Ernest Gordon
Encyclopedia
Ernest Gordon was the former Presbyterian dean of the chapel at Princeton University
. A native of Scotland
, as an officer in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
, Gordon spent three years in a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp during the Second World War
. He chronicled his experiences on the Death Railway
in his book Through the Valley of the Kwai
. The book served as an inspiration to the film To End All Wars
which opened in 2001
.
. As history shows, the Japanese
were especially cruel to their prisoners. The death rate was quite high. He underwent very torturous events, that led to his being placed in the "Death Ward" designated for those who were not expected to survive. (These conditions included malnutrition
, beriberi
, malaria
, tropical ulcer
, and an appendectomy.)
He was treated there by two special soldiers in their late twenties, a Methodist named "Dusty Miller
", a simple gardener from Newcastle upon Tyne
; and "Dinty" Moore a devout Roman Catholic. The two gave 24-hour care to Ernest. They would boil rags and clean and massage Ernest's diseased legs every day. To the great surprise of everyone, Ernest survived, and as a consequence many of the POWs experienced a revival of faith and hope for life. Ernest, an agnostic, was impressed by Dusty's simplicity and firm Christian
faith in the face of the severe treatment the prisoners received at the hands of their captors. Dusty was one who did not lose faith and never met the cruel treatment he received with anger.
In a surprising turn of events, Ernest survived the war. Upon liberation as he sought news of his friends he found that two weeks before the war's end Dusty had been crucified by a Japanese guard who was frustrated with Dusty's sense of calm in the face of hardship. Dinty, whom Ernest cared for and admired profoundly died when the Allies sank his unmarked prisoner transport ship.
.
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. A native of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, as an officer in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
, Gordon spent three years in a Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camp during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He chronicled his experiences on the Death Railway
Death Railway
The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, the Thailand–Burma Railway and similar names, was a railway between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma , built by the Empire of Japan during World War II, to support its forces in the Burma campaign.Forced labour was used in its construction...
in his book Through the Valley of the Kwai
Through the Valley of the Kwai
Through the Valley of the Kwai is the autobiography of a Scottish captain named Ernest Gordon and recounts the experiences of faith and hope of the men held in a Japanese prisoner of war labour camp, building the Burma Railway during the last three and a half years of World War II.The book was...
. The book served as an inspiration to the film To End All Wars
To End All Wars
To End All Wars is a 2001 war film starring Robert Carlyle, Kiefer Sutherland and Sakae Kimura and directed by David L. Cunningham.- Storyline :...
which opened in 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
.
Internment
Ernest found his sense of self and spirituality while a prisoner and one of the participant soldiers who helped build The Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai is a 1957 British World War II film by David Lean based on The Bridge over the River Kwai by French writer Pierre Boulle. The film is a work of fiction but borrows the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942–43 for its historical setting. It stars William...
. As history shows, the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
were especially cruel to their prisoners. The death rate was quite high. He underwent very torturous events, that led to his being placed in the "Death Ward" designated for those who were not expected to survive. (These conditions included malnutrition
Malnutrition
Malnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
, beriberi
Beriberi
Beriberi is a nervous system ailment caused by a thiamine deficiency in the diet. Thiamine is involved in the breakdown of energy molecules such as glucose and is also found on the membranes of neurons...
, malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, tropical ulcer
Tropical ulcer
Tropical ulcer is a lesion occurring in cutaneous leishmaniasis. It is caused by a variety of microorganisms, including mycobacteria...
, and an appendectomy.)
He was treated there by two special soldiers in their late twenties, a Methodist named "Dusty Miller
Dusty Miller (martyr)
"Dusty" Miller was a British P.O.W. in Thailand on the Burma Railway during Second World War. His life and death is attested to in Ernest Gordon's autobiographical work Through the Valley of the Kwai .-Background:Miller was a gardener from Newcastle and a Methodist...
", a simple gardener from Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
; and "Dinty" Moore a devout Roman Catholic. The two gave 24-hour care to Ernest. They would boil rags and clean and massage Ernest's diseased legs every day. To the great surprise of everyone, Ernest survived, and as a consequence many of the POWs experienced a revival of faith and hope for life. Ernest, an agnostic, was impressed by Dusty's simplicity and firm Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith in the face of the severe treatment the prisoners received at the hands of their captors. Dusty was one who did not lose faith and never met the cruel treatment he received with anger.
In a surprising turn of events, Ernest survived the war. Upon liberation as he sought news of his friends he found that two weeks before the war's end Dusty had been crucified by a Japanese guard who was frustrated with Dusty's sense of calm in the face of hardship. Dinty, whom Ernest cared for and admired profoundly died when the Allies sank his unmarked prisoner transport ship.
Post war
Ernest eventually moved to America where he became the dean of the chapel at Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
.
Further reading
- Owen, Roger John. Death Camp on the River Kwai: The Story of Ernest Gordon. Birmingham, Alabama: Religious Education Press, 1981. ISBN 0080256430