Belgium, Poperinge, Lijsenthoek Military Cemetery, November 8, 2011
Chinese Labour Corps
The Chinese Labour Corps was a force of workers recruited by the British government in World War I to support the troops by performing support work and manual labour.
A total of about 140,000 Chinese workers served on the Western Front during and after the War.
The Corps did not take part in combat. According to the records kept by the British and French recruiters, around 2,000 Chinese Labour Corps died during World War I, most from the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu, some as a direct result of enemy action or of wounds received in the course of their duties. This figure is contested by some Chinese scholars who say the number was as high as 20,000.