Non Pladuk (Nong Pladuc) No.1 Camp and No. 2 Hospital Camp - Thailand

Non Pladuk – Thailand

There were two camps at Non Pladuk.
Camp (No 1)  served as a base for the railway workshops throughout the construction of the rail.
A hospital camp was established in October 1942 becoming No. 1.The problem with this camp was its close proximity to the railway workshops being a military target to Allied bombing raids.
By March 1944 the majority of POWs were brought out of the jungle work camps and so-called hospital camps (these camps were without medical supplies and equipment) and the men were concentrated in the main camps at Nacompaton, Non Pladuk, Tamuang, Kanchanaburi, Tamarkan and Chungkai.
Non Pladuk was also one of several camps where POWs were selected as fit by the Japanese to travel to Japan.
When Eric Fraser WX6506 was at Non Pladuk he saw  2/4th men from ‘D’ Force T Battalion.

Aerial view of Non Pladuk prisoner of war (POW) camp taken from approximately 3,000 to 3,500 feet, being bombed by Allied planes from 10,000 feet. In this raid, nine Australian POWs were killed.
The camp was situated amongst a Japanese ordnance depot, a Japanese military camp, a railway siding and a large anti aircraft site. Due to the location and the fact that the prisoners were not allowed to erect any banners or markings to indicate that it was a POW camp, they suffered many casualties due to Allied air raids. Their only shelter during the air raids were the flimsy bamboo and thatch huts in which they were housed.  from AWM
A total of 52 men including 21 machine gunners had died at Kuii.   On 18th December 1943 Major Alf Cough and 18 other ranks from the original party were evacuated to Non Paduk. Six of these men died at Non Pladuk – three within 3 days of their arrival, others were selected fit to work in either Japan or other Thailand camps:
WX5989        Barrymore, Frederick Markwell died 22/12/1943 malaria Non Paduk Hospital Camp No 2. aged 35 years.

WX13442       Bullock, Leonard Neville William died 31/12/1943 Non Paduk (evacuated from Kuii) Beri beri aged 22 years.

 

WX8874         Findlay, Alexander William died 19/1/1944 Non Paduk, malaria aged 44 years (Below)

WX17445      Fletcher, Charles Henry died Non Paduk 21/2/1944 colitis aged 43 years.

 

WX9151 KELT, Robert James evacuated from Kuii to Non Pladuck.  He died 19 Jan 1944 of beri beri aged 36 years.

 

WX8007         Kuhlmann, Laurance Anzac Christian died 3/3/1944 Non Paduk, acute colitis aged 27 years.

 

Soldiers that were in this camp

Location of Non Pladuk (Nong Pladuc) No.1 Camp and No. 2 Hospital Camp - Thailand