The RLC Museum has acquired a Chinese Labour Corps (CLC) Cap Badge which it intends to use it to tell the story of how during WW1, the Labour Corps recruited large numbers of foreign or “alien” labourers to support the war effort.
In Apr 1917 the first members of the CLC arrived in France. Recruited directly from China and arriving by steam ship, by 1918 nearly 100,000 had joined up.
An often forgotten and unrecognised contribution to the British Army in WW1, they were members of the Labour Corps, so can be considered predecessors of the modern day RLC.
Issued blue uniforms, with felt caps and well paid by Chinese standards, they worked behind the lines where they dug trenches, built roads and railways, repaired tanks and, after the war, cleared ordnance, buried the dead and restored the land to agricultural use.
Unfortunately, their bravery was rarely officially recognised and of the 52 MSMs awarded to the CLC only five went to Chinese soldiers.
The last CLC returned to China, via Canada, arriving in Sep 1920.
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The Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps
RHQ The RLC is delighted to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has graciously appointed Major (Retd) Harry Lomas MBE BEM FIH as the Honorary Colonel of 167 Catering Support Regiment RLC, with effect 1st March 2021.
#BritishArmyLogistics #WeSustain #WeAreTheRLC
Some amazing footage from @NPASSouthWest showing the final moments of the #exeterbomb
@11_EOD_Regiment @29EODGSU
@Proud_Sappers @UKArmyLogistics https://twitter.com/NPASSouthWest/status/1365765897089150978
Here is the moment the #exeterbomb was detonated in #Exeter this evening filmed by NPAS 44. Our video is filmed in Infra Red with the white hot mode selected showing heat as white. A massive multi-agency operation with a successful zero casualty outcome ^GMO https://twitter.com/DC_Police/status/1365761058498105344
@29eod @11_EOD_Regiment @RoyalNavy @29EODGSU A great example of how different #trades and #Corps within the #British #Army complement each other to deliver capability: @UKArmyLogistics and @Proud_Sappers: https://apply.army.mod.uk/roles/royal-logistic-corps/ammunition-technician and https://apply.army.mod.uk/roles/royal-engineers/eod-and-search 🇬🇧
The Royal Logistic Corps