The Indian Labour Corps was a labour corps recruited from the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Recruitment began on a voluntary basis in 1915, but by 1917 the British Government was requiring that localities provide quotas of men. The corps undertook construction duties around the world during the war with the workers frequently enduring difficult conditions. It was disbanded in 1921.

History

Prior to World War I, the

British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...

regularly used 'Coolie Corps' to support its operations within the Raj and overseas. During World War I, similar formations were raised as the Indian Labour Corps (ILC) and the Porter Corps (PC). Members of the ILC and PC were enlisted under the terms of the ''

Indian Army Act Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

''. Two ILC units were raised in 1915 to participate in the Gallipoli Campaign. They were diverted to support the

Mesopotamian Campaign The Mesopotamian campaign or Mesopotamian front () was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I fought between the British Empire, with troops from United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Britain, Australia and the vast major ...

, and other ILC units served in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and the

Salonika Campaign The Macedonian front, also known as the Salonica front (after Thessaloniki), was a military theatre of World War I formed as a result of an attempt by the Allies of World War I, Allied Powers to aid Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, in the autumn of 19 ...

in Greece. The British Indian Government agreed in 1917 to send 50,000 ILC workers to France. ILC contingents began arriving there in June that year. Tasks undertaken by the workers in France included digging trenches and building roads, at times within artillery range of German forces. ILC contingents remained in Mesopotamia and Persia after the war ended. Workers in ILC units typically endured difficult conditions. These included long hours and hard physical work. Conditions in Mesopotamia were particularly unpleasant. The ILC was disbanded in 1921. The names of 1,174 men who died while serving with the corps are commemorated on the

India Gate The India Gate (formerly known as All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Rajpath (officially called Kartavya Path, Kartavya path) on the eastern edge of the "ceremonial axis" of New Delhi, India, New Delhi. It stands as a m ...

memorial in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Recruitment

Recruitment for the ILC and PC was initially undertaken on a voluntary basis, but this failed to produce enough men and the British Government believed that the recruits were not of sufficient quality. In 1916, 16,000 prisoners who were being held in jails were used to form ILC and PC units for service in Mesopotamia. By 1917 recruitment included enforcing quotas on regions. For instance, in 1916 the British authorities demanded that each village in the

Naga Hills The Naga Hills, reaching a height of around , lie prominently on the border of India and Myanmar. They are part of a complex mountain system, and the parts of the mountain ranges inside the States and territories of India, Indian states of Naga ...

provide a set number of men for the ILC. The quota policy led to uprisings. ILC workers were recruited for a fixed period. However, many found it difficult to return to India when this period ended.

References

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History

Recruitment

See also

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Further reading