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Chinese Labour Corps


tanks3

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I have just come across a bronze BWM to a member of the Chinese Labour Corps.  Does any forum member know if there is any way one can research the recipient, and how?

 

Tanks3

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I would think that starting with trying to find the Medal Index Card on the National Archives would be one way to go. However there is lots on the internet on the Chinese Labour Corps.  I used Google and searched using "Chinese Labour Corps" and "Chinese Labour Corps Archives" and came up with lots of interesting stuff.  The Mary Evans Picture Library has an interesting blog and this blog post has links to pictures of the Chinese Labour Corps. Interesting stuff and one would hope that historians in China would have done some work on this.  Thanks for bringing this up.

 

Best Wishes

Keith

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Scotsmac

 

Thanks very for your prompt reply.  I have tried to locate the MIC on ancestry but without success.  I have used the search criteria of the number plus the unit but without success.  Is there a medal roll for the issue of this medal to the Chinese Labour Corps?  I too google searched "Chinese Labour Corps" etc and found most of which I think you refer to.  It was more on the individual rather than the Corps itself I was looking to research.  Anyone have any ideas?

 

Tanks3

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Tanks3

 

I tried looking for medal recipients on the National Archives using their online catalogue, Discovery. I searched using Chinese Labour Corps Medal and got 584 records which I downloaded as a cvs file and opened up using a spreadsheet.  However there were very few Chinese names in the file, doesn't look like more than half a dozen with the rest being British names.  This doesn't seem right. It could be that not all Medal records are in the on-line catalogue so it might be worth emailing The National Archives about this or visiting if you live near. If you download the file you could search for the name and/or number of the medal.  You might be lucky.  Have you tried the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site?

 

Best Wishes

Keith

Edited by Scotsmac
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Scotsmac

 

Thanks again for your prompt reply.  I did try the CWGC site.  There were I think 35 pages of entries and so I sorted these into numerical order via the regimental/medal number. Sadly my man wasn't there so he must have been a survivor.  I tried ancestry but like you only seemed to get the results of the British names.  Hence my query as to whether there was a medal roll created for Chinese recipients of the BWM and if one was, where is it?  I did think maybe it was held in some Chinese archive rather than TNA.  I will drop TNA an email as you suggest.

 

Again many thanks

 

Tanks3

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Ancestry has circa 94,500 hits for Chinese Labour Corps in medal rolls. Not the usual format, name and number only. Whereas the 584 MICs seem to be to Europeans the Ancestry hits are more Oriental.

TEW

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1 hour ago, TEW said:

Ancestry has circa 94,500 hits for Chinese Labour Corps in medal rolls. Not the usual format, name and number only. Whereas the 584 MICs seem to be to Europeans the Ancestry hits are more Oriental.

TEW

 

That sounds more like it.  

 

Best Wishes

Keith

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Tew/Scotsmac

 

Thanks to the two of you.  Found the medal roll on Ancestry and after a bit of hunting, found the chap against the medal number I have.  Brilliant.  At least I know his name now!

 

Tanks3

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