28-626: The Fijian Labour Corps (sometimes referred to as the Fiji Labour Corps ) was a labour corps unit raised in Fiji that served alongside British Empire forces in the First and Second World Wars. The unit was first formed in 1917 at the proposal of Lala Sukuna , the son of a Fijian chief who had been rejected for service in the British Army on account of his race. The 101-strong unit initially served to support
56-562: A number of officers from the WIR were transferred to the BWIR. The 1st Battalion was formed in September 1915 at Seaford, Sussex , England. It was made up of men from: A further ten battalions were formed afterwards. High wastage led to further drafts being required from Jamaica , British Honduras and Barbados before the regiment was able to begin training. In total approximately 15,600 men served in
84-487: A pay rise which they were not. On 6 December 1918, the men of the 9th Battalion refused to obey orders, and 180 sergeants signed a petition complaining about poor pay, allowances and promotions. On 9 December the 10th Battalion also refused to work. Over a period of four days a black NCO was killed and a lieutenant colonel assaulted. Men of the Worcestershire Regiment were sent in to restore order. The 9th Battalion
112-548: A second West Indies regiment from Caribbean volunteers who had made their way to Britain . Initially, these volunteers were drafted into a variety of units within the army, but in 1915 it was decided to group them together into a single regiment, named the British West Indies Regiment. The similarity of titles has sometimes led to confusion between this war-time unit and the long established West India Regiment . Both were recruited from black Caribbean volunteers and
140-569: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . British West Indies Regiment The British West Indies Regiment (1915 - 1921) (BWIR) was a unit of the British Army during the First World War , formed of volunteers from British colonies in the West Indies . The regiment was fifteen thousand strong, with fifteen hundred losing their life in the war. In 1915 the British Army formed
168-819: The Western Front providing labour at Calais and Marseilles and worked in Taranto , Italy, after the end of the war. The unit completed its service in 1919 and returned to Fiji. Twelve members of the unit died during the war. During the Second World War, the unit was re-established in 1942 and served in the Pacific War . This incarnation of the Fijian Labour Corps was much larger, amounting to two battalions and two independent companies. They worked to unload vessels and construct and maintain military facilities, including with
196-580: The Western Front the following year, serving as a platoon of the King's Royal Rifle Corps ; other contingents followed later. Indigenous Fijians were not permitted to serve with the British government as they were concerned about the recent decline of the indigenous population due to disease. Lala Sukuna , the son of a Fijian chief, was studying law at the University of Oxford when war broke out. He applied to serve with
224-414: The temporary rank of lieutenant and the acting rank of captain. Henry Marks , a significant local businessman and politician, paid £10,000 to cover the fares for the men to travel to Europe and to fund separation allowances for their families. The unit left Fiji on 19 May 1917 and travelled via Honolulu , Vancouver and Liverpool on their journey to France, which they reached in early July. The unit
252-510: The 11,000 people from Fiji who served in the war in some capacity, 3,000 served with the Fijian Labour Corps. The unit suffered 29 fatalities during the war, of whom 15 are buried in cemeteries in Suva and the rest have no known grave and are commemorated on the Suva Memorial to the missing. Among those killed was Lieutenant Ratu Jovesa Tagiveitaua, a corporal, and 27 privates. The Fijian Labour Corps
280-632: The Americans on Bougainville Island . Some 3,000 men served in the unit during the war, of which 29 died. One member received the British Empire Medal for bravery while salvaging cargo from an American ship. The unit was disbanded in 1948. Fiji had been a colony of Great Britain since 1874. After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, white residents of the colony were permitted to serve in combat roles. The first contingent of men arrived on
308-676: The British Army but was turned down because of his race. He instead enlisted in the French Foreign Legion where he served with distinction and received the Médaille militaire . He left the force after being wounded and returned to Fiji in 1916. Sukuna proposed that Fijians be allowed to serve in a non-combatant labour unit and this offer was accepted by the British government in 1917. The unit consisted of 101 men. The officers and non-commissioned officers were all white except for Sukuna who served as quarter-master sergeant (despite already holding
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#1733085202969336-664: The British West Indies Regiment. Jamaica contributed two-thirds of these volunteers, while others came from Trinidad and Tobago , Barbados, the Bahamas , British Honduras (now Belize), Grenada , British Guiana (now Guyana), the Leeward Islands , Saint Lucia and St Vincent . Nearly 5,000 more subsequently volunteered. The British West Indies Regiment played a significant role in the First World War especially in Palestine and Jordan where they were employed in military operations against
364-679: The Fijian Labour Corps died on board the MTS Kia Ora and was buried at sea in the Atlantic Ocean. He is remembered in the United Kingdom Book of Remembrance. The unit arrived at Suva on 31 October 1919. One further member died on 27 December 1919 and was buried in Suva Old Cemetery; all further members survived until the end of the war on 31 August 1921. Around 1,255 people from Fiji and surrounding islands served in some capacity during
392-811: The First World War unit was held at the National War Memorial at Veiuto on 19 May 2015, led by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau . After the December 1941 Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire , the Pacific became an important theatre of the Second World War and the Fijian Labour Corps was re-established. The 1st Battalion of the Fiji Labour Corps was formed by command of
