Please note performances of Chinese Labour Corps have now ended. Chinese labourers were treated badly during the First World War but it’s difficult to think of any group that wasn’t, including the British Tommy. That is true, but equally true is that some were treated worse than others. On this Ian Henery and the Blue …
Author Archives: Campaign Team
Where’s the memorial?
We’ve been asked what happened to the unveiling on the 4th May 2019. News of the unveiling taking place on 4th May this year was reported in the South China Morning Post (SCMP) last November, and picked up by a number of Chinese language media. Unfortunately the original report was not correct. When speaking with …
EVENT: CHINESE LABOUR CORPS: The Forgotten Men of World War I
Wednesday 27 February, 1-4.45pm Heritage Learning Space, Library of Birmingham Between 1917-1920, 140,000 Chinese men travelled from Shandong on China’s East coast to the other side of the world to support the British, French and Russian armies with manual labour during WWI, remaining in Europe until 1920 clearing battlefields. Who were these men and why did …
National Road Show
It was only at the end of last September that we announced plans to take our message out in a road show that would cover all four nations of the UnitedKingdom, and continue to raise awareness of the Chinese Labour Corps within local communities. Material is still being developed, but we are working to realise …
Really?
Steve Lau, Chair of the Ensuring We Remember Campaign reflects on the challenges of the general public’s extremely low level of awareness of the contribution made by the Chinese to Britain’s war effort. In my role I share my passion (some may say obsession) with anyone willing to listen really. It’s not too difficult to …
Campaign Chair, Steve Lau, to speak in Northern Ireland
Through funding from the fabulous Big Ideas Company’s Unremembered Project, Steve Lau, Chair of the Ensuring We Remember Campaign has been invited to speak at the Chinese Welfare Association in Belfast.
An armistice day message from Steve Lau, founder and Chair of the ensuring We Remember Campaign
One hundred years ago today the fighting in Europe stopped and the guns fell silent. Like people the world over, the Chinese celebrated the arrival of peace: a three day national holiday was announced in China. As the sounds of the last gunfire faded, it is hard to imagine what thoughts ran through the minds …
Andrew Dismore, London Assembly Member, calls for Chinese Labour Corps to be recognised.
Thursday, 1st November, 2018. At today’s City Hall Plenary meeting, Labour London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore AM called for recognition of WW1 Chinese Labour Corps, when speaking in the debate to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. After the debate Mr Dismore said: ‘The Chinese Labour …
A short note on numbers and who we will commemorate on the Memorial Huabiao
The number of 96,000 is, as best we can estimate, the correct number of Chinese recruited into the Chinese Labour Corps. It is a number we have agreed with Dr Gregory James, the world’s foremost authority on the Chinese Labour Corps. The figure of 140,000 is sometimes used. This figure is the approximate figure (perhaps …
New play: Forgotten 遗忘
PLYMOUTH 17 October -20 October LONDON 23 October–17 November 2018 “The foreign devils will be entranced by our performance and line our path back to Shandong with gold and cherry blossoms…” 1917. Shandong Province, Northern China. Times are tough in Horse Shoe Village. Old Six and Second Moon struggle to earn enough to feed their …
The Birth of the Memorial Huabiao
Today, Tuesday 24th April, 2018, a specialist team went to a carefully selected quarry in Hunan Province surveying the various exposed marble rock faces. After careful consideration one location within the quarry was selected. It will now take 15 days to quarry the huge pieces of marble required to produce the Memorial Huabiao.
Talk at the National Archives: The Chinese Labour Corps on the Western Front
Steve Lau, Chair of the Ensuring We Remember campaign, will talk about Chinese peasants who were sent to the Western Front during the First World War. Learn about the journey of the Chinese Labour Corps, as they were secretly transported across Canada, and shipped to Europe to fight in a war they didn’t necessarily understand. …
We must continue to build bridges wherever possible
It is right to be mindful of history, but as this video shows, things are changing in Britain. The Ensuring We Remember Campaign has achieved a great deal, but we have not been alone in this endeavour. Other organisations have directly addressed the issue of remembrance of the Chinese Labour Corps, and not only Chinese …
Prime Ministers gives message of support to the Campaign
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A 360 degree update.
