And this is Ray’s account of the day he found the airstrip in Ubon not seen or realised again since WWII – a part in real life history!
A great read, pulling together the various stories Ray has told me over the years, before and after as well as during this discovery! Seeing real history is always exciting for me and this was special – part of something no-one from the west or even outside the locality had seen in many years since WWII!
He has followers there and people in high places interested and helpful with this historical account and ongoing explorations and discoveries of stories for an insight into governments, underground supporters and PoW experiences.
I started my research after reading a comment referring to the Ubon camp on one of the Far Eastern Prisoner of War Facebook groups. There was very little information immediately to hand, but in the weeks that followed I least found out that allied prisoners were sent there to construct an airstrip.
Back at home I used Google Earth to search the area for any likely looking airstrips. I didn’t really know where to look until I read Major David Smiley’s book ‘Irregular Regular’. He wrote that the airstrip was close to the camp which he estimated as nine kilometres north of Ubon. Much to my delight a more detailed look revealed the airstrip. I could go to the location on my next visit to Ubon.
I returned to Ubon and met my good friend Julie Crowley who was on a world backpacking tour. She stayed a few days at…
Whilst travelling I was privileged to get the chance to search - and find - a WWII Japense airstrip built by PoWs with a friends I was visitng in Ubon Ratchanathani, east Thailand! As no-one had found or recognised this airstrip for what it was until Ray Withnall found it in 2015, I was part …
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Something I'm learning from Asia, take the easier route if it comes to choices. That's not say don't chose but sometimes you may be like me and go for the choice that is 'right' in a social sense, or win for all. But this doesn't always benefit me in the end, although I don't lose …
