Chinese Labour Corps. - Dawn of victory - thank you China: star shell reflections 1918-1919: the illustrated Great War diaries of Jim Maultsaid

The Dawn of Victory Thank You China Star Shell Reflections 19181919

The Illustrated Great War Diaries of Jim Maultsaid

Barbara McClune

First published in Great Britain in 2017 by

Pen & Sword Military

an imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

47 Church Street

Barnsley

South Yorkshire S70 2AS

Copyright Barbara McClune 2017

ISBN 978 1 52671 270 7

eISBN 978 1 5267 1 272 1

Mobi ISBN 978 1 5267 1 271 4

The right of Barbara McClune to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

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This is the third and final volume of Jim Maultsaids Great War Diaries entitled Star Shell Reflections . As his Granddaughter, I do hope that you will enjoy it, and also read the earlier volumes if you have not already.

Please take a moment to pause and reflect on how these books came into be being. How a young man who left school aged thirteen with a passion for sketching decided in 1919 to put together his sketches and stories from the notebooks and drawing pads he carried with him from 19141919, during and after the Great War. When starting out his plan was to make a scrapbook, but this turned into five large handwritten diaries.

This was an entirely self-motivated task, which became a labour of love, commitment and passion. He succeeded and excelled in creating a series of remarkable and unique historical records that are invaluable and have stood the test of time for close on a century; I am confident that they will continue to do so.

This particular book is special as he records his time with his much loved but little-known Chinese Labour Corps.

He not only describes their culture and ways, but also tells fascinating stories of their everyday contribution to the war effort, a part of history rarely written about or touched upon.

I am proud to dedicate Dawn of Victory to the memory of the 96,000 Chinese Volunteers who served and particularly those who gave their lives during the Great War. I especially have in mind the memory of his own unit, 169 Company Chinese Labour Corps, so proudly declared by my Grandfather as The best in France.

Barbara Anne McClune

Can this really be the end? The end of that adventure started so long ago. How long ago? Five years and three months. Like the waves my thoughts race in currents through my brain. Was I sad? Was I glad? Reader I cannot tell.

To have lived through these days lived to look back on them and again bring to the mind the loyal devoted Chinese and white workers who faced such difficulties along with me and won through.

A glorious page of history was written by these men (East and West) in those days long ago on the lines of communication on the Western Front.

I was fortunate in being attached to a company of a very exceptional type of Chinese. Our boys were young and full of life, as most boys are, and quick to learn. When reading the stories you must not forget these boys were in a strange land thousands of miles from home. The pictures breath the spirit of those hectic days of August 1918 and depict a phase of the Great War seldom, if ever, touched by any of the stories of these days.

I have done my best to set before you our marvellous work that was performed by the CLC and in a small measure hope I have succeeded in giving you an insight into the heart and soul of those great workers of 169 Company.

Let me say I will never meet men of higher honesty fair dealing, just staunch and true. My regard for the Chinese boy is deep and profound.

In conclusion Ill never forget 169 Company of glorious wonderful boys I salute you one and all. Bravo the boys from the land of the dragon, bravo indeed.

Jim Maultsaid

My chums Simpson, Thompson and Forrester gave me a royal reception even my own skipper, Captain Curtain, unbent a little and looked mighty pleased to have his Ulster officer back once more. An shure, I was delighted myself to get right in amongst them all again those pals of mine.

Return-a-la tree-bon la! la! Broad Chinese smiles spreading over yellow faces the first morning I took up duty again with No. 2 Platoon. My imp of a sergeant almost jumped for joy. I had great trouble in getting rid of his shadow for several days afterwards. Why do you follow me around? I asked him. Because I dont want to lose you again, he replied!

The burial of a Chinese boy was a strange ceremony in many ways and to us some of the methods did appear rather unique.

Their graveyards were kept apart from the white people and were generally on the side of the hill on rising ground to secure repose and drive away evil spirits and a running stream of water if at all possible was preferred on or near the bottom of the burial ground. The idea of this was, I suppose, to keep the evil spirits on the move? The head of the corpse is always towards the head of the hill and the feet towards the stream. The grave itself was dug around four inches deep, a mound of earth some two feet deep is then piled over the grave for security. But I am moving too fast or putting the horse before the cart. Let me start at the beginning.

The corpse is dressed and handled by his nearest friends. A clean new suit, washed and ironed, is put on the body and it is now all ready for the last journey. Arriving at the burial ground a short halt is called before the actual burial takes place. Forward moves the procession, in silence and reverence. The body is placed in the grave and no service of any kind performed; if there is a service, it was not carried out in France at any of the burials I took part in, so I cannot say or do not know if such takes place. Anyhow the soil is now piled in and a mound some two feet deep is built up.