Thrale history

Search • Advanced Search • Search Families • Search Site

First Name:   Last Name:   ID:  

end of the journey, and some who were a fraction more than half-dead. This was painted on a book cover. I found an Indian with this paint, a type of red lipstick, but he had no idea of its use. It was curious how materials turned up from the most unexpected sources. It took 25 minutes to draw this—consider it's the best drawing in the collection.

36.—THE BUILDING OF THE MAIN BRIDGE OVER THE SALWEEN RIVER. This was built at Sonkuri No. 2 Camp.•It was built entirely with timber, and with the slave labour of prisoners of war. There were no mechanical devices whatsoever. Our hosts with the whips had an electric generator which supplied lighting for their huts. We had no light. My picture shows the method of pile driving: 200 of us slaves pulled up the derrick weight, let go, and "crash"— another half-inch gone. hundreds lost their lives whilst on this job—drowned—exhausted—beaten to death by the Japanese engineers, who were by far the worst type I ever encountered. It was "Speedo" "Speedo" from morn to night, until death became a welcome release. The lower bridge was used for Elephant traffic when not flooded by the rise of the river. (Blue and black ink, tint from blood on Japanese rice paper).

37. THE BURNING OF THE CHOLERA DEAD. These men died in a hospital near No. 2 Camp. Some escaped to get to the river to drink, they died on the bank and many dead bodies floated down the river to spread the infection to other camps. Parties of prisoners were sent to collect them. Our taskmasters were scared stiff of any disease, and left the Cholera Ward strictly alone. It was the only place one could be sure of not seeing them, and some natives volunteered to work among the Cholera patients in order to get away from the Japs. Very few who entered this hospital came out alive. Bodies were burned as opposed to burial, because they were afraid the infection would seep through the soil to infect their drinking water. It was a quick death—very few lived longer than 48 hours after infection. (Indian ink, on packing cardboard obtained from a Thai).

38.—THE MIND OF A PRISONER OF WAR. digging a grave for one of his comrades made me wonder what his thoughts were, and I came to the conclusion that the unspoken thought of all of us were very similar. I have tried to convey these thoughts, hopes and yearnings in the grotesque figure with its swollen head, full of brain images. It tells my story almost on its own, and it tells the story of us all. You, back home, waiting, had knowledge of these thoughts. Ours a terrible imprisonment, yours, a terrible "freedom." (Red from boiled root, brown from clay).

39.—DOREEN THRALE. Painted whilst in hospital in Thailand. When I left England, I knew that if all went well I should become a father in about two months. No news from home, and my mind continually seeking the image of a girl child—I could not in any way imagine a boy. One ovening I was sitting alone, with the jungle close and menacing, sapping all my strength. My morale was at a low ebb slowly the vision of my daughter appeared before me, a child I had never seen, and in one