Egypt

In Egypt local natives under British R.E. supervision carried out tasks like building and maintaining roads, railways and water pipes. Unlike France the role of British labour troops in Egypt was primarily to undertake regimental duties and support hospitals, convalescent depots, the YMCA and as guards at PoW camps. 

Prior to 1917 British labour was primarily found from some thirteen Garrison Battalions stationed in Egypt.  Even when the Labour Corps was formed it only created companies for service in the U.K., France and Salonika.  It was a decision of General Lawton in July 1917 to create Employment Companies in Egypt from men serving in the Garrison Battalions.  Initially 16 Employment Companies were formed as part of the Labour Corps (companies 800 to 815).  Little is known about these companies, as their records do not appear to have survived.

Natives in the Egyptian Labour Corps who were commanded by British officers and N.C.O.s provided the vast majority of labour in Egypt.  There were no accurate records of how many men served or died in the ELC. 

As the Army moved into Palestine and then Syria the ELC accompanied them supporting them and even being used to make the Turks think they were about to be attacked by a large force of men.

Mesopotamia

Labour in Mesopotamia was administered through a Labour Directorate under Brigadier-General Frost, the Director of Labour.  Frost and his staff of 250 British officers and about 1,500 Other Ranks was responsible for administering a native labour force of more than 150,000 men.

The British troops attached to the Labour Directorate were not transferred to  the Labour Corps but remained part of their own unit.

A number of different native labour corps existed in Mesopotamia.  Over 60,000 Arabs and Persians served in the Arab Labour Corps and Persian Labour Corps, over 40,000 Indians who were brought from the Indian sub-continent in the Indian Labour Corps and the Indian Jail Labour corps, nearly 2,000 men in the Mauritius Labour Battalion, about 6,000 Chinese from Singapore and Shanghai, 8,000 members of the Egyptian Labour Corps and over 30,000 Prisoners of War. In addition casual Arab labour was recruited as needed to supplement men in the various labour corps.