dah Posted 29 October , 2003 Share Posted 29 October , 2003 This question was prompted by a visit to Lijssenthoek Cemetery - where I noticed a cluster of Chinese Labour battalion/corps (?) graves - possibly 20, mostly dated 1919. I also noticed a lone grave in Croonaert Chapel Cemetery - also 1919. Am I correct in assuming that these guys would have been engaged in battlefield clearance - and that this was the probable cause of death? Or was it perhaps disease? If it was their work, what made it so dangerous? I can imagine there was a lot of unused or unexploded munitions to be dealt with. But I'd have thought they'd have devised a reasonably safe procedure in dealing with this ? Could it be booby traps? Any answers? David PS. I'd like to think these guys were well paid - but somehow suspect not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 29 October , 2003 Share Posted 29 October , 2003 Some of the deaths were undoubtedly due to accidents with munitions etc. However, a large number were also due to the flu epidemic which swept the world in 1918-19. I doubt many, if any, were due to booby traps in 1919. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 30 October , 2003 Share Posted 30 October , 2003 I think you will find that these Chinese Labour Corps guys are almost certainly flu victims rather than battlefield clearence casualties. From what I have read, and from a thread here on the subject, the British Army's Labour Corps were heavily involved in battlefield clearance up to 1920 and indeed suffered casualties in the process, however the Chinese Labour Corps were not mentioned. The CLC were employed on contracts which, If I remember correctly kept them away from the front (OK the war was over!) and involvement in such activities. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 30 October , 2003 Share Posted 30 October , 2003 I wish I knew the real answer to this question! When the war ended men of the CLC were used for battlefield clearance and I suspect there must have been casualties due to accidents. The trouble is that the relatively few references that remain in the National Archives are fair more interested in the amount of scrap metal recovered than in the men who carried out the work. I have heard a story of men of the CLC who were killed during battlefield clearance work when one of them is supposed to have hit a shell with a shovel but have never been able to confirm its validity. This type of accident certainly occured and I have seen a few service records of men of the Labour Corps who were injured or killed through such accidents. Including, of course, one incident when a group of 5 men were killed and several others injured when they lit a fire to prepare the mid-day meal for their unit who were clearing the battlefield. The tragedy is that they lit the fire over an unexploded shell with devestating effect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 30 October , 2003 Share Posted 30 October , 2003 (...) This type of accident certainly occured and I have seen a few service records of men of the Labour Corps who were injured or killed through such accidents. Including, of course, one incident when a group of 5 men were killed and several others injured when they lit a fire to prepare the mid-day meal for their unit who were clearing the battlefield. The tragedy is that they lit the fire over an unexploded shell with devestating effect. (...) That's right. Poelcapelle British Cemetery, Plot 17.C Seven men of 48th Labour Company. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivor Lee Posted 31 October , 2003 Share Posted 31 October , 2003 Oops I said 5 men! That will teach me to write things from my head rather than my notes!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurel Sercu Posted 31 October , 2003 Share Posted 31 October , 2003 Hi Ivor, Yes, I know it sounded a bit ironic, you saying "Five", and I replying : "That's right. Seven." Not meant as criticism of course. It's just that I wrote seven because I counted seven names : Eyre, Byrne, Lloyd, Greaves, Tilley, Bentham, William. The date was mentioned too in the (very brief) article I found : 20 October. But ... no year was mentioned. Aurel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 31 October , 2003 Share Posted 31 October , 2003 David Next time you are in the area between Calais and St Omer you might like to visit Ruminghem Chinese Cemetery. It contains at least 75 graves all of chinese Labourers. If cemeteries can be said to be beautiful this one is. This one had an atmosphere about it that I found particularly peaceful. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 31 October , 2003 Share Posted 31 October , 2003 I have not visited it yet but isn't there one near Arras named something like Chinese and Indian Cemetery? Not surprisingly there are many Chinese at lovely Etaples Cemetery, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 31 October , 2003 Share Posted 31 October , 2003 Paul I think you are referring to Ayette Indian and Chinese Cemetery. I haven't visited that one yet but look forward to doing so. I agree about Etaples but Ruminghem is Chinese only. On a similar vein Meerut is well worth a visit if you can figure out where to get the key (La, or is it, Le Cle) from Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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