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A number of alien labour units were established in the British Army's Middlesex Regiment during the First World War.

Establishment

Army Council Instruction 1209 was issued in June 1916 establishing units of the Middlesex Regiment formed of naturalised British citizens whose parents were enemy aliens. By August two abttalions had been formed and were employed in military labour in Britain. They were administere dby the Labour Directorate but did not form part of the Labour Corps, by War Office request. While teh Labour Corps was formed of men not fit for regular army service most men in the Alien units were medically fir and General Wace of the Labour Directorate described them as "excellent workers".

Included men of German, Austrian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Turkish descent. Previously volunteers had been permitted to serve in any regiment or corps but from now on all would go to the Middlesex Regiment. The men already serving were transferred to the labour battalions. The battalions in Britain provided labour to the Southern and Eastern Commands. 30th battalion was based initially at Crawley, moving to Reading in Sewptember 1916. 31st at Mill Hill, moving to Senoaks in 1917 and Reigate, Harpenden and Croydenin 1918.

Recruitment was limited to those born or brought to Britain before the age of 10 and who had remained residents since. Each of the Northern, Western and Southern commands were asked to send officers and NCOs sufficient to man one company of each battalion.

Was the subject of an article in the London Evening Standard in September 1916. A journalist had come across one of the battalions after covering the case of a deserting soldier who had absconded after being posted to the battalion. The journalist described it as the "queerest battalion in the British Army". He noted that many soldiers were unaware of it and that the parent regiment did not want to be associated with what had been described as a "foreign legion" and nicknamed the "Kaiser's Own".

The number of aliens intenred increased after the May 1915 sinking of the Lusitania. Exempting British citizens of enemy parentage from conscription was likely to anger the Britsh population but likewise doubts over their loyalty prevented them from serving in combatant units. The 30th Battalion was soon overstrength so the 31st was established. Existing NCOs of alien descent were also transferred and were permitted to keep their rank. The only exception were those of Czech descent who had been exempted from internment on account that they were generally unwilling members of the Austro-Hungarian empire and a Czech Legion was already fighting for the Entente. The War Office declined a Home Office suggestion that interned Czechs should be posted to the units, proposing instead that the Home Office form its own civilian units.

Service in France

By early 1917 therewas a shortgae of labour on the Western Front and 1st (Alien) Company of the Middlesex Regiment was formed from the units and sent there, comprising four officers and 493 other ranks, arriving on 6 March. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th Companies, of similar size, were sent over the next weeks. Yje 5th and 6th Companies arrived in April 1918, 7th Companyh in July and 8th Company in December, after the 11 November armistice that ended the war. They were organised and equipped on the same basis as the labour companies of the Non-Combatant Corps. The men could not be transferred to other units without War Office permission. Men separated from their unit were not permitted to remain at base depots and were either returned to their unit as soon as possible or returned to Britain. Reinforcements sent from Britain were likewise sent straight to their units, not staying more than a day or two at depots in France. Owing to their heritage there were restrictions on where and how they could be deployed, with care taken not to allow them to work in small detachments.

The decision to send them to France was questioned in parliament by Philip Snowden MP who thought they had been promised not to be deployed abroad. The Under-Secretary of State for War replied that no known promise had been given. This was raised ahain on 15March by Joseph King who claimed that Kitchener had made a verbal promise and a similar promise had been made to a mother of one of the men by the Director of Recruiting. He claimed the men in the units "think in German more than in English ... their conversation is largely carried on in German. They all have German names, they sing together German songs, and though I believe they are loyal subjects of the King and of our cause, undoubtedly they have strong German associations". The men were issued steel helmets on arrival in France. King feared they would be shot if capture dby the Germans. The U-SoS replied that the first battalion was formed some days after Kitchener had drowned and that no record was found of any promise he made. He confirmed they would not be used for combat duties. The battalions remained formed in Britain to house men unfit for service overseas and to arrange drafts for service in France.

King raised a question in the house to MacPherson on85 March noting that the men had been promised they "would not be brought into the field abroad where they would have to fight their own kith and kin". Macpherson stated he knew of no promise and that this was a non-combatant unit.

On 15 March King raised further concerns to MacPherson. He noted that many of the men's fathers were interned as enemy aliens and some had brothers or other relatives serving in the armies of the Central Powers. He stated again that a pledge to them not to serve against their compatriots had been dishonoured and that an NCO had lost his rank for protesting against their deployment. MacPherson declined to comment further, referring King to his statements made on 8 March

Following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk of March 1918 which saw the Russian withdrawl form the war, Russians and aliens whom "it was not desirable to retain with fighting units" were taken out of armed service and sent to labour units. The non-Russians of this category were assigned to the labour companies, allowing three mnore companies to beformed.

In February 1919 Josiah Wedgwood raised in the HoC that the men in te battalions had been told they would be the last to be demobilised as they were sons of aliens. The Sec of War replied that they were treated the same as other men in the army for eligibiltity for demobilisation

The unit was nicknamed "The Kaiser's Own", because of their supposed dubious allegience. One member, William Meller (born Wilhelm Moeller) of German and Swiss descent remained in France as a gardener for the CWGC. He was interned after the Battle of France and died while imprisoned for his British nationality in Nazi Germany in 1942.

See also

• Jewish Legion, combatant battalions of the Royal Fusiliers including Jewish alien volunteers

References

1. ^ Starling, John; Lee, Ivor (1 September 2014). No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour during the First World War. The History Press. pp. 113–114. ISBN 978-0-7509-5879-0.
2. ^ Starling, John; Lee, Ivor (1 September 2014). No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour during the First World War. The History Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7509-5879-0.
3. Bird, J. C. (3 June 2015). Control of Enemy Alien Civilians in Great Britain, 1914-1918 (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. pp. 312–313. ISBN 978-1-317-51316-2.
4. Emden, Richard van (15 August 2013). Meeting the Enemy: The Human Face of the Great War. A&C Black. pp. 246–249. ISBN 978-1-4088-3981-2.
5. Messenger, Charles (30 April 2015). Call to Arms: The British Army 1914-18. Orion. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-78022-759-7.
6. Starling, John; Lee, Ivor (1 September 2014). No Labour, No Battle: Military Labour during the First World War. The History Press. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-7509-5879-0.
7. "Middlesex Regiment, 30th Battalion : Volume 91: debated on Thursday 8 March 1917". Hansard. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
8. "30th Battalion Middlesex Regiment : Volume 91: debated on Thursday 15 March 1917". Hansard. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
9. Messenger, Charles (30 April 2015). Call to Arms: The British Army 1914-18. Orion. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-78022-759-7.
10. DeAngelis, Caitlin Galante (16 January 2024). The Caretakers: War Graves Gardeners and the Secret Battle to Rescue Allied Airmen in World War II. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 133. ISBN 978-1-63388-900-2.