koyli Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Can anyone help me. I own a single bronze war medal to a member of the chinese labour corps. The only identification is a number on the side of the medal. Is it possible to find out anything about the owner, at all. I have no idea where to look. Maybe someone could point me in the right dierction. Koyli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Hi, A useful document about the Chinese Labour Corps is held at the National Archive formerly known as the PRO at Kew, reference WO 106/33 - the Recruitment & Organisation of the Chinese Labour Corps, which is essentially a broad history of the Corps. I have never done look ups for the CLC, but have for the SANLC, and as their medal rolls are there, I am sure the CLCs are as well. I doubt there is an individual record for the owner but at least you will be able to identify him from the medal roll. I have always wondered why CLC medals were inscribed with just a number - perhaps there were too many Lee's? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 These men were subject to military discipline. To what extent were they considered soldiers? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koyli Posted 12 June , 2003 Author Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Hello Ian, Thank you for the information. Now I know where to start looking at least. Cheers. Koyli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Paul, They were employed on fixed term civilian labouring contracts and were not allowed to serve closer than 10 miles from the front. A lot of them were used as dockers unloading supplies. In common with other Labour Corps units they were not armed. Ivor Lee will be able to give you the definitive answer. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Until recently CWGC did not have a complete record of the names of those Chinese Labour Corps who died although each headstone did bear their name - but in Chinese engraved by Chinese craftsmen. For this reason, the old CWGC registers did not always list the CLC men by name. Recently CWGC decided to rectify this oversight so that all CLC casualties could be listed in their database and had a Chinese speaker produce English versions of all their names. These now all appear in the database. If anyone ever wants to check a Chinese headstone I have a copy of the complete list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Terry, There were about 150 Chinese Labour Corps dead in WW1 weren't there? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john w. Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 I believe there were quite a few buried at Etaples. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 12 June , 2003 Share Posted 12 June , 2003 Ian - a slight underestimate. There are approx 2000 dead Chinese Labour Corps on the CWGC database. They are buried in Belgium (85), Canada (1), China (4), Egypt (1), France, Italy (1) & UK (18). The list includes a handful of Europeans. The list excludes any 'Known Unto God' CLC casualties - if, indeed, there are any. John There is only one CLC in Etaples - possibly you were thinking of Les Baraques at Sangatte. There are other French cemeteries with hundreds of Chinese burials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 13 June , 2003 Share Posted 13 June , 2003 A good source on the CLC is Michael Summerskill China On the Western Front (1982). It is long out of print, but probably found somewhere on the Net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 13 June , 2003 Share Posted 13 June , 2003 Best web source seems to be CLC It quotes (our own) Andrew Pittaway, and says that Noyelles-sur-Mer is the cemetery with most CLC men in, close to their depot. Reports 838 graves there. You need to scroll over half way down a long page, or Edit, Find, Chinese will get you there quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaeldr Posted 14 June , 2003 Share Posted 14 June , 2003 Reading the above posts I am impressed by the details (names on individual headstones) which seem to be available for the CLC who must have been very lucky in having had an efficient corps admin staff. Alas this in sad contrast to the Egyptian L.C. of who's memorials the one at Ramleh seems to be typical. A single plot, with an inscription in Arabic and English. The latter reads: "966 men of the Egyptian Labour Corps are buried near this spot." No names, no dates. Regards Michael D.R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 14 June , 2003 Share Posted 14 June , 2003 It is interesting that the "Chinese" cemetery at Noyelles-sur-Mer is very popular with French visitors. During a half-hour visit on one occasion we saw perhaps 20 french visitors - the novelty and distinctive style mark it out to the French as an interesting site to visit and those visitors we saw showed a keen interest and appropriate respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 18 June , 2003 Share Posted 18 June , 2003 Ivor, Something for you to cheer you up. A Chinese Labour battalion embarking for service with the Allies 1918 photo 33 A Photo history of World War 1 Philip J Haythornthwaite Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christine liava'a Posted 18 June , 2003 Share Posted 18 June , 2003 and another- "detachment of British -Indian labourers, photographed in France, wearing a somewhat incongruous mixture of of civilian and quasi-military clothing and equipment" photo 34 1918 A photo history of World War 1; Philip J Haythornthwaite Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 Just for information. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 I recently discovered that my Great Uncle Harry served as a sergeant supervising Chinese labourers. He survived the war , no doubt in part due to this rather cushy billet that he found for himself. Perhaps my Grandfather an Old Contemptible cavalry man assisted him in recommending going for the CLC to protect Harry ,his younger brother , from the sad fate that befell 2 of his other brothers - perhaps a crash course in Mandarin before enlisting ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 Stand To has a regular feature called 'The Camera Revists' (or somesuch); it show then and now shots of photos on the Western Front. A few years ago they published an excellent photo of the main square of Noyelles taken on Chinese New Year's Day The square was thronged with Chinese watching a typical procession with dragons ... paper ones, not real ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff S Posted 21 June , 2003 Share Posted 21 June , 2003 While looking through some information on Death Sentences passed during the Great War last week I stumbled across a list. It noted 13 death sentences were passed on members of the CLC. 10 death sentences having been carried out. All were found guilty of murder. Geoff S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 10 July , 2003 Share Posted 10 July , 2003 CLC headstones at Bailleul Communal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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