The Western Front Association: furthering interest in the Great War 1914-18 | explore | learn | share

ISBN: 0 9508330-0-2  SB 236 pp
Published by M Summerskill. 

If you have visited British War Cemeteries in France and Belgium you will almost certainly at some stage come across the graves of the Chinese Work Force. If like me you wondered why they came to be in France and Belgium in the first place and the extent of their contribution to the British war effort, Michael Summerskill’s beautifully written book will answer all your queries. Their gravestones are simple and numbers are usually the only means of identification there are four forms of wording; A Good Reputation Endures Forever, being amongst them. The largest cemetery containing only Chinese graves is at Lâ-Argiliere , near Noyelles-sur-Mer and over 800 Chinese labourers lie there
The use of Chinese labour through various parts of the world was not uncommon during the 19th century . They were used during the Gold Rush in America in 1848 and to build the first railways there .At the turn of the century South Africa required labourers and Chinese were considered . In 1916 the Government were discussing the possibility of recruiting labour to free British soldiers from the tasks that would take them away from front line duties . Much discussion took place which included trade union participation .
Indian labour was considered and rejected Then the use of Egyptian labour was promoted . Whilst the British were making up their minds the French were the first to recruit Chinese labourers and on 10th July 1916 the first of their contingent of 5000 men left Taku for Marseilles. The first British contingent was not to leave for France for another seven months, so prolonged were the negotiations both in Great Britain and China.
When they did arrive they were employed on roads, in dockyards, tank and ordnance workshops and in forests and fields. Chinese working for the French were employed in mines, munitions factories and on aerodromes amongst other occupations.
The British contingents of Chinese labour were paid according to their skills. Labourers were paid 1 franc a day, their allotment translating to 10 Chinese dollars a month. The scale from 1 franc per day for a labourer to 5 francs a day for Interpreter Clerks. This highest grade translated to £8.5s.0d per month . The wages paid by the French authorities were considerably higher i.e. a labourers pay was 5 francs per day. An interpreter, responsible for 125 men was paid 150 francs a month. It was commented that Chinese employed by the French were more contented than those employed by the British, French officers were less class conscious than their British equivalents for one. The duration of employment was for 3 years with the British and 5 with the French.
For those who wished to send money home a system of payment was adopted to pay allotments to their relatives in China. The allotted could appear at a Money Order Office in China, part of the Chinese Post Office. They could also go to pay offices at Weihaiwei. There was also a system adopted which had paying centres along the Shantung Railway. Whatever the method of payment many allottees had to walk great distances to collect their monies. One round journey took 16 days. Payment was always a problem whatever method was adopted.
The authors research reveals the nature of the work the labourers undertook, where they lived, their illness and hospitals. They were found to be hard working and many of them were employed in areas where skill was required. Whilst not subject to military discipline the men were subject to harsh treatment at times. They complained of inadequate diet, the dangerous nature of their work, the weather and sometimes not getting paid.
The book contains many photographs and maps of their concentration and sheds light upon a little known contribution to the war. The author concludes the book with the assertion that “the part played by the Chinese in the First World War was strategically insignificant but the exercise involved the death of two thousand of them. It is just so with the role of the individual in any of mankind’s great events their contribution is dwarfed and not always recognisable.” The author is to be commended for bringing the Chinese contribution to light in such detail and it is a splendid addition to WW1 research.

Reviewer: Maurice Johnson