As a young graduate of the US naval academy, McGiffin was not able to join the US navy because of budget cuts. He headed to China for work and received a commission as a lieutenant from Li Hongzhang, with a monthly income of $100.

The good pay was also one of the reasons for Thomas Nicholls, a single father of two, to come to China.

Despite the help from the West, the Beiyang fleet was crushed. The defeat shook the regime of the Qing Dynasty, which ended 17 years after the war.

The fleet's headquarters on Liugongdao island, in East China's Shandong province, has since become a museum of the First Sino-Japanese War.

Wang Jihua, deputy director of the museum, said there are few exhibits showcasing the experience of the foreign officers.

"Their experience is a very important part of the war, but few people are studying it," Wang said. "We are eager to have more displays concerning them, and I sincerely ask people who know anything about them to contact us."

Wang said saving the history of the foreign officers has become very difficult. The museum has asked Chinese students who are living in Europe to help look for any such records and it is making travel plans to the West to search for related information and items.

"Many of the officers didn't keep official records. Finding their stories is like finding a needle in the ocean," Wang said.

His museum is open to all kinds of information on the foreign officers and donations related to them.

"We need at least a photo for every one of them. With a picture, they will become more real for visitors," he said. "And through our museum more people will know about them."