Unforgettable history: Thailand’s participation in WWI

World
Europe

In the corner of a Bangkok park is a little-recognized memorial. It carries the names of 19 Thai soldiers who left for a war on the other side of the world never to return.

Thailand was one of the least-known participants in World War One, the so-called War To End All Wars from 1914–1918.

Late in the conflict, Thailand joined the Allied forces led by Britain, France and the US, and the declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.

A Thai expeditionary force of more than 1,200 soldiers, airmen and a medical platoon was raised and set sail for France while arriving in July 1918.

One of the first Thai soldiers to be killed on active service in World War One, Master Sergeant Oon Israsena, a 24-year-old volunteer /Photo provided by Master Sergeant Oon Israsena's family

Amongst the Thai contingent was Master Sergeant Oon Israsena, a 24-year-old volunteer.

“He loved his country and he loved peace, that’s why he went to war,” said his great-grandson Santi Rojyonkit. "He was unmarried and he didn’t think of anything else. He only thought about making the world a safer place."

On arrival at the Western Front, pilots of the Thai air force were sent for combat training, however, the war ended in November 1918 before they could see action.

But the ground forces took part in a number of battles, earning themselves the French Croix-de-Guerre and the Thai Order of Rama medals.

“Joining the war was a means to show their loyalty to the king and to the country in a modern sense, but I’m sure that many of them must have had adventurous minds,” said Dr Bhawan Ruangsilp, head of history at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

The Thai Expeditionary Force Monument in Bangkok /CGTN Photo

Nineteen Thais lost their lives on active service, not in battle, but to accident and disease. And Master Sgt. Oon was one of them.

“He was one of the first to die. A military vehicle came down a hill and the brakes failed, there was an accident and he was killed,” said Santi.

At the end of the war, Thai soldiers helped occupy Germany and took part in the Victory Parade in Paris in 1919.

Display showing Thai soldiers taking part in Victory Parade in Paris in 1919, at Thai Military History Museum, Pathum Thani, Thailand /CGTN Photo

“It was the first war when Thailand sent soldiers to another country. We are proud that our Thai flag was present at the parades in many important places,” said Wing Commander Srijun Wongpoodee from Thailand’s Military History Museum.

Unlike its Southeast Asian neighbors, Thailand had not been colonized. By sending troops, Thailand entered the war as an independent country, not one serving a colonial master. As a reward, following the Allied victory, Thailand was granted political favors in Asia and invited to be a founder member of the League of Nations, which is the forerunner of the United Nations.

Thai soldiers on the Western Front, France, 1918 /Photo provided by Thai Military History Museum

“At the national level, seen from the point of view of the government, Thailand benefited a lot from taking the right side in this war," Bhawan said.

The last surviving member of the Thai Expeditionary Force died in 2003. For their families, like that of Master Sgt. Oon, their role in one of the greatest conflicts of all time, though perhaps not widely known, will be remembered forever.

3297km