The Bridge on the River Kwai

Author/Guide: Pierre Boulle

Why a Booktrail?

1940s: The famous story and film about those who built the bridge over the River Kwai

ISBN: 978-0099445029
Translator: Xan Fielding
Genre: Fiction, Historical

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What you need to know before your trail

British soldiers are captured and kept as prisoners of war in a Japanese camp. They are told that they will be used to build the bridge over the River Kwai so the trains can get supplies to the Japanese armies in Burma. They are effectively helping the Japanese in their effort to overrun and therefore control Asia. The leading officer claims that prisoners can not be used as labourers but those who refuse are tortured or killed

Those who do work on the railway ensure they do the least work possible and try to sabotage the overall build. However the British officer is a perfectionist and is horrified by the bad work his men have done. He says the bridge is wrong and is in the right place. They now have to build a proper bridge built to British standards. Despite this helping the Japanese, they build the bridge properly.

But this is not the end of the matter, not by a long shot- the bridge is a symbol of so much that is wrong with the war, it is a symbol of power and destruction, of hope and despair and ultimately death.

Locations

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Myanmar (Burma)
D: Thanbyuzayat - Death Railway reach

Travel Guide

The Bridge over the River Kwai

The Bridge, together with the Death Railway, is now regarded as the significant symbol of peace, proving from the story and the reality that war does not benefit anyone. You can travel across the bridge by train or just walk across it. The bridge was meant to link Bangkok and Rangoon and you can travel to Noktok station via the train too.

It is a remarkable place to visit – whether you’ve read the book or seen the associated films, this really is a unique event in history to be part of. Take a minute to stand at the the bridge and think of the thousands of prisoners who built it in extreme heat and who suffered violence and abuse at the hands of their captors. Thousands and thousands of people died and so the bridge and railway took on the association of death.