It's been a century since World War One ended. And a new play takes the stage in London, telling the stories of the men who left their homes in northern China to work in the war effort in the Chinese Labour Corps. "Forgotten" is by British-Chinese playwright Daniel York Loh. It comes at a time when a fund to create a permanent memorial to the men of the Corps is underway. From London, Catherine Drew reports.

Forgotten follows the lives of a small group of men, a struggling theatre troupe who leave their village in Shandong Province, to travel to the front lines of the First World War, where they toiled in support of the English and French troops.

The six-actor play brings to life the reality of that service, working ten to 18-hour days with 3-day holiday a year, for ten silver dollars a month. It's a contribution which British-Chinese playwright Daniel York Loh believes has been deliberately buried.

DANIEL YORK LOH PLAYWRIGHT "It's like no one knew about it, it's completely buried. The title of the play is Forgotten but they weren't just forgotten, they were wiped out, airbrushed out of history, it's tragic."

And Daniel says that contribution was significant.

DANIEL YORK LOH PLAYWRIGHT "In the totality of that war, where the casualties were in there millions, it doesn't sound like a lot. But you have to take into account that this was a war of attrition, and at that point both sides were literally collapsing from exhaustion. So 140 thousand fit, able very hard working young men, rocking up to dig trenches, mend roads, to haul and carry, and not just that, they worked a lot, they were very good at cleaning and maintaining the tanks, which so demoralized the German army. It was a massive contribution."

CATHERINE DREW LONDON "Daniel York Loh's Forgotten started out as an artistic response to a call from a group of British Chinese to do something to commemorate the men of the Chinese Labour Corp. That same group is also planning a permanent memorial here in London."

A white marble Memorial Huabiao or ceremonial column measuring over nine meters tall is currently being sculpted in China and should be ready to be shipped to the UK soon.

Organizers hope it can be placed somewhere in central London but are still finalizing location details and raising funds for its completion.

Some believe it will serve as an important reminder of the role of the CLC for everyone.

STEVE LAU 'ENSURING WE REMEMBER' CAMPAIGN "I think it's important for British-born Chinese to increase their sense of belonging."

"Of 45 thousand plus memorials to the first world war, not a single one commemorates the Chinese or China's contribution and we need to correct the omission from the history books."

Around two thousand men of the CLC are thought to have died during the First World War, with thousands more returning to China after their service. Playwright Daniel York Loh says little is known about what happened to those men.

DANIEL YORK LOH PLAYWRIGHT "For me it's profoundly sad, they literally came, they worked like dogs, they helped win a war and they just seem to vanish into the midst of time, they're just sort of gone and I don't know why and no one knows why really."

Daniel York Loh hopes his play will go some way to raising awareness of the contribution of these men. Catherine Drew, CGTN, London.