RIR

[Guest finfin]

This is my first time on this forum, so here goes. For some time I have been researching the wartime life of my great-uncle who served in the RIR 2nd Battalion and was in Europe for the duration of the war, as far as I can tell. I have numerous questions, but I'll just begin with these two for starters...

1) my great-uncle also served in the labour corp, toward the end of 1918. I have found only scant references to the labour corp itself so far but I was wondering where I could find more information on the Labour Corp? Was this something you were "volunteered" for? If you were sent to the Labour Corp from your battalion would that suggest some form of punishment? I know through relatives that my great-uncle received filed punishment #1, so I have always wondered would the two have been connected?

2) I have medical records of my great-uncle (he suffered shell-shock in the subsequent years after the war ended) and in them it shows that he had tatoos along one arm. I have not been able to find any references on what might have been common tatoos in the military at that time. Does anyone have any suggestions on publications I might find such informaition?

Any help would be much appreciated, thanks

[Chris_Baker]

Hello finfin, welcome to the forum

There is some information on the Labour Corps on the Long, LongTrail on this page, but it is rather scanty as I have not yet spent a lot of time building it up. However, we have sevaral regualr forum users - notably Ivor Lee - who are quite expert on this subject and I'm sure they will help you out.

The Labour Corps was not a form of punishment, but a properly-founded and eventually huge organisation that carried out vital work in road building and mending, same with railways, entrenchments, etc.

It was founded after the introduction of conscription, and it was not something you could volunteer to join. Many soldiers found their way into it after recovering from a wound, sickness or other cause of medical downgrading. However, there were many other routes too, as I'm sure you will find.

[Ivor Lee]

Finfin

As Chris has explained men were placed in the Labour Corps because they were unfit for front line service.

Do you have his regimental numbers and/or battalion/company details for the RIR and the Labour Corps and the dates of any transfers? If so please publish them on the forum so it will enable other users to see if they can provide you with further information.

[Guest finfin]

Chris,

Thanks for the reply. It's interestingf that you say that many soldiers found their way into it after recovering from a wound, sickness or other cause of medical downgrading because I have my great uncle's medical records and it shows that he was missing some fingers and maybe after that injury he went to labour corp? I'll take a look at the link to you mention to read more about them.

Thanks again,

Dermot

[Guest finfin]

Ivor,

Thanks for your reply. First of al here's some information on my great-uncle. Maybe someone out there has more information on him or his battalion, that would be great. Anyway, here's his info:

Thomas Munster

2nd Royal Irish Rifles

#8916

(in his records it has rfm beside this which I presume is rifleman?)

Disembarkation date 14.8.14

Labour Corp,

PTE 619165.

I'd really like to know more about the Labour Corp. I don't have a transfer date, just his number from his medal roll (he got the trio of the Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal, BTW, was there a nicknmae for these three medals?) which does not state when he joined.

Do you know what was the general makeup of the Labour Corp? I came across a photo during my research that showed Chinese labourers, and I was wondering, could someone like my great-uncle have been working alongside workers from as far away as China, for example?

Thanks,

Dermot

[Ivor Lee]

Dermot

A man with a Labour Corps number in the 610000 region would have been transferred to the Corps during 1918, probably between June and August.

Unfortunately it is one of the series of numbers that, as yet, I cannot match to a specific company.

It is possible that he was transferred to the Chinese Labour Corps. The CLC did have British NCOs.

However the vast majority of men I have come across with numbers close to this one served in Prisoner of War Companies. The Labour Corps supplied the staff for the PoW Companies and there was a vast increase in the number of these Companies from August 1918 onwards.

[trooper]

Dermot

I would suggest you try the Royal Ulster Rifles Museum site at http://rurmuseum.tripod.com/library.htm which has a on-line transcript of Cyril Falls' History of the First 7 Battalions of the Royal Irish Rifles which might answer some of your questions.

Trooper