The Revd Mark Nam has launched a campaign to create a memorial to the ‘Forgotten Army’ – thousands of Chinese Labour Corps who fought during the First World War.
After years of raising awareness, Mark has gained permission from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to install the tribute in Nelson’s Chamber close to memorials to Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. Now he needs to raise £15,000 to fund the project.
Mark, who is vicar at St John the Evangelist Church, Woodley, was inspired to start the campaign after realising so few people understood the role of the Chinese in the First World War and to ensure their contribution was recognised.
He said: “In 2020 I first found out about the Chinese contribution to the First World War and that there was no memorial commemorating that. My first emotion was sadness because all these years I have never known how to fully engage with things like remembrance.
“I have always been made to feel like I cannot fully engage, then to discover there were Chinese men who stood shoulder to shoulder with British men in our hour of need. Then I got excited, I thought if more people know about this, it could change how British Chinese feel! I felt more connected to it, more connected to the history of the UK and that was missing before.”
The monument will honour the 120,000 Chinese men who served the Allied Forces during the First World War – 97,000 who were directly enlisted by the British – whose contribution has been largely forgotten by history. The Chinese Labour Corps performed essential and often perilous work for the British Armed Forces: digging trenches, clearing battlefields, repairing roads and railways. Many lost their lives. Without them, the war effort would not have been sustained.
Mark understands there is limited space in the curriculum to teach young people about this part of our history but believes as we become more multi-cultural it becomes more relevant to today. He hopes the church’s track record on raising awareness for groups without a voice can help it lead the way in this campaign.
He added: “News stories fade and I think now it is time for something permanent. I lay a wreath at the Cenotaph every year on 11 November. I am invited to do this by the Western Front Association, but that will not be remembered. We need this permanent memorial. Of the Allies who employed these labourers, France and Belgium already have permanent memorials. The UK does not. These facts speak for themselves.”
Mark concluded: “Their story has faded from national memory, but it deserves a lasting place at the heart of it. Across the United Kingdom there are more than 50,000 memorials to the glorious dead – some even to animals – yet none that bear the name of the Chinese Labour Corps. This memorial seeks to change that.”
Although Mark now has permission for the memorial, he needs to raise £15,000 to make it a reality.
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