Ban Tai in Amphoe Mueang Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi, Thailand — ประเทศไทย (Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula)

The Kanchanaburi Memorial

Memorial to Indian Prisoners of War

— The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery at Don Rak —

The Kanchanaburi Memorial Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jj Karwacki, July 4, 2023

1. The Kanchanaburi Memorial Marker

Inscription. 1939 — 1945
These soldiers died serving their country and the cause of freedom and lie buried elsewhere in Thailand.

INDIAN FORCES
The Corps of Royal Indian Engineers
Lance Naik Karam Khan
Sapper Gadir Khan

Q. V. O. Madras Sappers and Miners
Lance Naik N. Nyanamuthi

13th Frontier Force Rifles
Sepoy Abdul Khalik
Sepoy Manzur Illahi

14th Punjab Regiment
Sepoy Fateh Khan

Indian Army Medical Corps
non-combatant Amir
non-combatant Suraj Din

Indian Army Veterinary Corps
Lance Daffadar Shah Muhammad

Indian Army Ordnance Corps
non-combatant Amir Ahmad

Indian Pioneer Corps
Pioneer Shabir

Topics and series. This historical marker and memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II. In addition, it is included in the The Thailand-Burma Railway series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.

Location. 14° 1.916′ N, 99° 31.544′ E. Marker is in Ban Tai, Kanchanaburi, in Amphoe Mueang Kanchanaburi. It can be reached from Sangchuto Road (National Route 323) west of Thawornwitee Road, on the left when

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traveling west. It is in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery at DonRak (สุสานทหารสัมพันธมิตรดอนรัก), inside the entrance gate, on the right. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1939 Sangchuto Rd, Ban Tai, Kanchanaburi 71000, Thailand. Touch for directions.

Regionally, it is in Asia,

specifically in Southeast Asia,

in IndoChina,

on the Bay of Bengal,

and in the Pacific Rim.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (here, next to this marker); That Valiant Company Who Perished While Building the Railway (a few steps from this marker); Tribute to Royal Dutch East Indies Army and the Royal Netherlands Navy Personnel Who Perished (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial to Dutch Prisoners of War (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Tomb of 10,000 Souls (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Takashi Nagase (Fujiwara) (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); The JEATH War Museum (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); Thai-Anusorn (approx. 2.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ban Tai.

More about this marker. A Lance Daffadar is a non-commissioned officer rank equivalent of Corporal. A Lance Naik is a non-commissioned officer rank, equivalent of Lance Corporal. A Pioneer is a soldier employed to perform engineering and construction tasks. Sapper

In the Gate Building, Looking Right image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jj Karwacki

2. In the Gate Building, Looking Right

is the Royal Engineers' equivalent of private. An additional term applied to sappers of the British Indian Army was miner; the native engineer corps were called “sappers and miners.” Sepoy is the lowest enlisted rank in the infantry, equivalent of private.

Regarding The Kanchanaburi Memorial. The eleven memorialized here were World War II prisoners-of-war put to work by the Japanese on the Thailand to Burma Railway link. They are not buried here in the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; they are buried in Muslim cemeteries elsewhere in Thailand where the Commission cannot maintain their graves.

Also see . . . The Forgotten Colonial Forces of World War II. 2020 article by Maria Abi-Habib in The New York Times Magazine. It begins,

They fought in every theater of World War II, from North Africa to Europe and as far east as Hong Kong. They died and went missing in the tens of thousands. And they formed the largest volunteer force in history. But their contributions are often an afterthought in history books.

The colonial forces that dotted the battle maps of World War II were crucial for the Allies to fill out their ranks and keep up their momentum. While India contributed the largest number of volunteers, at some 2.5 million troops, Africans, Arabs and others fought and died for the freedom of the Allied powers,
Photographed by Jj Karwacki

3. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery Entrance Gate
As you enter, this tablet is in this building, on the right.
although they were under the yoke of colonial rule.

(Submitted on July 15, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2023, by Jj Karwacki of Tha Maka, Kanchanaburi. This page has been viewed 311 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 15, 2023, by Jj Karwacki of Tha Maka, Kanchanaburi. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.