Wirral prisoner of war immortalised by Alec Guinness in Bridge On The River Kwai honoured in new exhibition

Jun 18 2009 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

Mrs Summers, whose book about her grandfather, The Colonel Of Tamarkan, clears up some of the historical inaccuracies about the film, said her father had enjoyed the 1957 movie.

She said: "It never pretended to be true. It was based on a novel by Pierre Boulle, who used interviews with those coming back from the camp and his own experiences in photo reconnaissance."

Initially, Lt Col Toosey refused to speak out about the film, but fellow veterans persuaded him to set the record straight.

Mrs Summers recalled the memorial service held for Lt Col Toosey, who died in 1975, at St Nicholas church, in Liverpool, when thousands turned out to pay their respects. She said: "We came out of the church and there were 3,000 men standing there in silence with their hats off.

"I was just 16 at the time and thought to myself ‘what did he do to make people love him so much?’ The answer was that he was a great character who was there for his men."