Led by their high chiefs, the men headed gallantly for the wet and snow of France with sulus and jandals.
With their bulging muscles and imposing physiques, the Fiji Labour Corps, comprising native iTaukei worked tirelessly in an area of World War I that hardly got coverage.
The men, who itched for real action in battle but were ultimately denied, lent their strength and vigour in a four-year campaign that cost 17 million lives.
As part of The Fiji Times centennial coverage of World War I, we focus on the contingent of iTaukei who travelled thousands of miles to give their all for the British Empire.
A party of 100 Fijian and European officers, known as “Marks’ Boys” locally, left Suva on May 19, 1917 bound for France and Italy.
They had to travel through to Honolulu, Vancouver, Liverpool in England and then across the channel to France where much of the fighting in WWI took place.
The Fiji Labour Corps had been raised largely through the efforts of statesman and Oxford University educated soldier Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna.
Ratu Sukuna, who had previously fought in France, would eventually return to Fiji and go on to become a Lieutenant in the Fiji Defence Force.
Initially enlisting in the legendary French legion, Ratu Sukuna eventually joined the FLC as a non-commissioned officer and would resume his place at Oxford following the Armistice.
The corps was finally formed after several unsuccessful attempts by part-Europeans and Fijians from 1914 onwards to join but they were not successful until much later in the war.
“At the turn of the century the indigenous Fiji population was in decline. Their fertility rate was also in decline..” wrote Lt Colonel Jim Sanday, whose own grandfather, Norman Faddy, was a decorated hero in WWI having served on the Western Front with fellow members of Fiji’s Kings Royal Rifles Corps.
“The British Government did not want to be held responsible for the extinction of the Fijian race. It hardly made sense for the British to send many young Fijian men off to die in Europe when their population numbers were in actual decline,” Sanday added.
“The British ultimately acquiesced to Fijian requests for service but away from the frontlines and in some relatively safer role.”
In her book, They Did Their Duty “Qaravi Nai Tavi” World War I historian Christine Liava’a makes reference to prominent Suva businessman Henry Marks offering to pay $10,000 for raising, equipping and transporting to and from England a labour detachment of 100 natives, and for the separation allowances of dependents of men of the detachment.
The persistent efforts of Ratu Sukuna, who had studied at Oxford University and who had instead enlisted in the French Foreign Legion after being refused when he tried joining in England, played a partial role in the powers that be accepting iTaukei for WWI duties.
Ratu Sukuna had in fact fought and was wounded at the Battle of Champagne, receiving the Medaille Militaire.
“He (Ratu Sukuna) was instrumental in setting up the Fiji Transport Corps, which left to serve in France and Italy in May 1917. Although not a fighting unit, they were close to the fighting and several of the men were wounded. Some are buried near Calais and Marseilles in France and Taranto in Italy,” wrote Liava’a.
To maintain discipline among the ranks of the FLC, Ratu Sukuna ensured that chiefs were among the men.
“This explains the inclusion of chiefs like Ratu Glanville Lalabalavu, Jone Lewenilovi, Josefa Cakobau, Keni Naulumatua, Wiliame Vakaotia … who were all senior chiefs in their own right.”
Interestingly, Ratu Glanville would go on to become Tui Cakau and Ratu Sukuna, Tui Lau, paramount status for both Cakaudrove and Lau.
Ratu Jone Lewenilovo also held similar high chiefly position in Somosomo on Taveuni titled “Mai Nakorovou”.
The group was led by Captain Kenneth Allardyce and six senior NCO’s of Sergeant rank, one of whom was Sergeant Josefa LV Sukuna,
Of the 100 iTaukei men that were with the FLC, 26 were from Kadavu, 23 from Tailevu, nine from Lomaiviti, five Naitasiri men and another five from Rewa. Natives of Ba, Lau, Ra, Bua, Serua and Nadroga comprised the remaining group.
Led by chiefs, the Fijian men were fit, muscular and disciplined and won the admiration of many who encountered them.
“Wherever they served, in France or in Italy, the Fijians won golden opinions, commandants of the bases invariably testifying to their exemplary conduct and excellent work,” offered Sanday.
Meanwhile back in Fiji, people were doing all they could to raise money and equipment, particularly warm clothing for troops in Europe.
“The local branch of the British Red Cross, under the leadership of Mrs Hutson, held numerous functions and raised over 640,000, which was sent to the Red Cross in Britain,” noted Liava’a.
“Other relief Funds, the Fiji Day Fund, the Fiji Contingent Fund, the Prince of Wales National relief Fund, the Indian Soldiers Fund and other smaller funds totalled over 53,000. In all, the amount of money raised in Fiji as contribution to the war effort was $600,777.”
In Suva, the group was given a rousing farewell despite the rain.
“They have gone. The officers and men of the Fiji Native Transport Contingent, who have become popularly and almost affectionately known as “Marks’ Boys” had a send-off worthy of the occasion, except that the rain came down too heavily at times to be comfortable,” wroteThe Fiji Times of May 19, 1917.
“Still, rain has almost come to be inseparably associated with public and other functions in Suva, so it can be said there was really nothing wanting to complete the success attending the departure of the boys on their long journey to do their bit for the Empire.”
“Hatless but crowned with the great mass of hair typical of Melanesian race to which they belong, with regulation army shirt but with the native skirt, and all, with the exception of the white sergeants, barefooted, these troops made a unique and inspiring spectacle,” wrote the Pacific Commercial Advertiser on the arrival of the men in Honolulu.
