Eric Lomax was a British Army officer and a prisoner of war during World War II. He was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and forced to work on the construction of the Burma Railway, a project notorious for its harsh conditions and high mortality rate among laborers. Lomax endured significant suffering during this time, which had a lasting impact on his life. After the war, Lomax struggled with the psychological effects of his experiences. He later wrote a memoir titled The Railway Man, which detailed his time as a prisoner and his journey toward forgiveness. The book was adapted into a film in 2013, further bringing attention to his story and the broader issues of wartime trauma.