Jim Corbett’s Stint in the Indian Labour Corps During World War I

Motivated by patriotic fervour and a desire to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather and father, Jim Corbett sought to join the War Commission when the Great War commenced. Despite being rejected due to his approaching 40s, circumstances changed in 1917 as the British-French forces struggled against the Germany-led alliance. A call was made to Delhi for the formation of additional fighting units for the Western Front and the establishment of the Indian Labour Corps.

The Indian Labour Corps, composed of workers recruited from the British Raj during World War I, initially saw voluntary enlistment in 1915. By 1917, localities were mandated to provide quotas of men. Tasked with construction duties worldwide, the corps faced challenging conditions.

Although deemed too old to fight, Jim Corbett was considered fit to command. In 1917, he received a wartime commission as a Captain. He was serving with the Railways at Mokama Ghat (Bihar) at the time and was tasked with raising No. 70 Kumaon Company of 500 to supplement the depleted Foreign Labour Corps in France.

‘The esteem in which he was held in the Kumaon region did not make his job too difficult,’ wrote Corbett’s biographer Martin Booth. About 5,000 volunteered, from which Corbett picked the requisite 500.

Despite hoping to fight in the trenches, Corbett's reluctance to lead his hill folks into peril led him to personally visit each of the 500 homes, “rashly promising to the head of each family that he would bring every individual home safely...” And they, in earnest innocence, vowed to “daily pray for his safety and return to them.”

In addition to confronting the dangers of 'bullets and bombs' in the Flanders battlefield, the personnel encountered a significant challenge in the form of meagre and unsuitable rations, such as tinned beef stew and pork, which they adamantly rejected. In response, Corbett took the initiative to approach an adjacent Animal Transport Company, proposing a trade of beef and pork for essential supplies like barley and gram. This strategic exchange ensured an abundant supply of ingredients for preparing chapatis, dal, khichri, pakoras, and even laddoos–food much more suited to the diet of the Kumaoni Indian soldiers.

While his fellow officers took short leaves in London, Corbett chose to stay with his men until Armistice Day. He prioritized personal hygiene, encouraging the Kumaonis to construct facilities using war rubble. Lord Ampthill, overseeing the Labour Corps troops, commended Captain Corbett's competence and resourcefulness during a visit in January 1918.

He put this on record: ‘Captain Corbett, who impressed me as a competent and resourceful man, gave me a cheerful account of his Company… men were standing the cold very well and there has been no sickness… I was astonished to see a substantial brick building built by Captain Corbett… walls of red brick and the mortar with nothing more than chalk and rice water.’

Upon returning to India post-Armistice, Corbett was celebrated in Kumaon for bringing back all the volunteers, except one who succumbed to pneumonia. The National War Memorial in New Delhi now bears the names of 1,174 Indian Labour Corps personnel, paying homage to their contribution during World War I.