420-669: The Ottoman Army. During the Palestine Campaign General Allenby sent the following telegram to the Governor of Jamaica , William Manning , "I have great pleasure in informing you of the gallant conduct of the machine-gun section of the 1st British West Indies Regiment during two successful raids on the Turkish trenches. All ranks behaved with great gallantry under heavy rifle and shell fire and contributed in no small measure to
448-493: The West Indies. At a meeting on 20 December, a sergeant of the 3rd Battalion stated that "the black man should have freedom and govern himself in the West Indies and that if necessary, force and bloodshed should be used to attain that object". The battalions of the regiment included: During World War I the BWIR was awarded 81 medals for bravery and 49 men were mentioned in despatches . In 2024, to honour those who served in
476-506: The conflict. Following the Armistice in November 1918 the battalions of the BWIR were concentrated at Taranto , Italy, to prepare for demobilisation . They were still required to work; loading and unloading ships, performing labour fatigues, and building and cleaning latrines for white soldiers, all of which caused resentment, especially when they discovered that white soldiers had been awarded
504-417: The governor of Fiji on 1 October 1942. By the end of 1942, 1,375 men had enlisted in the Fijian Labour Corps. It was much larger than it had been in the previous war, consisting of two battalions and two independent dock companies. The units served on Fiji and elsewhere in the Pacific unloading vessels and building and maintaining military facilities. The 1st Battalion was responsible for unloading 582 vessels by
532-588: The higher rank of second lieutenant in the Fiji Defence Force). Their original uniform was a tunic with a sulu kilt and no headwear, though photographs of a detachment being inspected by George V in August 1918 show them in more standard British Army puttees, trousers and caps. The commanding officer of the unit throughout its existence was Kenneth Allardyce , formerly of the Fiji Civil Service, who received
560-531: The success of the operations". The 1st and 2nd Battalions served mainly in Egypt and Palestine, the 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th Battalions served in France and Flanders, with the 5th Battalion acting as reserve draft unit. The 8th and 9th Battalions also served in France and Flanders, before being transferred to Italy in 1918, while the 10th and 11th Battalions also served in France and Italy. Fifteen hundred lost their lives during
588-655: The unit was moved to Marseille to work at the docks there. Members of the force suffered from pneumonia and influenza, with five dying between February and December; they were buried in Mazargues War Cemetery, Marseilles. One member who died in February 1919 is buried at Devonport (O'Neill's Point) Cemetery in Auckland, New Zealand. After the armistice of 11 November 1918 , the Fijian Labour Corps served in Taranto, Italy. There
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#1733085202969616-479: The war's end in 1945. One of the independent companies was deployed to Torokina , Bougainville Island , in Papua New Guinea where they served as stevedores to help supply the nearby Torokina Airfield . One member of the Fijian Labour Corps, Private Ramelusi Druma, won the British Empire Medal in December 1942 for bravery during his work as a winchman while salvaging cargo from a wrecked US ship. While Druma
644-455: The war, including the 101 with the Fijian Labour Corps and 357 in the King's Royal Rifle Corps; 173 died. The service given by members of the Fijian Labour Corps was recognised with the award of a Loyalty Cross badge by the colonial government. Edward, Prince of Wales met former members of the Fijian Labour Corps in Fiji during his 1921–22 tour of the Pacific. A commemoration service for the members of
672-617: Was a shortage of labour in the city and attempts to use members of the British West Indies Regiment as labourers in December 1918 led to a mutiny. Three members of the Fijian Labour Corps died between May and July 1919 and are buried in the Taranto Town Cemetery Extension. Later that year, the unit returned to Fiji, with Allardyce relinquishing his commission on 15 September 1919 upon completion of service. Nine days later, during their return to Fiji, one member of
700-518: Was disbanded and its personnel distributed to other battalions, which were disarmed. Around 60 men were tried for mutiny, generally receiving sentences from three to five years, although one man received 20 years, and another was executed by firing squad. Bitterness persisted after the mutiny was suppressed and on 17 December 1918 about 60 NCOs of the BWIR met to form the Caribbean League, calling for equal rights, self-determination and closer union in
728-508: Was disbanded in 1948. Labour corps Labour corps or labor corps usually refers to an organisation that provides labour for military-related purposes. It may be a civilian auxiliary or an internal branch (i.e. an administrative corps or mustering ) of a particular military service. Members of labour corps often perform unskilled manual labour in fields such as construction , military engineering , or logistics (especially transport ). This military -related article
756-487: Was initially housed at a camp near Calais, surrounded by barbed wire. The wire was later removed as the men proved themselves loyal and efficient workers. The Fijian members of the unit attracted much attention from other soldiers for their height, traditional hairstyles and muscular build. One member of the unit died on 1 January 1918 and is buried in Les Baraques Military Cemetery, Sangatte. Later that month
784-496: Was unloading the cargo, a heavy motor lorry, it swung loose. He remained at the winch, dodging the vehicle each time it swung past him until it was safely landed. In 1943, a call for 1,000 volunteers from the men of Indian background on Fiji was opposed by the Colonial Sugar Refining Company who wanted them to remain on the farms and only 331 enlisted. This was sufficient to form a company that served on Fiji. Of
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