled across - just a little north of Hellfire Pass


^ Aggressive little monkeys up there - this one chased Wayne Jnr off for throwing rocks at it  :Surprised: 


^ Spotted this nice little bird up there too  :Very Happy: 


^A nice little waterhole we lucked upon a few minutes from the hotel  :Smile: 


^ A view off the balcony of the room over the Kwai Noi river (Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi)  :Smile:

----------


## kingwilly

some nice pics there bro

----------


## Wayne Kerr

^ thanks mate  :Smile: 

*Anyway, back to the road ...* 

Here are a few more from the Kan trip:


^ The pool at the River Kwai resort is bloody great ... beer is cold too  :Smile: 


^ These water jets coming out the frogs are great for th eback  :Smile: 

Okay, the next two are for my mum:


^ Wayne Jnr enjoying the great outdoors - times like these make me realise how crappy Bangkok is for kids


^ Wayne Jnr by the pool


^ A spot of land I'm interested in buying - I aint no expert but it looks a great place for a few thousand fruit trees  :Very Happy: 


^ The war cemetery in Kanchanaburi town on the way back to Bangkok


^ Wayne Jnr "sitting" next to the resting place of his great grandfather's best mate during their time on the Burma railway


^ The resting place of one of my grandfather's mates ... last year they cut down a big mangoe tree under which he rested. I spoke to some of the grounds staff and they said it was sad to see many of the trees in there being cut down at the instruction of some Thai Government official. The Australian Government is meant to have some say in this so I really hope they pull rank on the fuckers  :Mad: .

----------


## Wayne Kerr

Im going to have to cut this story short since Ive run out of time and am off to China tomorrow, but before I go I want to say a few words about the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum. 

Up until now this joint has been administered by the Australian Government, but in reality it has been managed by Bill Slape who has done a great job.  Anyway, Ive just heard through the grapevine that this may change. The place will likely end up being run as a commercial venture in the near future, i.e., touts at the entrance, crappy post cards on sale, and visitors (including family of Prisoners of War) being charged an entrance fee to go into the museum, or maybe even to go down to Konyu Cutting (Hellfire Pass). It would be very disappointing if this was to happen. It may mean the complete loss of control over a cultural/historical site by the Australian Government. 

I think that youd all like to know that an Australian Department of Veteran Affairs official is about to sign this site over to the Thai administration  and I mean very soon. This may be about the given official having made a promise several years ago that he now cannot keep. I know for one that as a descendent of an ex-POW I would be deeply disappointed if the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs official involved allows his personal face to be put above the honour of those people who died or suffered on the Thai-Burma railway. 

Lets see how much strength the Australian Government has in Thailand. The official involved will make the news either way  I hope I can report something positive next time. For those of us who have visited the place, especially those of us that have participated in an ANZAC Day dawn ceremony, Im sure we will agree that the official makes the wrong decision at his personal peril.

Lest we forget.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> I think that you’d all like to know that an Australian Department of Veteran Affairs official is about to sign this site over to the Thai administration – and I mean very soon.


That would be a disaster, as the Hellfire Pass Museum is easily the most organised museum I've been to in Thailand. You know things will go to shit if those idiots got to run it.

Is there anyone who people can contact to put pressure on this not happening?

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> Is there anyone who people can contact to put pressure on this not happening?


I have written to:

Major General Paul Stevens AO
The Director
Office of Australian War Graves
PO Box 21
Woden ACT 2606
AUSTRALIA
Fax: +61 2 6289 4861

----------


## gusG

Great thread Wayne and great photos too,I don't know why you apologized for them being crappy.Can't wait for your next adventure.

----------


## Marmite the Dog

I've finally got round to uploading my Hellfire Pass pictures into the gallery. I hope you don't mind a quick hijack, Wayne.

----------


## Marmite the Dog



----------


## Wayne Kerr

Awesome pics ... great work  :Smile:

----------


## MeMock

Anyone going this year?

----------


## Marmite the Dog

> Anyone going this year?


The ANZAC Riders are.

----------


## MeMock

Thanks for the link. Just looked up accommodation at hellfire pass and seems like it is already booked out.

----------


## MeMock

klongy, you have a spare seat in ya van for the ride up to hellfire pass if I stay in town? (Kannars)

----------


## klongmaster

> Up until now this joint has been administered by the Australian Government, but in reality it has been managed by Bill Slape who has done a great job. Anyway, I’ve just heard “through the grapevine” that this may change. The place will likely end up being run as a commercial venture in the near future, i.e., touts at the entrance, crappy post cards on sale, and visitors (including family of Prisoners of War) being charged an entrance fee to go into the museum, or maybe even to go down to Konyu Cutting (Hellfire Pass). It would be very disappointing if this was to happen. It may mean the complete loss of control over a cultural/historical site by the Australian Government.  I think that you’d all like to know that an Australian Department of Veteran Affairs official is about to sign this site over to the Thai administration – and I mean very soon. This may be about the given official having made a promise several years ago that he now cannot keep.


Fortunately this has not happened and Bill Slape continues, as always, doing a great job there.



> Anyone going this year?


