'Journey' ideas

'Journey' ideas

At first, I was thinking of doing my journey on biology and the development of cells and evolution, but as I've thought about that I don't think I could put enough emotion into it, so I want to base this 'journey' on something more personal and to do with my family. I'm going to start the ball rolling by looking at the history and life timeline of my great grandad, who had a very tough journey to make towards the end of his life, the Burma trek in 1942. I have some family records of this and I've done some research but I need to look more towards the artists in the country and in the same time period, as well as artists who expressed themselves about making life changing decisions, to the physical and emotional pain he would have had to have gone through, up to expression frustration almost as a family of today trying to look back at his history but there being minimal records.

I found an article with contains a video showing elephants being used to help refugees cross a river when people were stranded. 

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11652782
I also found this article which contains an account from a man who was a teenager when he compleated the trek, this article also has some facts and statistics on numbers of people.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/dunkirk-of-the-east-how-thousands-of-brits-travelled-the-road-of-death-in-burma-7566790.html

Also I found this list below left which as well as being very emotional to consider yourself in that position, only being able to take these things with you, the document looks 'old fashioned' and I can imagine any original paper copies show significant signs of wear too.

I found out the school he went to, called Dr Grahams homes in Kalimpong, India. (photo is above right)It looks to be in the mountains which seem so picturesque and peaceful, which contrasts what happened next in his life.

I interviewed my nan, (who my great grandad would be her father-in-law) about what she knew about his life, I found out his name Robert (James Thelwall), his father was a Scottish tea planter who was a manager at Dooars tea plantation. He was born in Assam, India, before attending the childrens home mentioned above. When he was older he took up a job as chief calligraphist in Rangoon, Burma. Where he met a woman and had a son, which was my grandfather. This information is a good starting point to outline his life before the trek. (this piece of paper is also in my folder)

I also found an account written by my grandad before he passed away, of what he knew about my great-grandad and what he knew about evacuating Burma in 1942. The account is very emotional as it's hard to imagine what he must have been though, this also taught me he was a gambler. (I'll put photo copies of this in my folder)

I found an artist: Jack Bridger Chalker, who recorded the lives of the prisoners of war building the Burma railroad during ww2. His work uses minimal colour and is very washed out, the colours alone set a very negative tone to express the pain they would have been feeling.

I found a newspaper article extract from 1942, as the capital of Burma (Rangoon) was burnt down to prevent the emeny from taking it over. 

" Land of happy laughter, of colour and music, Burma was ill-prepared mentally and materially for the clash of arms.  To me personally the most heart-rending episode of the war was the ruthless bombing of Mandalay by the Japanese, Kipling’s Mandalay, which had long stood for the Burma of a bygone age, practically ceased to exist on Good Friday.  Mandalay in ruins was awe-inspiring, but equally so were the sights I witnessed in Rangoon during the closing days of February and that fateful first week in March."

"A few most days and then came the news that advancing Japanese forces thrusting down the Pegu road had reached its junction with the Prome road.  The army decided it was time to go.  It was in danger of being isolated and Rangoon could not be defended.

 
Came the word “blow.” The demolitions began.  All military and other vital installations such as the railway station, the telegraph office, the wireless station, Rangoon’s docks, the power-house and the vast oil refinery at Syriam were destroyed to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy.
 
The army meanwhile fought its way out along the Prome road on March 7th and 8th defeating the enemy’s attempt to annihilate it.
 
Thus ended the story of Rangoon.  The mechanical toy had finally run itself out and had come to a stop.
 
RANGOON FALLS"

I find this quite emotional to read because I can't imagine what its like, and the fact my grandfather and great grandfather had to go through all this.