Fijian Labour Corps

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 the Western Front providing labour at Calais and Marseilles and worked in Taranto, Italy, after the end of the war.

[4] 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.

[7] 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.

[9][10] 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.

[3] 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.

[7] Members of the force suffered from pneumonia and influenza, with five dying between February and December; they were buried in Mazargues War Cemetery, Marseilles.

[13][14] Three members of the Fijian Labour Corps died between May and July 1919 and are buried in the Taranto Town Cemetery Extension.

[10] Nine days later, during their return to Fiji, one member of the Fijian Labour Corps died on board the MTS Kia Ora and was buried at sea in the Atlantic Ocean.

[6][2] The service given by members of the Fijian Labour Corps was recognised with the award of a Loyalty Cross badge by the colonial government.

[22] 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.

[25] 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.