Fijian Labour Corps

King George V inspecting troops of the Fiji Labour Corps at Tramecourt Chateau, 13 August 1918. He is accompanied by the unit's commander, Captain Kenneth Allardyce.

The Fijian Labour Corps (sometimes referred to as the Fiji Labour Corps) was a unit raised in Fiji that served alongside British Empire forces in the First and Second World Wars. The unit was first formed in 1917 at the proposal of Lala Sukuna, the son of a Fijian chief who had been rejected for service in the British Army on account of his race. The 101-strong unit initially served to support the Western Front providing labour at Calais and Marseilles; after the ends of the war they worked in Taranto, Italy. The unit completed its service in 1919 and returned to Fiji. Twelve members of the unit died during the war.

During the Second World War, the unit was re-established in 1942 and served in the Pacific War. This incarnation of the Fijian Labour Corps was much larger, amounting to two battalions and two independent companies. They worked to unload vessels and construct and maintain military facilities, including with the Americans on Bougainville Island. Some 3,000 men served in the unit during the war, of which 29 died. One member received the British Empire Medal for bravery while salvaging cargo from an American ship. The unit was disbanded in 1948.