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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: Hogan on Tuesday 21 June 11 14:33 BST (UK)
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Hi All
I have 3 Chinese Labour Corps soldiers. Buried at Anfield cemetery in Liverpool.
Trying to find out if they died in Liverpool? Not finding them on the death records.
Any ideas?
Guo Dexiang (N°134274) who died on 6 July 1918
Liu Fengxiang (N°1311474) who died on 9 Aug 1918
Sheng Fan Chaun. No date of death given
Cheers
Ant
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Sun c Sheng died west Derby September 1917,
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Thank You Radcliff :D
I have no idea where to look. They are not in overseas deaths either?
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We need some one with an interest in Chinese ,these poor souls were probably residents of Liverpool and went to war,who knows ,but the spellings could be way out,incidentally there are Shengs in the 1911 census for Liverpool,
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I have just read an interesting little article on the Chinese Labour Corps ,they were brought to Liverpool on route to France,recruited by missionaries to do labouring for the troops,
God love them ,so they may never actually have served in France but become ill on their journey here,
Each person was fingerprinted and his records kept by Scotland yard,I wonder where they are now,
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Hi Radcliff. Where did you read it?
China sent some 140,000 labourers to France and Belgium, and the mud and barbed wire of the Western Front. They dug trenches, carried ammunition, toiled in docks and railway yards or worked in arms factories.
Nearly 100,000 Chinese labourers served near the front lines in Flanders, together with a few hundred Chinese students who were taken along as interpreters. Over 40,000 more Chinese were scattered across France, working in the factories. They were volunteers, mostly poor farmers from coastal provinces like Shandong and Hebei, and some from Liaoning, Jilin, Jiangsu, Hunan, Anhui and Gansu. Attracted by high pay ( four times more than a labourer back in China ) and contracts that falsely promised they would be kept safely away from the fighting. They were neutrals until China declared war on Germany in 1917, then they were paid as volunteers in a nominally civilian Chinese Labour Corps. They endured military discipline and served under British officers.
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The Royal Asiatic society states that Scotland yard still have all the fingerprints,
Oh by the way I just googled Chines Labour corps in Liverpool and found a military site with links,
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If you are interested in some background reading there is a book available to read on line through the Cornell University library,
not politically correct but the name of thebook is,
serving with the Chinks,
written by
Daryl Klein,
2ND Lieutenant the Chinese labour corps,
first world war,
extremely interesting
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Seems likely the 1918 deaths were related to the flu epidemic?
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Thanks for the help :D
http://liverpoolremembrance.weebly.com/chinese-community.html
Go see what im working on.
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Hogan ,
I think that it is fantastic,that you are researching these men and honouring what they did for our country,
the site is well thought out and a credit to you and others,and of course it will be of great interest to any one interested in social and family history, even people like me who have never even been to Liverpool,I do hope one day, that you do actually find their fingerprint records and can name them officially on your web site,
Good luck with your excellent project ,
Gillian
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This is a shot in the dark.
My ancestors are buried in a graveyard in Ardamine, Courtown, Co Wexford, Ireland. I have visited this place all my life (I’m 46), although I am not from there - I’m English. At the edge of the graveyard is a grave which, I was told, was that of a man, always known as “the Chinaman”, whose body was washed up on the beach during the second world war.
After having heard the Archive Hour programme several years ago I have often wondered whether he was from Liverpool. His grave used to be marked with a metal cross, but nowadays there is a gravestone which says:
From a war ravaged sea, washed up on the strand, Lum Soey Chum, seaman, Laid to rest 8th May 1941, RIP.
Even as a tiny child it was clear to me that his grave was always well tended by the locals, who presumably erected the tombstone later. It is a fishing village and everyone has known a friend or relative who has drowned. My family always visited him when we went to see the family graves. He comes into my mind quite often. He is in a lovely place, with a view of the sea, overlooking the beach where St Aidan is supposed to have landed. People clearly care for him.
I wanted to put his name out there in case descendants ever search for him. It seems likely he was working on a British warship or merchant navy ship that sank, since they were able to identify him, I’m guessing he wore a dog tag.
I’m not sure which is sadder - being so far away from home if you’re from the Far East or being from Liverpool just across the water, without your family ever finding out where you are.
I’m also not sure his name is even Chinese. I wondered if it might be Korean. Perhaps someone can advise?
Anyway, there is a picture of his grave on the North Wexford Historical society website, along with all the other graves in the Ardamine graveyard.
If there is a better place for this post than the Lancashire/Liverpool Board, please send it to the right place.