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'Death Railway' memorial unveiled to mark VJ Day

Hannah Mitchell,North East and Cumbriaand
Jim Scott,South Shields
News imageBBC/Jim Scott The sculpture, which is made from weathered corten steel and is now a dark brown colour, has been fixed to the ground and is surrounded by a bed of railway ballast. The sculpture shows a tall man, Len Gibson passing down a banjo that he played to prisoners to a young Burmese boy after the liberation of the camps. In the background, commemorations are taking place on a section of field with members of the public and veterans honouring those who died. BBC/Jim Scott
The Ray Lonsdale sculpture was completed with the addition of former Tyne and Wear Metro tracks

A section of railway track has been unveiled at the site of a World War Two memorial commemorating prisoners who built what became known as the Death Railway between Thailand and Myanmar, formerly Burma.

The reconstruction was installed in South Shields' North Marine Park beneath a sculpture of Sunderland veteran Len Gibson.

He was among 60,000 Allied prisoners forced by the Japanese to build the railway in 1942 and 1943.

Ten metres (33ft) of old sleepers and track from the Tyne and Wear Metro were laid by volunteers alongside the sculpture and officially unveiled during VJ Day celebrations on Saturday.

The original statue, named The Forgotten Army, was created by artist Ray Lonsdale and commissioned by philanthropist Brian Burnie in 2025 in tribute to Gibson, who died aged 101 in 2021.

News imageBBC/Jim Scott Brian Burnie, who has fair blonde hair and a beard and is wearing a blue blazer on top of a blue-striped shirt and patterned tie, originally commissioned the statue as a tribute to his friend, Len Gibson. He is standing on the path in front of the field where a service has been held. In the background are three large poles carrying the Union Jack.BBC/Jim Scott
Brian Burnie originally commissioned the statue as a tribute to his friend, Len Gibson

"Laying the track in the sun, it was blistering and we were out in it for hours, but they were there for three and a half years, day after day," Burnie said.

"They buried people every day of their life."

He said the track was 10m in length to signify that, on average, two men died for every 10m of railway built.

"Over the last 80 year, I've been to war memorials all over the world, but this we've created today is real.

"You can see and touch it."

News imageDaft As A Brush/Brian Burnie Construction workers wearing hi-vis clothing and hard hats work at the site of the "Forgotten Army" memorial in Marine Park, South Shields. The workers have laid a 10-metre length of railway track beneath a metal sculpture depicting Sunderland war veteran Len Gibson, handing a musical instrument to a child.Daft As A Brush/Brian Burnie
Used rails and sleepers from the Metro system were used to create the memorial

A team of volunteers from Nexus, who operate and maintain the Tyne and Wear Metro, laid the tracks at the memorial site in July.

Infrastructure Director at Nexus Stuart Clarke said the donation of the used Metro tracks was "particularly poignant".

"Our infrastructure team have really enjoyed supporting such a worthy project, creating a lasting memorial for Len Gibson and the many thousands of British soldiers who served in the Far East."

News imageBBC/Jim Scott Rodney Buckton, who is now an Army veteran, is wearing a blue beret with a mustard yellow addition. He is also wearing a blue blazer with a variety of medals from his time in the Army being displayed on both his left and right hand side. In the background is the mouth of the River Tyne, along with both north and south piers, which looks gloomy because of the overcast skies.BBC/Jim Scott
Rodney Buckton travelled from Wales to pay his respects

A service marking 81 years since Victory over Japan was declared was held at the now complete statue, with veterans invited from across the country.

Former Royal Northumberland Fusiliers officer Rodney Buckton travelled from Monmouthshire in Wales to pay his respects to those who "fought like tigers".

"[There were] dreadful conditions; beatings, torture and being used as a slave labour.

"Men suffered from malaria, dysentery and yellow fever, they were virtually murdered by the work they were put through.

"That huge sacrifice, which a generation made all those years ago, is not forgotten."

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