Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (known locally as the Don-Rak War Cemetery) is the main Prisoner of War (POW) cemetery associated with victims of the Burma Railway. It is located on the main road (Saeng Chuto Road) through the town of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, adjacent to an older Chinese cemetery. It was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There are 6,982 former POWs buried there, mostly Australian, British and Dutch. It contains the remains of prisoners buried beside the south section of the railway from Bangkok to Nieke apart from those identified as Americans, whose remains were repatriated.

There are 1,896 Dutch war graves, the rest being from Britain and the Commonwealth. Two graves contain the ashes of 300 men who were cremated. The Kanchanaburi Memorial gives the names of 11 from India who are buried in Muslim cemeteries.

Close by (across a side road) is the Thailand–Burma Railway Museum about the railway and the prisoners who built it.

How to get there
The central Bangkok railway station (Hualamphong) offers weekend day trips by rail to The Burma Death Railway in Kanchanaburi. It does however stop at the main railway station in Kanchanaburi for approx 45 mins to let passengers visit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. Exit the station and walk to the main road straight ahead. Turn left. walk 5 mins. Across the road to the right is the cemetery.

You can also take a bus from Mor Chit (North East Bus Terminal). It should cost less than 200 Baht and might pass Ratchaburi. Once on a bus it passed by Rachaburi. It would take about 3 hours.

Getting to and from Kanchanburi

Where to stay
Guest houses in Kanchanburi are very cheap. They go for 200 Baht and less. For a decent one it would costs maybe 350 Baht with a TV and aircon. Kanchanburi is not a big town and easy to walk, although walking down to the bridge can take half an hour. It is best not to do it at night. Tere are some dogs down the end of the road that are less than friendly. Motorbike hire goes for about 150 Baht a day. You may have to leave your passport. If you wish to go Erawan falls (about 40 km away) then a motorbike might be a nice way to do if you can drive. Erawan closes at 4 m. Make sure you get there before that time. Kanchanburi is a very relaxed town, has the war museum and cemetery, the river, very relaxing, and then some night life too and cheap beers. Most of the night life is close to the cemetery on the road adjacent to the river.