Book on WW-I Labour Corps released
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IMPHAL, Jul 12: A significant contribution to the historiography of North East India was unveiled on Sunday with the launch of The Long Journey West & The Aftermath: Labour Corps from Manipur, the Naga Hills, the Lushai Hills, the Khasi Hills, the Garo Hills and the Kuki Rebellion, 1917–1919, authored by Lt Col Moirangthem Ranjit Singh (Retd).
Retired Lt Gen Konsam Himalay Singh, retired IAS Dr RK Nimai and Captain LB Singh, Indian Navy veteran attended the function at the DIPR Auditorium, Imphal.
The book recounts the experiences of the labour corps recruited during the First World War from Manipur and the neighbouring hill regions. About two thousand each from Manipur, the Naga Hills, the Lushai Hills and the Khasi Hills, and five hundred from the Garo Hills were sent to France to support the Allied war effort.
Drawing upon previously overlooked sources and fresh evidence, the author examines the circumstances surrounding their recruitment, the long voyage that carried them from the hills of North East India to France, the duties they discharged there, and the fate of those who lost their lives or eventually returned home.
The book also offers a detailed study of the Kuki Rebellion of 1917–19, tracing its origins, progress and aftermath, and situating it within the wider context of wartime labour recruitment.
Retired Lt Gen Konsam Himalay Singh, retired IAS Dr RK Nimai and Captain LB Singh, Indian Navy veteran attended the function at the DIPR Auditorium, Imphal.
The book recounts the experiences of the labour corps recruited during the First World War from Manipur and the neighbouring hill regions. About two thousand each from Manipur, the Naga Hills, the Lushai Hills and the Khasi Hills, and five hundred from the Garo Hills were sent to France to support the Allied war effort.
Drawing upon previously overlooked sources and fresh evidence, the author examines the circumstances surrounding their recruitment, the long voyage that carried them from the hills of North East India to France, the duties they discharged there, and the fate of those who lost their lives or eventually returned home.
The book also offers a detailed study of the Kuki Rebellion of 1917–19, tracing its origins, progress and aftermath, and situating it within the wider context of wartime labour recruitment.