Gallipoli

Today the name Gallipoli conjures up an image of the campaign that took place on the Gallipoli Peninsula during 1915 with names like ANZAC, Suvla Bay and Helles springing to mind.

What is often overlooked is the support required to mount the campaign both on the Peninsula and the nearby Greek islands.  When in March 1915 General Hamilton arrived at, what was to be the base for the operation, Lemnos he found an island without adequate roads, piers, wharfs, a good water supply or enough local labour.

By the time the British, ANZACs and French were evacuated from Gallipoli ten months later labourers had been brought from Malta and Egypt, Greeks recruited from islands in the area, the Indian Mule Corps moved from France and the Zion Mule Corps formed to support the campaign.

In May 1915 two Egyptian Army Works Companies arrived at Imbros where they built roads and huts before being transferred to the Peninsula. Later both Egyptian and Maltese Labourers were to work alongside local Greeks and British troops maintaining the island bases.

On the Peninsula men from Garrison Battalions, Army Service Corps Labour Companies as well as front line British and ANZAC soldiers were all used to move stores, ammunition and water and to build and maintain roads and trenches.

Both the Indian and Zion Mule Corps effectively supported soldier labour on the Peninsula.  The Zion Mule Corps taking up arms and routing a Turkish attack near Gully Ravine, with one Private being awarded the DCM.

Greek, Egyptian and Maltese Labourers also served on the Peninsula although when they came under shellfire at Suvla and Anzac they were unreliable and often refused to work.

Salonika

Salonika was a theatre where almost three times as many British soldiers died from disease as from injuries received in battle.

British Labour was initially found in 1915 from three ASC Labour Companies.  In late 1916 they were joined by the 14^th and 15^th (Labour) Battalions, Queen’s Regiment and these units became part of the Labour Corps following its formation in April 1917.

Locally recruited civilians provided much of the labour in Salonika. Initially as civilian workers and later as members of the British commanded Macedonian and Serbian Labour Battalions. 

The best of the foreign labour units were the two Maltese Labour Battalions who served in Salonika from September 1916 onwards.

After the Russian withdrawal from the war a Russian Labour Corps 525 strong was formed from ex-Russian army soldiers. Although commanded by a British officer this unit was not a success and had to be closely supervised by almost 50 British soldiers.