The Chinese Seamen's Wartime Service Corps in India, 1942-45

This talk will examine a little known example of India-China links during the War — the presence of thousands of Chinese seamen in the Indian ports of Calcutta and Bombay, and the existence of a Chinese Seamen’s Wartime Service Corps in Calcutta from 1942 to 1945.  In particular, it focuses on a “riot” by Chinese seamen in Calcutta in December 1942 to examine various questions. These include: how did India become a major locus of Chinese seamen at this time; what were the motives of the British Government, the Government of India and the Nationalist Government of China in collaborating to set up a labour corps comprised of these seamen; what was the response of the seamen to this initiative and why did they feel compelled to “riot”; what were the links of these seamen with the already established community of Chinese settled in Calcutta; and what activities did the Chinese Seamen engage in while they were in India?  The answers to these questions will show that the story of the Chinese Seamen’s Wartime Service Corps in Calcutta reflected many developments and forces that were playing out simultaneously at that time in the region and around the globe, including the intertwining of the histories of India and China during the War, the tensions in the wartime alliance between Britain and China, ferment in the Chinese community in India that expanded rapidly during the War, and the dilemma of merchant seamen caught up in the turbulence of War and the conflicting pressures they faced.

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