ddycher Posted 11 September , 2010 Share Posted 11 September , 2010 All Way out of my depth here but I have an officer who appears to have been att'd to the 35th Coy, Indian Labour Corps as an Adjt some time in May 1917. However I can not find any ref to a 35th Coy on the web or in the 1919 Indian Army Lists. Does anyone know if this unit existed and if so did they serve in France or Mesopotamia? Appreciate any thoughts / guidance. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 11 September , 2010 Share Posted 11 September , 2010 Dave There was a 35th (Naga) Company of the ILC on France in 1918. Regards Ivor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 12 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 12 September , 2010 Thanks Ivor. Any recommendations on how I find out more about them ? Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 12 September , 2010 Share Posted 12 September , 2010 Dave Difficult I am afraid Theonly references I have found are February 1918 when they were on road construction at Le Transloy April 1918 when they moved to Marseilles prior to repatriation. After I posted my reply I checked my notes on Mesopotamia - there was a 35 Jail Labour Company that served there. It did cross my mind that your reference could be to this company. Again there does not appear to be anything specific on this company. Like so many of the Labour units finding out more about them is often impossible. Regards Ivor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 12 September , 2010 Author Share Posted 12 September , 2010 Thanks Ivor. Either could fit. Thoughts I have is that the officer went from Egypt to 1/4th Devons in Mesopotamia mid 1916. Was then invalided to India late 1916 / early 1917 where he was attached to the Labour Corps as Adjt 1st May 1917. Not knowing any better I would have assumed he was appointed on the formation of a company so would I be right in thinking that the 35th Jail Labour Company a better fit from a timeline standpoint ? He remained att'd to the 1/4th Devons to the end of the war again atleast for me indicating service in Mesopotamia. Interesting one this. Never really looked at the Labour Corps before and never considered initially that I was dealing with an attachment to the Indian Labour Corps. I have the Indian Army List for January 1919 but for some reason it does not list all the Labour Companies. Any ideas why ? Thanks again. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 12 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 12 February , 2011 Ivor Follow up on this : Up until the end of 1916 I have been able to track down 3 Indian Labour Corps units being established in the Lahore area. I focused on the Lahore area as that is where the battalion was stationed the officer I am trying to trace was serving with was stationed. Initially there was a draft of approx 800 men to Mesopotamia mid year. Details of the unit and it history I have not yet been able to ascertain. Experiments being made re enlisting a labour corps for Mesopotamia from Indian jails seem to have started Sept / October 1916. These being part of the Porter Corps. The first Porter Corps left Lahore on October 16th 1916 for Karachi where they were equipped and from where they embarked for Basra. 800 of these men came from the Central Gaol in Lahore the rest from jails across the Punjab. NCO's were selected from warders from the jails and from the prisoners themselves (?). The unit included one as yet unidentified IARO officer and one european Warrant Officer. It also included 4 Tahsildars, a doctor and clerical staff.This corps were assigned to unloading steamers at Basra. By the end of October it appears the decision was made to extend this experiment and a second corps, the 10th Labour Corps, seems to have left early November and this is said to have had a larger contingent of skilled men. A further unit was under consideration in January 1917. Knowing nothing previously at all of the Labour Corps I am struggling to separate the labour and porter corps refs. So all in all still struggling to understand the Adjt role of the man above in the Indian Labour Corps but finding this a fascinating study. Any other leads / recommendations on how to explore further ? Regards Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 13 February , 2011 Share Posted 13 February , 2011 Dave Have you read? Singha, R. ‘Finding Labour From India for the War in Iraq: The Jail Porter and Labour Corps 1916 - 1920’ in Comparative Studies in Society & History 2007 pp. 412 - 444 I think you will find it very informative al;though like you there are times when I find it difficult to separate Porter Corps from Labour Corps in Mesopotamia. One important distinction appears to be that the Labour Corps did include men who were employed as semi-skilled or even skilled workers Regards Ivor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 23 February , 2011 Author Share Posted 23 February , 2011 Thanks Ivor. Have not read it. From snippets I have been able to see on the web looks interesting and I am trying to get a copy. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 27 September , 2015 Author Share Posted 27 September , 2015 Can finally add a little more to this. The Naga Labour Corps were formed in the Naga Hills under the command of Herbert Charles Barnes. Barnes was at the time the Deputy Commisioner. Barnes was seconded to the IARO and commissioned 2nd Lieut being given the temp. rank of Lt.-Col whilst commanding the Corps. Seems this was typical and the different Companies were formed under civil authorities and the men given temp commisions whilst commanding in France. The 35th Coy left the Naga Hills as part of the 21st Labour Corps on the 21st April 1917 and sailed for France on the 26th April. The Naga Labour Coy's worked in Mametz, Le Transloy, Haute Avesnes, Contalmaison and Guillemont on salvage work, road repairs etc. Subsequent to Ivors note above the 35th Coy moved to Marseille in April 1918 from where they embarked for India at the end of May (Barnes going on two month's leave in England before returning to India) arriving back in India in June 1918. If anyone can add more. Pls let me know. I am still trying to put together the war of Capt. John Adams "Jack" Brown who was the Adjt of the 35th (Naga) Company. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 27 September , 2015 Share Posted 27 September , 2015 There is a book planned The Indian Labour Corps in the Great War, a United Service Institution of India initiative. http://indiaww1.in/ourpublication.aspx I'm not sure if Forum member bushfighter, Harry Fecitt, is directly involved (I have a vague memory he may be at least one of the authors, but I couldn't find a past post which says this), but even if he is not directly involved, he may have some knowledge of it. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 28 September , 2015 Author Share Posted 28 September , 2015 Thanks Maureen I saw Harry's article on kaisercross. Deals with the Kuki rebellion rather than the corps itself. Still haven't found a definitive ref for the Indian Labour Corps. Now wading my way through the new DLI site which is helping (where I got the above data from). Thanks Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r.singha Posted 15 July , 2016 Share Posted 15 July , 2016 I am drafting a book on Indian non-combatant labour in World War one so it would be great to hear if youve discovered more about Capt John Adams Jack Brown, Adjt , 35 Naga Labour coy in France...many thanks R. Singha Radhika Singha (2015). The Short Career of the Indian Labour Corps in France, 1917–1919. International Labor and Working-Class History, 87, pp 27-62. doi:10.1017/S014754791500006X. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 3 August , 2016 Author Share Posted 3 August , 2016 Happy to share what I have. PM me an address and I'll forward to you. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushfighter Posted 15 August , 2016 Share Posted 15 August , 2016 Ivor, Dave & Maureene Greetings. Would I be right in thinking that the 65 & 66 (and any other) Manipur Labour Companies were supplied by the Princely State of Manipur and were men from the hill tribes who were basically drafted by the Ruler? And that the 35th, 36th, 37th and 38th Naga Companies were recruited voluntarily by British officials in the areas of the Naga Hills in Assam that were under British Administration? And that the above four Naga Companies formed the 21st Labour Corps? Any other Naga information would be most welcome. Regards Harry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 15 August , 2016 Share Posted 15 August , 2016 The following article has some details "North East India and the First World War" by Pratap Chhetri February 4, 2016. The Indian Labour Corps: Lushai Labour Corps, Khasi Labour Corps, Garo Labour Corps, Naga Labour Corps, Manipur Labour Corps and enlistments from Tripura. These men served on the Western Front, in Mesopotamia and in Egypt. "The Centre for Hidden Histories" [WW1] Dave, what books on the DLI did you get information from? Regards Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 22 August , 2016 Author Share Posted 22 August , 2016 Maureen Im on family holiday at the moment. Away for a couple of weeks and dont have any access to my ref's but will double check for you as soon as I get home. Best I can recollect it was a government service record but I dont remember the actual name. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 22 August , 2016 Share Posted 22 August , 2016 Thanks Dave Have a great holiday. Cheers Maureen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaureenE Posted 6 September , 2016 Share Posted 6 September , 2016 (edited) Dave advised that the government service record he referred to in post 16, from the Digital Library of India, was History of Services of Gazetted and Other Officers under the Government of Assam. Corrected to 1st July 1921 http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/82581 Edit: above link now invalid as DLI no longer operating, but available as a mirror version on archive.org https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.82581/page/n1 Cheers Maureen Edited 7 December , 2018 by Maureene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kyrui Posted 29 October , 2016 Share Posted 29 October , 2016 Cn any body give me the details on the Khasi Labour Corps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith_history_buff Posted 7 December , 2018 Share Posted 7 December , 2018 I've read that a number of Indian Labour Corps fatalities are buried at the Ayette Indian and Chinese cemetery.https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results/?cemetery=AYETTE INDIAN AND CHINESE CEMETERY Was the badge of the Indian Labour Corps the same as that of the British Army's Labour Corps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauntless Posted 9 May , 2019 Share Posted 9 May , 2019 On 27/09/2015 at 07:12, ddycher said: Can finally add a little more to this. The Naga Labour Corps were formed in the Naga Hills under the command of Herbert Charles Barnes. Barnes was at the time the Deputy Commisioner. Barnes was seconded to the IARO and commissioned 2nd Lieut being given the temp. rank of Lt.-Col whilst commanding the Corps. Seems this was typical and the different Companies were formed under civil authorities and the men given temp commisions whilst commanding in France. The 35th Coy left the Naga Hills as part of the 21st Labour Corps on the 21st April 1917 and sailed for France on the 26th April. The Naga Labour Coy's worked in Mametz, Le Transloy, Haute Avesnes, Contalmaison and Guillemont on salvage work, road repairs etc. Subsequent to Ivors note above the 35th Coy moved to Marseille in April 1918 from where they embarked for India at the end of May (Barnes going on two month's leave in England before returning to India) arriving back in India in June 1918. If anyone can add more. Pls let me know. I am still trying to put together the war of Capt. John Adams "Jack" Brown who was the Adjt of the 35th (Naga) Company. Regards Dave Good afternoon,I have just joined site tracing my relatives, it appears my G/G Father A/Captain DCM, was C/O of 35th Naga indian labour company, 15th April 1918, 55 group 1st Army Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddycher Posted 10 May , 2019 Author Share Posted 10 May , 2019 Dauntless Welcome to the forum. Can you share more details on your grandfather. Be happy in return to share what I know of the Naga Coy. Regards Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dauntless Posted 30 June , 2019 Share Posted 30 June , 2019 On 15/07/2016 at 08:50, r.singha said: I am drafting a book on Indian non-combatant labour in World War one so it would be great to hear if youve discovered more about Capt John Adams Jack Brown, Adjt , 35 Naga Labour coy in France...many thanks R. Singha Radhika Singha (2015). The Short Career of the Indian Labour Corps in France, 1917–1919. International Labor and Working-Class History, 87, pp 27-62. doi:10.1017/S014754791500006X. Sir, I wondered if you had any information regarding my great grandfather Pat Smith Smith DSO (A/Capt) Service No 1631 T.S Indian Army Reserve of officers. Commanding Officer 35th Naga Indian Labour Company India April 1918 Earlier, on the Somme was Company Sergeant Major listed as wounded and awarded the wound stripe and was awarded the DCM for conspicuous gallantry when a mortar landed in the trench and he hurled it over the parapet, where it immediately exploded probably saved many casualties as stated in London Gazette 27 July 1916 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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