'This year's war at Contalmaison. Burmese troops hold a council of war upon rats', 1917 (c)

Photograph, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1917 (c).

Thousands of Burmese, Chinese and Indian labourers served on the Western Front building fortifications and trenches, loading and moving supplies, and maintaining transport and communication links. Without their help the Allies could not have defeated the Germans.

From a collection of official photographs.