1000 Days on the River Kwai : The Secret Diary of a British Camp Commandant

"After being captured in Singapore and transported to the infamous Burma railway Colonel Cary Owtram was appointed the British Camp Commandant at Chungkai, one of the largest POW camps. Many ex-prisoners testified to the mental and physical courage that he showed protecting POWs from the worst excesses of their captors. In addition, it is clear that Owtram bore heavy responsibility for those under his charge and the daily trauma of dealing with the unpredictable Japanese. Recollections of his family supplement this memoir, vividly demonstrating the agony and worry experienced by family members waiting back home"--Amazon.com.;Outward bound -- Slim River -- Into bondage -- A poor exchange -- The great trek -- Pastures new -- Promotion and reorganization -- Boon Pong -- Cholera breaks out -- Adventures of the 'Canary" -- The place hots up -- A birthday party -- The stage -- Keeping fit -- Kokobo's farm -- The white slug -- I take a rest -- 'Amputs' -- The lighter side -- Chungkai Church -- The cemetery -- Mass hysteria -- Attack from the air -- The camp police -- The exodus from Chungkai -- The Drower incident -- A new dawn breaks -- Rehabilitation -- Freedom at last. A British officer recounts his harrowing years as a POW in Thailand, including his time as the camp commandant, in this WWII memoir. Colonel Cary Owtram served with the 137th Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, and the 11th Indian Infantry Division in Malaysia. After being captured by the Japanese in Singapore, he was transported to the infamous Burma railway. He went on to spend the next three and a half years in grueling captivity in Thailand, first in Ban Pong Camp and then Chungkai Camp—one of the largest POW camps in the region. Owtram was appointed the British Camp Commandant at Chungkai, making him responsible for his fellow prisoners—a heavy responsibility added to the general deprivation and hardship suffered by all. During that time, Owtram kept a secret diary in which he recorded the brutal experience of surviving day to day and attempting to deal with their harsh and unpredictable Japanese captors. It is not only the prisoners who suffered, but also their families at home. The postscript by Owtram's daughters vividly demonstrates the agonies of doubt and worry that loved ones went through and the effect of the experience on all.

Memoirs by former prisoners of war of the Japanese invariably make for moving reading but Colonel Owtrams account of his years of captivity has a special significance.After being captured in Singapore and transported to the infamous Burma railway he was appointed the British Camp Commandant at Chungkai, one of the largest POW camps.Many ex-prisoners testified to the mental and physical courage that he showed protecting POWs from the worst excesses of their captors. Of course his account does not admit to this but what is clear is that in addition to the deprivation and hardship suffered by all POWs, the author bore heavy responsibility for those under his charge and the daily trauma of dealing with the unpredictable Japanese.It is not only the prisoners who suffered but their families at home. The postscript written by the authors daughters vividly demonstrates the agonies of doubt and worry that loved ones went through and the effect of the experience on all.

Memoirs by former prisoners of war of the Japanese invariably make for moving reading but Colonel Owtrams account of his years of captivity has a special significance. After being captured in Singapore and transported to the infamous Burma railway he was appointed the British Camp Commandant at Chungkai, one of the largest POW camps. Many ex-prisoners testified to the mental and physical courage that he showed protecting POWs from the worst excesses of their captors. Of course his account does not admit to this but what is clear is that in addition to the deprivation and hardship suffered by all POWs, the author bore heavy responsibility for those under his charge and the daily trauma of dealing with the unpredictable Japanese. It is not only the prisoners who suffered but their families at home. The postscript written by the authors daughters vividly demonstrates the agonies of doubt and worry that loved ones went through and the effect of the experience on all. Annotation After being captured in Singapore and transported to the infamous Burma railway Colonel Cary Owtram was appointed the British Camp Commandant at Chungkai, one of the largest POW camps. Many ex-prisoners testified to the mental and physical courage that he showed protecting POWs from the worst excesses of their captors. In addition, it is clear that Owtram bore heavy responsibility for those under his charge and the daily trauma of dealing with the unpredictable Japanese.Recollections of his family supplement this memoir, vividly demonstrating the agony and worry experienced by family members waiting back home.