No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour during the First World War

From 1917, British soldiers who were unfit or too old for front line service were to serve unarmed and within the range of German guns for weeks or even months at a time, undertaking laboring tasks. The vital, yet largely unreported, role played by these brave soldiers was crucial to achieving victory in 1918. For this book John Starling and Ivor Lee have brought together extensive research from both primary and secondary sources. It traces how military labor developed from non-existent in 1914, to a Corps in November 1918, some 350,000 strong, supported by Dominion and foreign labor of more than a million men. The majority of the Labour Corps did not keep war diaries; therefore, this work provides vital information for those wishing to acquire information about an ancestor who served in the Corps.

John Starling works at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham and is subject matter expert on small arms design. He had 30 years service in the Pioneer Cops/Royal Logistic Corps before retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ivor Lee is a local government officer, having previously taught for over 30 years in secondary education.