Private 7633885 Royal Army Ordinance Corps.
Died Wednesday 4th August 1943 (Age 31)
At Rest:. Chungkai War Cemetery, Thailand
Grave ref.: 8. C. 3
Ralph Marshall (b. 1st Q 1912) was the son of John George and Rebecca (nee Chadwin) Marshall and the husband of Marjorie Ann Marshall of Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.
Prior to enlisting in the forces, Ralph worked in James Oakes Pipe yard, and is listed on the company’s Roll of Honour of Employees Serving with H.M. Forces
Ralph died after he had been taken prisoner by the Japanese and was working on the notorious Burma-Siam Railway. Construction of the railway, designed to improve communications for the Japanese Army, started in October 1942. The railway, some 265 miles long, was completed fourteen months later in December 1943. It is estimated that some 13,000 prisoners of war died and were buried along the railway. A further 80,000 to 100,000 civilians also gave their lives in its construction. Over 400 lives were lost for every mile of its length.
