Long Ago and Far Away: Rediscovered Memories of the Death Railway 

In 2009, Tom Cutler talked to sleight-of-hand magician Fergus Anckorn about his experiences as a 24-year-old Artillery gunner during the Second World War. Fergus was taken prisoner by the Japanese as Singapore fell, and worked for three-and-a-half years as a slave labourer, building the so-called bridge over the River Kwai – part of the notorious Thai–Burma ‘Death Railway’.

These recordings of Fergus were put aside and were lost for years. In 2025 they were rediscovered and Tom, along with his production partner Marianne Saabye, decided that this story must be told. Together they spent months cutting and assembling the 11 hours of material into a 29-minute audio-documentary programme, telling the story with atmospheric ambience, music, and Fergus's unique voice. 

The acoustics of the dripping jungle contrast throughout with the swish of Fergus's remembered Kentish woods, while specially composed music by Jed Cutler evokes the England of the forties and the mood of Old Japan. Fergus remembers the secretly-coded POW postcards he sent home to his family, his feelings as he faced a firing squad in the blazing jungle heat, and how magic tricks – even with a bomb-mangled hand – saved his bacon. 

Finally, Fergus tells us that though he has not forgotten he has forgiven: learning Japanese and visiting Japan. It is as an old man, he says, standing among his beloved childhood trees, that he feels at last at home.

Fergus died in 2018, aged 99. 

Credits
Producers: Tom Cutler and Marianne Saabye
Soundtrack music: Composed and played by Jed Cutler
Restaurant band: Piano, Dave Ramsay Smith; Violin, Tim Cotterell; Clarinet, Don Benjamin; Rhythm guitar, Jed Cutler;  Double bass, Lloyd Coote
Announcer: John Gonezi 
Studio Manager: Richard Durrant
Mix and Master Engineer: Steve Hoy