'Railway of death' sleepers arrive

The sleepers will form part of a war prisoners' memorial

Parts of the notorious Thai-Burma railway have arrived in the UK to create a new memorial to the thousands of Allied prisoners who died during the line's construction.

The section of sleepers from the track, known as the Railway of Death, were unloaded at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth.

The 100ft (30m) section of sleepers were collected by a Royal Navy frigate, HMS Northumberland, during a visit to Thailand in November.

The track foundations will be used to create a memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum near Lichfield, Staffordshire, to the suffering of the Allied prisoners of war at the hands of the Japanese.

Memories rekindled

Roy Blackler, 83, from Plympton, who spent 14 months working on the railway said: "Looking at it now, I don't see rails or sleepers. I think of all my mates that were left behind.

"They were young lads - 23 or 24 years of age - young happy lads. You have never seen a finer set of men.

"We worked together and suffered together.

"No one can understand and that is why we need this memorial so it never happens again," he said.

The railway claimed the lives of 16,000 men

Steve Cairns, OBE, 83, of the National Federation of Far East Prisoners of War, said: "I sincerely hope that generations to come will go to the Arboretum, see this stretch of the railway line and realise the futility of war."

David Childs, director of the National Memorial Arboretum.

"We wanted to remember the Far East prisoners of war and felt the most appropriate way to do this would be to try to get a section of the original railway," he said.

"Meeting the former prisoners of war, what comes through is their spirit of endurance and comradeship.

Building the 260-mile (415-kilometre) railway is estimated to have claimed the lives of around 16,000 Allied troops.

Many died from disease or malnutrition while some were killed by their Japanese captors.

The sleepers were released after years of negotiations with the Thai authorities.