Our purpose
The charity was set up to bring recognition to the Chinese Labour Corps.
Our main focus is twofold.
First, to erect a memorial to be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Second, to raise public awareness of the CLC, including by providing well researched material for academics, schools and the general public, being representative at events, and through media coverage.
Who are we?
We are a small group of individuals dedicated to the recognition of the CLC.
We have a handful of wonderful volunteers, with a board of three. Neither the volunteers nor the board are paid, and all do this voluntarily in our free time between work, family and other commitments.
All of us have experience working with charities and non-profits with some combination of: staff, contractor, volunteer, committee member, or board member.
Our backgrounds are diverse, and include: accountancy, art & design, marketing, project management, and public relations.
Ongoing work
We realise that this is a huge ongoing project, but we are committed to making a difference and ensuring the legacy of the CLC will be remembered.
The website will be frequently updated, so please come back often. You can also follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn, and you can subscribe for news of events or if you’re interested in fundraising for us. We will be giving out details on how you can fundraise for us soon.
In the mean time, please share with your friends who the CLC were and what they did.
Special thank you
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to John De Lucy for allowing us the use of his grandfather’s photographs throughout our website.
De Lucy’s grandfather, WJ Hawkings, was an officer with the Chinese Labour Corps and took numerous photos of his time with the CLC.
The WJ Hawkings Collection of photos shows the day-to-day lives of the Chinese Labour Corps, unlike many of the posed propaganda photos of the time.
Hawkings is pictured here standing next to an artillery shell as tall as he is, shells that the CLC would clear battlefields of.
Hawkings was a most remarkable man. He spoke fluent Mandarin, worked at the CLC recruitment centre in China and later obtained his army commission after returning to England in 1917. After the war ended, he returned to China and became Choir Master at Shanghai Cathedral.
Our board
With a combined decades of experience working with charities and non-profit organisations, the board has backgrounds in business, education, finance, IT and law.
Bill Good
chair
James Ng
trustee
Jimmy Ho