Task 2. Burma Railway Sources
10 Sources Analysis Answer Guide
Don’t forget: Quote often and begin your response with name of the author, not the Source number. Put the source number in brackets at the end of the quote/paraphrasing.
For example:
This is supported by Jones who states that 'History students would be more popular at parties if they used this method.' (Source 3)
More successful responses:
contain relevant evidence (quotes and observations) from sources when required.
Less successful responses
provide responses without reference to any evidence from the source
state that sources are limited without explaining why using evidence
do not assess the nature of sources clearly
do not explain how the nature and origin of the sources are a strength or limitation
do not include the source in the response.
Sources Task: The Burma Railway
The Burma-Thailand railway (known also as the Thailand-Burma or Burma–Siam railway) was constructed in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942.
The railway was completed in October 1943. The Japanese were able to use it to supply their troops in Burma despite the repeated destruction of bridges by Allied bombing
Source 1. Burma Railway. Anzacportal.com
'The Burma-Thailand railway was built in 1942–43. Its purpose was to supply the Japanese forces in Burma, bypassing the sea routes which had become vulnerable when Japanese naval strength was reduced in the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway in May and June 1942. Once the railway was completed the Japanese planned to attack the British in India, and in particular the road and airfields used by the Allies to supply China over the Himalayan Mountains.’
Question S1
Use examples from source 1 to explain the purpose of the Burma Railway. (2)
Source 2. It looked like a scene out of Dante's inferno. Awm.gov.au
The railway was to run 420 kilometers through rugged jungle. It was to be built by a captive labour force of about 25,000 Japanese, 60,000 Allied prisoners of war and 200,000 romusha, or Asian labourers. They built the track with hand tools and muscle power, working through the monsoon of 1943. All were urged on by the cry “speedo!” Relentless labour on inadequate rations in a deadly tropical environment caused huge losses. By the time the railway was completed in October 1943, at least 2,815 Australians, over 11,000 other Allied prisoners, and perhaps 75,000 romusha were dead.
Questions S2
2. Is Source 2 a primary or a secondary source? Use evidence to explain your answer (2)
3. Use evidence from the source to describe conditions on the Burma railway during construction. (2)
Source 3. "Fit to work'. awm.gov.au
Some 2,710 Australians were among the 12,600 prisoners of war (POWs) who died building the railway, many from diseases, including malaria, pellagra, dysentery, beriberi, dengue fever and cholera. Others died directly from beatings and mistreatment by Japanese and Korean officers, or from complications arising afterwards. Others perished from tropical ulcers gained from toiling on the railway. Malnutrition was a key factor in the burgeoning death rate.
A photo taken in secret of three men selected by the Japanese as fit to work at
Shimo Songkurai camp on the Burma–Thailand Railway in 1943.
Questions S3
4. Use evidence from source 3 to describe what is happening in this photo (2)
Source 4. The long long road. Mt Isa to the Burma railway and back. Beard, G. 2000
'Work on the railway continued, with demands by the Japs for labour so high that quite sick men were compelled to work 12 or 14 hours a day. We found the Korean guards employed by the Japs to be just as vicious, or even more so, than the Japs themselves. Hard long hours of heavy work, coupled with a starvation diet, saw countless fine young men die ugly, unnecessary deaths. Better food and basic drugs could have saved most. We forgot how to laugh, every day was an ordeal. We were all terribly frightened, and mates were all there to keep us sane and alive. At least one good mate was essential to survive.'
Question S4
5. Examine Source 4. With reference to the origin and nature of the source, assess the strengths and limitations of the source for historians investigating conditions on the Burma Railway. (4)
Source 5. Brutality on the Burma Railway. australiansatwar.gov.au
'In another incident, a counting of the tools was taking place at the end of a particular day’s work in a British camp, when the number came up short. The Japanese guard in charge was said to have gone ballistic at the parade of men, threatening to bash and beat their front ranks, if an individual did not own up to the theft. When nobody claimed responsibility, Private Alistair McGillivray, a tough Argyll and Sutherland Highlander from the UK, was said to have come forward, to save his mates. McGillivray was beaten by the guard until he fell to the ground, then more as he lay unconscious, until he was dead.'
Source 6. A Korean guard looks back', The Burma–Thailand Railway '
'We had no training whatever in the handling of prisoners. Instead, every day we had beaten into us the military spirit, the glories of the Japanese Army, the necessity for absolute obedience, and the code of military conduct. Every day we were beaten a few times, and after two months training we were sent to Southeast Asia. One of the instructors at the training camp at Fuzan instructed us that we were to treat POWs like animals; otherwise they would look down on us.
Questions
6. To what extent does the information in Source 5 support the information in Source 6? Justify your answer with evidence from each source. (4)
7. With reference to all of the sources evaluate the following proposition.
'The majority of deaths on the construction of the Burma railway were a result of tropical diseases' (6)
