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The Bridge at Kanchanaburi is now known as the Bridge on the Kwai, and who are we to argue with the American film makers.
The history of the two bridges was that a wooden bridge was built across the Kwai Noi betwen September and Christmas 1942. We built it by using very heady commercial Jacks, and railway sleepers. similar to car jacks but bigger.
The second bridge of concrete and steel was built between December and February 1942 the steel structure was brought over from the Dutch East Indies.
It was bombed on a number of ocasions but was only hit for the first time on the 24th June 1944 with the loss of around 140 POWs. and the second time on the 25th June 1945 with around 700 casualties.
I only worked on the wooden bridge initially and on the steel bridge after the first bombing raid.
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