Work begins on the 'Death railway'

20th October 1942: The Japanese deny POWs basic facilities and still blame them for high levels of sickness - it is a sign of things to come

Robert Hardie's drawing of the view from Kenburi camp, it was through this terrain that the Burma-Siam railway would be built.

Around 80,000 men had been captured at the fall of Singapore in February 1942, mainly British and Australians.

The Japanese were intent on using the POWs as a labour force for their own ends. They were going to be used to build th…