Nereus wrote:buksida wrote:Yes, the guy in pic 0872 is the last remaining POW to have worked on the Burma railway. Last year there were three of them.
Not sure about this as the photo does not say who he is.
But I have just received the news that Charlie Chappel has just passed away at 96 yeras old. I have known him since I was about 6 or 7 years old, and I am now 70! One tough old gentleman. RIP
I thought that they were all passed on, but this tough old soul is still holding out!
Jon Solmundson - Geraldton Guardian on March 22, 2016, 6:00 am
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regio ... geraldton/
A World War II veteran, and Thai-Burma railway survivor, will be in Geraldton for tomorrow night’s Film Harvest at Orana Cinemas.
Harold Martin is the focus of a WA-made documentary, a Long Way Back, which tells the story of his capture as a prisoner of war and how he was forced to work on the Thai-Burma railway.
The 99-year-old survived even after the ship transporting him and other prisoners to Japan was sunk by a US submarine.
The screening will be preceded with a wine and cheese night, with proceeds going to the RSL’s Hellfire Pass tour for Geraldton students.
There will be a Q&A after the film with Mr Martin.
Director Samm Blake said she got involved in Mr Martin’s story when her father, who had known the man as a regular at the family restaurant in Albany, offered to take Mr Martin to Myanmar to visit the Thai-Burma railway line.
“I thought it was remarkable that Harold, who was 95 years old in 2012, was embarking on a trip... travelling back 70 years and revisiting many raw memories, I’m sure,” she said.
There will be a Q&A after the film with Mr Martin.
Director Samm Blake said she got involved in Mr Martin’s story when her father, who had known the man as a regular at the family restaurant in Albany, offered to take Mr Martin to Myanmar to visit the Thai-Burma railway line.
“I thought it was remarkable that Harold, who was 95 years old in 2012, was embarking on a trip... travelling back 70 years and revisiting many raw memories, I’m sure,” she said.
- harold martin sml.jpg (58.12 KiB) Viewed 2180 times