| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 157874 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Burma Thailand Railway: Nakom Paton |
| Date made | c. 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
A surgical operation in progress in the operating theatre at the prisoner of war (POW) hospital ...
Description
A surgical operation in progress in the operating theatre at the prisoner of war (POW) hospital camp. Of the 896 operations which were performed here there was a mortality rate of 18. In January 1944, using POW and native labour, the Japanese began the construction of this major POW hospital for the chronically ill and amputees at Nakom Paton, on the main Singapore-Thailand railway, fifty six kilometres west of Bangkok. Lieutenant Colonel Albert E. Coates, Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) was appointed as Chief Medical Officer. At its peak the camp contained 7,353 POWs.