We are doing tours there again this year and have a large contingent booked already. A nice mix of Aussies and Kiwis....PM me and I'll slip you in to our resort as part of our group Memock...

----------


## MeMock

PM has been sent mate!

Is there any two-up allowed?

----------


## klongmaster

If there was enough interest amongst TDers, I could put on a van especially for the TD crew and charge everything at cost. Up on Sat 24th and back on Sun 25th April.

----------


## Wayne Kerr

I might be able to make it and would enjoy that, my family tries to go each year but my old man is crook and it looks like its up to me to carry on the ANZAC spirit and memories of me old Pop that did his time in the cutting

----------


## MeMock

WK - are you back in Thailand or thinking of coming over?

----------


## Wayne Kerr

Mate I'm in Fiji but have to do some travel through Manila and was thinking I should pull a week off to do ANZAC day in Kan

Would be great to catch up and to hear how things are getting on there, especially over a game of two up or two ... sounds all is going great guns

----------


## klongmaster

> I might be able to make it and would enjoy that,


that would be excellent mate...Initially I'm planning to take our MU7 up as an extra run-around vehicle so there's room for three in that...if we get more TDers we'll just put on an extra van with 8-10 seats...

----------


## MeMock

This is all looking really good, would be great to see you again WK as well. I am almost a certainty now but will not promise anything until tickets are booked hopefully tomorrow.

----------


## kingwilly

The Thailand Tigers will most certainly be going there as well.

----------


## billy the kid

A good friend of mine ,, Kevin Riley,, his father survived the horrors of that. In Belfast they had a special place where these guys, returning soldiers, could earn a living. His mother a very nice woman and looked like she had been on the bridge with him,, but she had to share what happened to him and you could see it in her face. He never forgave the Japenese.

----------


## MeMock

> The Thailand Tigers will most certainly be going there as well.


You also?

----------


## kingwilly

Not this year, was last there 2 years ago when they played against Jakarta Bintangs. 

This year the Jakarta Bintangs are headed back to Balikpapan again to play a three way tourny against Bali Geckos and Balikpapn Bears

----------


## MeMock

Thats a shame as it would have been good to finally meet you as I owe you a beer or 3.

Klongy and WK - where the bloody hell are ya?

----------


## klongmaster

> Klongy and WK - where the bloody hell are ya?


Sorry mate been in Kan myself for a few days...checking some new resorts and teeing things up for Anzac...think your flight will be too late for us, but once you get to Kan give me a call and I'll meet you at the bus station...

Let's see what WK is up too...

----------


## MeMock

Okay Klongy - will sort out kids and see what flight I can get on. Talk soon. I sent WK an email but not reply yet.

----------


## ossierob

Wayne once again your stories leave me wishing I were back in Thailand to partake in some of your adventures....Thai wife...House in Sampran Thailand....BUT still working in Australia AVING extended hols in Thailand...sigh!

----------


## kingwilly

> Thats a shame as it would have been good to finally meet you as I owe you a beer or 3.



Indeed, and I you.

are you a cricket man ? Seen the Java Cricket legends tour coming up ?  May 23rd in Jakarta, well Bogor actually.

I;m in Bangers every year for the Bangkok 6's.

I'll be there in June for a mates wedding.

or perhaps you visit Balikpapan, in Kalimantan (aka Borneo) one ANZAC day.... 

or I might be back another year for the KAnchan weekend.

----------


## MeMock

Maybe Borneo will be next on the list for ANZAC day as my Grandfather was there for a bit in the war before heading off to Egypt.

When in June is the wedding?

Just about to book tickets now. That is fantastic Klongy that you can get me from the bus station to the hotel. Will PM you now.

WK - did you get my email a few days ago?

----------


## kingwilly

> Maybe Borneo will be next on the list for ANZAC day as my Grandfather was there for a bit in the war before heading off to Egypt.


In that case, perhaps you should come along as a guest, last year we had a couple of local diggers that we dedicated the tour to, and had permission from their families. I'll email you...




> When in June is the wedding?


Whoops, July I think,  in Bangers i think around 20th...

----------


## Wayne Kerr

> WK - did you get my email a few days ago?


Haven't been able to access yahoo for best part of the last week mate, and I'm on a "biggish" island.

----------


## MeMock

Ahhhhh thats no good.

Nothing serious - was just checking in to see if you were going to be able to make it. I just booked my tickets!

----------


## MeMock

Thanks to Klongy I am off to Kannars tomorrow. Shame that WK cannot make it this year. I will take heaps of pics for you ok.

----------


## nedwalk

good on ya mate..i would like to be there also

----------


## MeMock

Hey guess what Ned, I hit facebook like you suggested in search of those long lost friends, found the daughter who is all grown up now, made contact and now have details of her Mum and Dad! Thanks for all your help.

----------


## nedwalk

nothing like a happy ending mate  :mid: , it was a nice ride up the MARY VALLEY, too cept the missus upt me for forgetting some yummy 'kennilworth vintage' cheese

----------


## ron2mutt

Been there, done that. I liked the museum and cemetery.  Walking across the river on the railroad tracks is an experience I don't want to repeat.

----------