The Campaign team are busier than ever and the workload is ever increasingly complex as different areas of activities interact, deadlines loom and expectations rise. Fundraising has been an incredible success with donations being received from across the UK. Although the majority of donations have been made by members of the Chinese community, not exclusively …
Joint Exhibition of Artists and Calligraphers Fundraiser
Our thanks to a donation of £600 from Fuqing Yulong Ai Group and £ 800 from the London School of Management Studies (LSMS) . Our fundraising activities continue: 新春新氣象，狗年旺旺旺！一戰华工建碑計劃感謝福清玉融愛心群£600 及 London School of Management Studies (LSMS) £800的捐助，其他認捐和籌款活動仍在進行中。三月十一日下午二時至五時中英文化交流學會及英國華人詩書畫學會在120 Lower Road London SW16 2UB (Surrey Quays 車站步行兩分鐘，附近也有停車場)舉行藝術家及書畫家聯展，演出及義賣捐募活動，歡迎各位朋友及對中國文化藝術有興趣的朋友蒞臨參加及支持！ March 11, 2018 120 Lower Road London SW16 2UB (Surrey …
Spring Festival Generosity
We’re so happy to share a few examples of the wonderful responses we are getting to our fundraising efforts. 當英國各地華人團體紛紛慶祝春節的來臨，他們也沒有忘記為一戰華工建碑計劃捐助，英华中文学校師生和家長£690.50, 福建同鄉會£1,200, 英國天津同鄉會£500, 倫敦普通話簡體字學校師生和家長£500. 感謝大家的支持和衷心的祝頌建碑能早日實現！ When Chinese groups from all over Britain celebrated the arrival of the Spring Festival, they did not forget to donate money for the First World War Chinese Labourers Project. The teachers …
Happy Chinese New Year
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Protected: Design Elements of the Memorial
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
Building of the UK’s National Memorial to the Chinese Labour Corps Confirmed.
Three years into a campaign for a UK National Memorial to the Chinese Labour Corps, the Ensuring We Remember Campaign has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chinese development company ABP (London) Investment Limited (ABP) for the memorial to be constructed as part of the centrepiece of ABP’s £1.7bn development of a new business district …
Cambrai and the Chinese Contribution
The centenary of the Battle of Cambrai has just passed. We have produced an infographic on Cambrai and the Chinese Contribution. CLC Cambrai Infographic download
Dertien van Busseboom – The Busseboom Thirteen and Belgium’s Memorial to the Chinese Labour Corps.
Exactly one hundred years ago today thirteen members of the Chinese Labour Corps were killed when their camp received a direct hit during an air raid. Quite some gunfire at night. At the Poeper a Chinese camp is hit by shellfire. Several yellow men are killed. From the diary of local priest, Father van Walleghem …
Chinese Labour Corps Remembered at the Cenotaph for the First Time.
FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER wreaths were laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in memory of the Chinese labourers who came to support the Allied war effort in the First World War. The act comes amid growing momentum to activities, including the Ensuring We Remember Campaign, organised both inside and outside of the Chinese community …
Screening of the film Forgotten Faces of the Great War: The Chinese Labour Corps.
01 November, 2017 at 2pm (till 4pm). 152/3 Cayley Room, University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW As part of a two-year project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to commemorate the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC), The Meridian Society has made a film of oral histories with descendants of Chinese labourers and their …
Chinese Labour Corps Photobook
An incredible collection of candid photographs of the Chinese Labour Corps taken on the Western Front by Captain WJ Hawkings. More details here.
Presentation: Propaganda and Shifted Reality
A presentation by Steve Lau, Chair of the Ensuring We Remember Campaign, at the launch event of, The Stories behind the Pictures: Colonial Troops in the First World War. This event is being held at University of Hull, HU6 7RX Friday, 20th October. An outline of the presentation follows. By the outbreak of the First …
Videos Re-organised
We have reorganised the way our videos are presented. Hopefully the new layout will make it easier to see what is available and to access them. Find our videos from the link on the left hand side of this page.
Review: Chinese Labour Corps Photographs from the WJ Hawkings Collection.
