While he was working on the Death Railway, as it was known, Eric was subject to severe torture, which psychologically haunted him years and years after the war ended.Īfter the war ended, Eric returned to Britain and was awarded the Efficiency Medal, as well as receiving the honorary rank of captain before retiring in 1949 from the army. The conditions in which the prisoners were forced to work were horrific, and malnutrition and mistreatment were widespread. The prisoners were divided and sent to smaller camps, and Eric was sent to a camp in Thailand.Īlong with many other prisoners, Eric was forced to build the Burma Railway, which ran from Bangkok, Thailand to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar). As a prisoner of war, Eric was forced to march to Changi Prison, where the number of prisoners exceeded the maximum capacity of the prison. In 1942, he was stationed as a lieutenant in Singapore when the Japanese took over the country, capturing him and many other Allied soldiers. Eric joined the Royal Corps of Signals at the age of 19 in 1939, right before the start of the war. In his autobiography, Eric Lomax shares his gruesome experiences as a prisoner of war during WWII. This film is an adaptation of the bestselling autobiography by Lomax. Patti reaches out to Eric’s friend Finlay, and together, they convince him to face his former captor – who is still alive - in an attempt to find closure once and for all.
Eric Lomax’s second wife Patti eventually puts the pieces of the puzzle together and discovers his tragic past.
The Railway Man is a war drama that focuses on a former British officer who still faces the psychological trauma from his days in captivity decades after World War II.