The Chinese Labour Corps (CLC; French: Corps de Travailleurs Chinois) was a force of workers recruited by the British government in World War I to free troops for front line duty by performing support work and manual labour. The French government also recruited a significant number of Chinese labourers, and although those labourers working for the French were recruited separately and not part of the CLC, they are often considered to be so. In all, some 140,000 men served for both British and French forces before the war ended and most of the men were repatriated to China between 1918 and 1920.
Yap Fook was presumably injured on the battlefield and brought to Colchester for treatment, where he ultimately lost his life only two days before the end of the war.