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Military history of Nova Scotia
Citadel Hill in Halifax
Notable events Battle of Port Royal 1690 Siege of Port Royal 1710 Battle of Winnepang 1722 Northeast Coast Campaign 1745 Battle of Grand Pré 1747 Dartmouth Massacre 1751 Bay of Fundy Campaign 1755 Siege of Louisbourg 1758 Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax 1758 Halifax Treaties 1760–1761 Battle of Fort Cumberland 1776 Raid on Lunenburg 1782 Establishment of New Ireland 1812 Capture of USS Chesapeake 1813 ‪Battle of the Great Redan 1855 ‪Siege of Lucknow 1857 CSS Tallahassee escape 1861 ‪Halifax Provisional Battalion 1885 ‪Battle of Witpoort 1899 ‪Battle of Paardeberg 1899 Imprisonment of Leon Trotsky 1917 Jewish Legion formed 1917 Sinking of Llandovery Castle 1918 Battle of the St. Lawrence 1942–1944 Sinking of Point Pleasant Park 1945 Halifax VE-Day riot 1945
Notable regiments Mi'kmaq militias 1677–1779 Acadian militias 1689–1761 40th Regiment of Foot 1717–1757 Louisbourg Garrison 1717–1758 Gorham's Rangers 1744–1762 Danks' Rangers 1756–1762 84th Regiment of Foot 1775–1784 Royal Fencible American 1775–1783 Royal Nova Scotia Volunteers 1775–1783 King's Orange Rangers 1776–1783 1st Field Artillery from 1791 Royal Nova Scotia 1793–1802 Nova Scotia Fencibles 1803–1816 Halifax Rifles from 1860 Princess Louise Fusiliers from 1867 78th Highland 1869–1871 Cape Breton Highlanders from 1871 Nova Scotia Rifles 1914–1919 No. 2 Construction Battalion 1916–1919 West Nova Scotia from 1916 Nova Scotia Highlanders from 1954
Related topics Captivity narratives Impressment
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The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), was raised in Nova Scotia and was one of two predominantly Black battalions in Canadian military history and the only Canadian battalion composed of Black soldiers to serve in World War I.^[1][2] Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Hugh Sutherland, formerly of the 193rd Battalion, CEF, all but one of the unit's 19 officers were white, the exception being Captain William A. White, the unit's chaplain.

Historical context

Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men was one of the first Black regiments in Canada and served during the War of 1812. Another Black regiment raised in Canada was the Victoria Rifles (Nova Scotia) (1860–61), which was established just after the Crimean War on the eve of the American Civil War. They were led by Captain Anderson, who eventually resigned his command over how poorly the battalion was treated by local military establishment.^[3]

With the outbreak of the First World War, Canadians were excited to serve their country and many flocked to recruiting stations from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. This included hundreds of Black Canadians who were also eager and willing to serve. However, at the time few Black people were serving in the Canadian military because of the racial attitudes then prevalent. This time was no different and Black people attempted to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, but most were rejected and were told that it's a "White man's war."^[4] The Department of Militia and Defence's policy towards recruitment was to defer to the judgement of the individual commanding officer, and since many held deeply ingrained beliefs about the inferiority of Black people, very few were accepted.

Members of the Black community petitioned the military for inclusion in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. C.W. Washington, an Edmonton clergyman, offered to raise an all-Black battalion, military officials authorized the creation of the No. 2 Construction Battalion.^[5]

Recruitment

On May 11, 1916, the War Office informed the governor general that it approved of the formation of this unit. So on July 5, 1916, No. 2 Construction Battalion was authorized. Its headquarters was initially in Pictou, Nova Scotia, but moved to Truro, Nova Scotia, in September 1916.^[6]

The original intention was to recruit the unit primarily from the Maritimes, with companies also being raised in Ontario and Western Canada. A little over a month after the unit was authorized, however, only 180 recruits had been obtained. By November 1916, the recruiting situation had improved little, leading Lieutenant Colonel Sutherland to propose raising a company in the British West Indies. While nothing came of this, the battalion did manage to obtain about 165 men from the United States. When the men were finally assembled in March 1917 to prepare for departure overseas, the battalion's overall strength was just over 729 men.

Theatre

The unit departed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on board the SS Southland on March 28, 1917 and arrived at Liverpool, England, ten days later.

Lacking the numbers to make up a battalion (the smallest unit then deployed by army authorities), the unit was reorganized as No. 2 Construction Company in May 1917, and attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps.^[7] By the fall of 1917, the unit was operating in the Jura Mountains of France, headquartered at La Joux. It was employed primarily in the production of timber for use by the Allied armies and repairing roads.

The men of No. 2 Construction Battalion returned to Canada in early 1919 and the unit officially disbanded on September 15 of the same year.

Legacy

In 1981, The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia, which had been incorporated in 1977, chose as its first public event a reunion of Black First World War veterans. This reunion was held November 12–14, 1982, in Halifax and was attended by nine of the approximately twenty known surviving Black veterans. They were: William Carter (No. 2), John W. Hamilton (No. 2), Percy J. Richards (No. 2), Gordon C. Wilson (No. 2), Albert D. Deleon (CFC), A. Seymour Tyler (No. 2), Sydney M. Jones (106BN, The RCR), Isaac Phills (85BN), and John R. Pannill (Merchant Navy).

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, Nova Scotia, the following year.

In February 2007, the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia successively acquired a Victory Medal for a former member of the unit, Sapper PR. P.F. Fenton, by Dave Thomson of St. George, Ontario, for over $7,400 that was being auctioned on eBay.^[8]

On June 1, 2022, the battalion was awarded the theatre of war honour "France and Flanders, 1917–18", and the perpetuation of the unit was assigned to the Canadian Military Engineers, with 4 Engineer Support Regiment having the privilege of publicly recognizing the perpetuation.^[9]

The awarding of this long-overdue battle honour serves as a means to celebrate and highlight the significant and distinguished efforts of all members of No. 2 Construction Battalion, CEF, during the Great War. This honour also highlights National Defence’s commitment towards culture change by correcting this long-standing historical injustice and addressing systemic racism. The perpetuation of No. 2 Construction Battalion, CEF, will ensure that identity and honours gained by this unit will endure in the CAF and DND.^[10]

The 2001 documentary film Honour Before Glory, produced by Anthony Sherwood,^[a] is based on White's wartime diary, which recorded the hardships faced by the Black soldiers, such as lack of proper clothing and medical care.^[11][12] In July 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the "blatant anti-Black hate and systemic racism" endured by the battalion's soldiers.^[13][14]