No. 2 Construction Battalion
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The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), was the first and only all-black battalion in Canadian military history and also the only one to serve in World War I. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel D.H. Sutherland, all but one of the unit's 19 officers were white, with the exception being Honorary Captain William A. White, the only black commissioned officer serving in the armed forces of the entire British Empire at that time.
For two years, Canadian blacks had petitioned the government for inclusion in the expeditionary force. Many reasons were given why blacks could enlist, yet a few actually made it into uniform. Finally, in July 1916, blacks were given the opportunity to form a construction battalion. It consisted of 605 men from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and western Canada.
The unit was given basic military training, then sent first to England and then to France as a labour battalion in 1917. They were attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps and employed primarily in the production of timber for use by the allied armies and repairing roads. Members of the unit had hoped to be able to take part in the action of the trenches but were denied that role. Even so, many were injured, and some lost their lives to artillery fire, poison gas, and construction accidents.
The No. 2 Construction Battalion, originally headquartered in Pictou, Nova Scotia, was decommissioned in 1919 and disbanded in 1920.
In 1992, the No. 2 Construction Battalion, CEF, was designated an event of national historic significance by the government of Canada, and a commemorative plaque was placed in Pictou the following year.
References
- The Black Battalion (1916-1920): Canada's Best-Kept Military Secret by Calvin W. Ruck (ISBN 0-920852-92-0)
- Canada's Black Battalion: No. 2 Construction, 1916-1920 by Calvin W. Ruck (ISBN 0-921201-00-1)
- Nova Scotia's Part in the Great War, compiled and edited by M. Stuart Hunt
See also
- Canada
- Black Canadian
- Portia White (daughter of William A. White)