- £225.00
China. (Chinese Labour Force in France World War One). 1917. Stamp-less envelope headed 'F.M. addressed to 'Monsieur Grossen, Colonel de Gendarmerie, Le Mans' cancelled by Tresor et Postes date stamp with hand-struck '21st Bon. Indochinois/ Compagnie de Mitrailleurs' in blue on face. Scarce item from the Indo-Chinese workers (mostly from Wei Hai Wei) in France. Superb.
One of the darker aspects of World War 1 was the plight of 12,000 Chinese workers who were recruited by the British Army from the north of China in 1916 to serve on the battle front in France as labourers, trench diggers, munitions carriers, mine disarmers and corpse bearers under often inhumane conditions. A large number were also struck down by the devastating Spanish flu epidemic of 1918.
