Italy

The Labour Corps were employed in Italy from June 1917 some four months before the British sent fighting soldiers support the Italian army.

In Southern Italy Taranto was an important base as part of the supply route to Egypt and Salonika. The Labour coming from men of the Egyptian and Fijian Labour Corps and the British West Indies Regiment.

Turkey

With the end of the war the British sent troops into Turkey. To support these troops six British Labour Corps companies were transferred to Constantinople and the Black Sea area.

Units of the Maltese Labour Corps and men recruited in Salonika also supported British troops in Turkey.

North Russia

There appear to be virtually no information about the use of military Labour during the campaign in North Russia in 1918 – 1919. The only Labour Corps troops appear to be men from the Russian Companies who were used as interpreters.

The Slavo-British Legion, which had been established as a fighting force, was turned into a labour unit after it mutinied in July 1919.

East Africa

Whilst more natives were employed during the East African campaigns than in any other theatre of war there is very little information about them, their work and their deaths.

We have no accurate idea of how many men were employed or of the number that died. Official figures state there were 66,500 natives employed in East Africa in November 1918 whereas at least 800,000 natives were employed between 1914 and 1918.  Most of these natives would have been used as porters (carriers) to carry the food, ammunition and supplies and move the artillery needed to support the Army.

In 1914 carriers moved most goods through the African Bush, as the routes were impassable to ox wagons.  As the war developed roads, bridges and huts had to be built by natives employed by the British.

The Military Labour Bureau was set up in February 1916 under Captain Oscar Watkins with a staff of 2 British officers and 4 NCOs for every 1,000 natives. A year the Bureau was renamed the Military Labour Corps with Colonel John Ainsworth, who was appointed Military Commissioner for Labour, succeeding Watkins.

At its peak the Corps had 220 officers, around 600 NCOs and 120 clerks.

The War Diary of the Director of Military Labour (WO 95/5311) is available at the National Archives, Kew.