99-year-old Private Wal Williams is only a handful of Australians from the Death Railway alive today.

13,000 Australian soldiers were sent to work on the Thai-Burma Railway in October 1942 after they became prisoners of war.

Around 2,600 diggers were killed.

Private Williams told Ben Fordham survival was “the luck of the draw”.

“I’ve never been lucky enough to win the lottery but I got out of it.”

Press PLAY below to hear the full interview