“The contingent attracted universal attention because of their superb physical build, the tallest man among them, who was a giant, being hardly noticeable for his size.”
“The distinction of them being the largest man of the hundreds belongs to Kini, a private stands six feet three without counting inches more of hair, and who tips the scales (without the assistance of a particle of flesh that is not trained muscle) at 216 pounds.
Over in Europe the men would get straight into the action, working at the docks in England and France loading and unloading cargo.
They arrived in France on June 4, 1917 and until January 24, 1918 were based at Pas de Calais in Northern France unloading equipment at the docks.
From there onwards the men were sent to Marseille and onto Taranto in Southern Italy and the Fiji Planters Journal of May 1917 said they reduced workforce by 30 per cent “due to their tremendous effort”.
“From and to lighters, cargo had to be carried from 80 to 120 yards and the average work shown in my books was 5.1 tons (equalling 7 hours) per man per day. The other four months in Italy men were working at different camp work and averaged 4 ½ hours a day. During the seven months we worked nearly every Sunday,” was F A Williams’ description of their work in The Fiji Times of November 20, 1919.
One of the men, Malakai Vunidovu wrote a letter to Mrs S Abrahams dated March 11, 1918, published in the Fiji Times May 27, 1918, explaining the difficulties they faced in France.
In the letter Vunidovu wrote of the eagerness of the men to see real action and that they were undaunted by what they had seen so far.
“I am writing to tell you that we are doing very well. Notwithstanding the fact that we are far away from our land, we have always performed cheerfully to the best of our abilities whatever work we are called upon by the Authorities to do, just for the sake of our unknown little Fiji.”
“We all wait like a particular person quite ready to carry out whatever our superior officer directs. Everyone seems lively and strong as taro in need of rough handling.”
“We have already passed many hardships and terrible events at Calais which there is no need to describe here, but no one has to be daunted by it.”
“At present we are all exceedingly anxious to be sent to the trenches. Wish we were 500 in number. This is the extent of my letter to you with kind regards to Mr Butler and yourself”.
Another letter from Ratu Glanville described the war as seen through the eyes of a Fijian and mentioned being paraded in front of King George V of England before retiring to a farmhouse barn they shared with animals.
“Our stay in Calais was a pretty warm reception. We had air raids every night and morning. When the first raid greeted us, it was a fine sight to see the aeroplanes up in the air and the shells bursting all around them. But when Jerry began dropping his bombs, I had the “wind up” right enough,” read the letter published in the Fiji Times of July 29, 1919.
“Last August, 1918, I was lucky enough to be picked as one of the 15 to go be paraded in front of the King. The King passed about two yards in front of me.”
“After the parade was over, we went back to our billet in the hay shed, which belonged to some French farmer. At the end, pigs, fowls, goats had their quarters; we had the centre; cows, horses and sheep had the other end of the hay barn.”
In England, Ratu Glanville said the people were very kind to the men of the Labour Corps.
“One day we went to the King’s stables. We met Dr Prideux, late of Taveuni. He took us to the Ceros Tea Rooms. There we had a jolly good feed, better than army rations, and then took us to a play in the evening. On another day we went for s picnic on the Thames, as a far as Hampton Court.
“We were all sorry to leave London.
“Now I have seen the King and London, the only thing I want now is my ticket for Fiji.”
At the end of the war, 11 members of the Fiji Labour Corps had perished, many from chest infections and ultimately buried in France and Italy.
After their jaunt in France and Italy, the Fijians earned a reputation for being trustworthy, energetic and hardworking.
In fact at the end of the war, the returning labour battalions received a guard of honour from the Fiji Defence Force and a message of thanks from Lord Milner, Secretary of State for the Colonies who thanked them for their hard work and for enduring the hardships of a strange climate
Local World War I historian Michael Thoms said that while it was generally assumed that no Fijian other than Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna was directly involved in fighting, this was not the case.
“I am aware of a number of iTaukei who managed to get enlisted with the Maori battalion in New Zealand and it would have been easier as they were similarly dark skinned,” he said.
Thoms, whose own father Normal Fleet, was wounded in WWI regrets not getting more information from one of the Labour Corps he met by chance in 1971.
“I only ever met one that I ever know of and he was a housegirl’s father who lived up at Nadarivatu at the time. Regrettably I didn’t understand the value of the connection at the time,” said local World War I historian Michael Thoms.
He believes those of the group that perished paid the ultimate price for their involvement in the campaign.
“For those members of the Labour Corps that died, they paid the price that any other serving soldier at the time was equal to. We cannot belittle their contribution to the war effort.”
The Fiji Labour Corps arrived back in Fiji in October 1919 after leaving Le Havre in France on September 15, travelling to Norfolk, Virginia and Colon in Panama and through to Suva on the transport ship Kia Ora.
“These fine young men had laid down their lives in the service of King and country as truly as nobly as those who had fallen in battle.”
That was the tribute paid to the men by Reverend A J Small during a special service of thanksgiving held in Suva on November 1919.
It was a fitting accolade to “Marks’ Boys” who through their hard work and exemplary conduct, were an exemplary group.
The success of Marks’ Boys epic journey to France was an early hint of what could be expected of iTaukei in the arena of war as was demonstrated in several wars in decades thereafter.
