| Tamarkan | |
|---|---|
Tha Makhan | |
 Theatre hut at Tamarkan (1942 or 43) | |
  Location within Thailand | |
| General information | |
| Town or city | Kanchanaburi, Kanchanaburi province |
| Country |  Thailand |
| Coordinates | 14°02′28″N 99°30′17″E / 14.04101°N 99.50478°E |
| Construction started | 1942 |
| Demolished | 1945 |
Tamarkan (also: Tha Makhan[1]) was a Japanese prisoner of war work camp during World War II. The camp was initially used for the construction of the bridge over the Khwae Yai or Mae Klong River and not the River Kwai.[1] The camp was located about five kilometres from the city of Kanchanaburi.[2] In November 1943, Tamarkan was turned into a convalescent camp and hospital. By 1945, the camp was gone.
The bridge was made famous by the 1957 film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, which was a fictitious and inaccurate account.[3] Inaccuracies include the identification of the wrong river, construction was not in the jungle, but near a city, two bridges had been built, which were destroyed at the end of World War II, and commander Philip Toosey did not collaborate with the Japanese.[3][4][5]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
thamakhanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
auswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Tom Fordy (20 August 2020). "The lies that built The Bridge on the River Kwai". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
gunplotwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Julie Summers. "The Colonel Of Tamarkan: Philip Toosey And The Bridge On The River Kwai". Good Reads. Retrieved 28 January 2022.