The following is an independent review of the publication Chinese Labour Corps Photographs from the W J Hawkings Collection. The review is by Dr John R A Cleaver, Life Fellow and College Archivist, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Our thanks to Dr Cleaver for making this contribution. This new book is an annotated collection of photographs from William James …
Chinese Centenary Commemoration Toolkit
The Ensuring We Remember Campaign if spearheaded by a coalition of major UK Chinese non-profit organisations. To mark today’s centennial anniversary of China declaring war on Germany we reflect on the position of the Chinese community in the UK, whilst launching our Centenary Commemorations Toolkit. Today the Chinese community holds a privileged position in the …
Chinese Labour Corps Photobook
We are delighted to announce the publications of, The Chinese Labour Corps: Photographs from the WJ Hawkings collection, launched today to commemorate the centenary of China declaring war against Germany and formally joining Britain and her allies in the Great War. Hardcover: 96 pages Publisher: Myosotis Books (14 August 2017) Languages: English, Chinese and French ISBN-13: 978-1-9998066-0-6 …
Les camps de travailleurs chinois
Par France 3. Histoires 14-18 : les camps de travailleurs chinois
Tentoonstelling en boek: Vive Labeur
Our congratulations to the City of Poperinge on the Vive Labeur Exhibition. Vive Labeur, Chinese Labour Corps in de Eerste Wereldoorlog Sun Gan Prijs: € 24,50 (incl. verzendingskosten) Sun Gan is een plattelandsonderwijzer die de kans heeft gegrepen om verre horizonten te verkennen door zich aan te melden bij het CLC. Met een opmerkelijk observatievermogen vergelijkt …
Happy Chinese New Year 2017
As we leave the year of the Monkey and enter the year of the Fire Rooster our best wishes for good health, good fortune and prosperity, may great things lie ahead for us all. 恭喜發財!
Merry Christmas Everybody
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The War Office performed a remarkable about turn
[A]t the end of last month the War Office performed a remarkable about turn. Having been utterly opposed to the hiring of Chinese labourers before the Battle of the Somme, it’s now clear that the manpower situation has entirely changed. This could be a war of attrition, and minister of war David Lloyd George has just authorised the opening of negotiations, …
The Shanghai War Memorial
Photograph of the 1924 unveiling of the Shanghai War Memorial to the Great War. The memorial was built to commemorate around two hundred Shanghai expats (from the Allies) who died in the Great War. It is worth remembering, of course, that China joined the war on the allied side in late 1917. But this was only …
A contemporaneous report of a Chinese Labour Corps camp under bombardment.
[Date of incident referred to is Saturday 29th September, 1917.] We had been in our tents a couple of hours, when Fritz returned once more, and drop bombs in a camp of Chinese Labour Corps, killing a few and wounding many. Some of the Chinese had the fighting spirit, and shook their fists at the …
« Les travailleurs chinois en France pendant la Première Guerre Mondiale »
« Les travailleurs chinois pendant la Première Guerre Mondiale » Lieu : Institut Confucius, 22 allée François Mitterrand, 49100 Angers Dates : du 28 mai au 30 octobre 2015. Horaires : le lundi de 14h à 18h, du mardi au vendredi de 10h à 12h et de 14h à 18h. Entrée libre. Renseignements : 02 41 95 53 52 …
What should we remember?
An interesting question was posed in a report by Austrian researchers into commemoration. But what should we remember if existence and memory are no longer part of what we remember? It’s a great little sound-bite, but what does it mean? Ultimately, if we do not remember existence or memory, then what can we remember? Reflecting on the …
A comment on the campaign
It has taken a century for the truth to be acknowledged. Mark O’Neil, Chinese in Britain plan monument to World War One workers
A message from New Zealand
My father Frederick James Hall was injured at the Battle of the Somme and after his recouperation in the UK was promoted to Corporal and transferred to the Chinese Labour Corp of the Devon Regiment. By the end of the war he spoke mandarin fluently. He spoke most highly of “those wonderful Chinese chaps.” He …
Why I signed the petition…
I am a British soldier and you are free today because of these men and women who assisted Britain in WW1. Russ, Chorley Sign the petition here.
Why I signed the petition…
I have only recently discovered that the Chinese contributed to the war, and am disappointed how we have just been wiped away and forgotten after the war… Christine, London Sign the petition here
Why I signed the petition
It’s an injustice that these people have never been recognised as to their support in the Great War. James, Liverpool Sign the petition here
Why I signed the petition
The government should be ashamed of the way they treated the Chinese who helped us in both World Wars Alan, Liverpool Sign the petition here.
Notes on An introduction to the Chinese Labour Corps Video
By necessity we try to explain sometimes complex points in a very limited time. As a result we resort to using a word or phrase which fails to capture the subtlety of the matter. To clarify such points we will be adding notes to each of our videos to explain some of the words of …
In memory of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
On the day of the State funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II we remember with both sadness and gratitude the life of our late Queen. Her Majesty was not only an exceptional person of our time, but among the greats of history. Very few people make a promise at the age of 21 and …
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