Published: 4 July 2026

Intro

The best way to understand the hidden labour force behind the Western Front is to join a private WWI battlefield tour from Bruges with Visit Flanders Fields. Our route takes you to Ypres and the surrounding Salient to explore the incredible contribution of the Chinese Labour Corps and other overseas labourers who built roads, railways, dug graves and cleared the battlefields. These men freed thousands of Allied soldiers for combat but were seldom recognised. This guide explains why their story matters and how you can visit their camps and cemeteries.

Why overseas workers were essential

After the Somme battle of 1916, the British War Office faced acute manpower shortages and recruited an army of labourers. Between 1916 and 1919, the French and British Governments employed about 140,000 Chinese volunteer workers—around 40,000 by the French and 100,000 by the British. These men, formed into the Chinese Labour Corps (CLC), were joined by South African, Caribbean, Indian, Egyptian and Maltese labourers who collectively supported the war effort. They were based near the front lines, where they built trenches, repaired roads, unloaded trains and, after the Armistice, helped clear battlefield debris and begin reconstruction. Their work continued long after the fighting stopped – CLC units were still restoring the devastated towns and burying the dead in Flanders until late 1919.

The labourers faced harsh conditions and discrimination. Many were forbidden from bearing arms and were segregated from soldiers. Disease and accident took a heavy toll, with more than 2,000 Chinese workers dying in Europe. Despite this, they took pride in their contribution. A poem written by Sun Gan, a teacher who volunteered for the CLC, vividly describes the constant roar of artillery and “giant dragonflies spitting blue smoke” – images of Allied aircraft. His words remind us that labourers witnessed the same horrors as frontline troops.

Sites to visit and human stories

Our tour from Bruges follows the old supply routes to Poperinge, which became the logistic hub of the Ypres Salient. At the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery near Poperinge you will see the graves of 35 Chinese workers, the largest concentration in Belgium. The headstones mark men who died of disease and accidents while building roads and clearing the area after the war. Nearby, the Talbot House museum explains how labourers and soldiers relaxed together in this “Every Man’s Club.”

From Poperinge we travel to Brielen and Boesinghe, where small cemeteries contain Chinese graves, and to the Kezelberg Military Cemetery east of Ypres, where a plaque honours the CLC. At Sint‑Jan on the outskirts of Ypres, a memorial garden commemorates the South African Native Labour Corps and other colonial workers who supported the front. Your guide will share the story of Chief Stimela Jason Jingoes from the South African Native Labour Corps, who wrote that despite returning home without recognition, he believed the war would prove that Africans “must take part in this war”. The tour concludes at the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, which displays artefacts and photographs of labourers and features Sun Gan’s poetry.

Practical information

This full‑day tour departs from Bruges at 08:30 and lasts about nine hours. The journey to Poperinge takes just over an hour. Your private guide will explain the context of the Chinese Labour Corps, stop at cemeteries and memorials, and arrange a lunch break at a local café. Walking distances are moderate; some cemeteries have grass paths that may be muddy. The tour can be adapted for accessibility, and you are encouraged to bring waterproof clothing.

Honouring the unremembered workers

The contribution of overseas labourers has long been marginalised. Visiting their graves and reading Sun Gan’s poetry helps restore dignity to men whose sweat and sacrifice made the Allied victory possible. As you stand among the headstones at Lijssenthoek or Kezelberg, reflect on the thousands who laboured anonymously so that soldiers could fight. The Chinese Labour Corps and other overseas workers deserve a place in our memory alongside the soldiers they supported.

Ready to explore these overlooked stories? Join Visit Flanders Fields on a private tour to honour the Chinese Labour Corps and discover how their work shaped the battlefields around Ypres.