In Their Own Words: A Diary of the Death Railway

Join research curator Justin Saddington as he examines the diary of Ted Senior, a soldier and prisoner of war who survived the building of the Thai-Burma ‘railway of death'.

During the Second World War, British Commonwealth forces were involved in heavy fighting with the Japanese in the Far East. By mid-1942, the Japanese had started work on a 250-mile rail link between Thailand and Burma, which would enable them to supply their armies by land. It was constructed by thousands of prisoners of war (POWs).

Ted Senior was one such POW. Forced to work in brutal conditions on the notorious Thai-Burma ‘railway of death’, he later endured a traumatic voyage to Japan, where he was put to work as a mine labourer. 

Throughout his time in captivity, Ted kept a secret diary - an act which, if discovered, would have been punishable by death. Drawing from this remarkable first-hand testimony, Justin Saddington will tell Ted's heart-rending yet inspiring story of suffering and endurance.

About the speaker

Justin Saddington

Justin Saddington is a research curator at the National Army Museum. He has been lead curator on exhibitions including 'Buried Among Kings: The Story of the Unknown Warrior' and 'Harp and Crown: Soldiers of the Irish Regiments'.