There are three cemeteries that contain the remains of the Allied POWs who died while laboring on the TBR. The largest is in downtown Kanchanaburi City and immediately adjacent to the newly re-dedicated romusha memorial. Another is on the site of the ChungKai POW camp and hospital a few kilometers away. The last is in Burma at the site of the camp and hospital that was located near the city of Thanbyuzayat.
These three are overseen by the London-based Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). Immediately after the cessation of hostilities, Australian Graves Registration Teams arrived in Kanchanaburi to begin to collect the remains of the Allied POWs who died while building the TBR. Using the lists, maps and other meticulous records kept by the various units, and often accompanied by TBR survivors themselves and even Japanese EPWs, they scoured the jungles for those remains. Most were in clearly delineated grave yards at the dozens of camps across over 400 Kms in two countries.
A geographical division was decided upon. Those POWs who died in Burma where moved to Thanbyuzayat and a cemetery established there. Those who died along the TBR route in Thailand were consolidated to the largest cemetery at Don Rak in Kanchanaburi. There was an existing cemetery at the hospital camp at ChungKai; two in fact. They were combined into one are except that for an unexplained reason 109 Australians who had been buried there were moved to the larger cemetery in town.
The vast majority of the remains were recovered and the re-interred at these three site.
| | | Cemetery | | |
| nationality | ChgKai | Don Rak | Than | Total |
| AUS | 0 | 1354 | 1337 | 2691 |
| Dutch | 311 | 1895 | 618 | 2824 |
| U K | 1377 | 3536 | 1638 | 6548 |
| Total | 1688 | 6785 | 3593 | 12063 |
In 1948, the CWGC, who has oversight for dozens of such war graves cemeteries across the world and from multiple conflicts, assumed responsibility for their upkeep and maintenance.
Early on in this process the United States War Dept. decided that they wanted to repatriate the 131 US POWs. Under the geographical division, the majority of them would have been buried in Burma. As it was, all were brought to Don Rak. From there, they were taken to India for processing and final identification. By 1948, all but a few had been returned to the USA for final interment. Those for whom a next of kin could not be located, were sent to the Veterans War Cemetery in Hawaii known as the Punch Bowl.
In addition to the POWs, each of these cemeteries includes a small number of non-POW graves. At Don Rak, these are in a separate section at the east end of the cemetery and include a number of air crews who died in crashes in the post-war era.
At both Don Rak and ChungKai, there are the graves of one female in each. Phoebe Mercer and Agnes M. Mende have their own unique stories to tell.
The meticulous record keeping and upkeep of these cemeteries is in stark contrast to the complete lack of information much less recognition and remembrance of the AFL.