Canada’s Black battalion set sail for WWI and made history
They weren't allowed to have guns. Instead they headed to France armed with picks and shovels.
They faced racism and discrimination, and they had to fight a battle at home before they could represent Canada in the First World War.
Now families of the so-called Black battalion say the soldiers’ struggles carry new relevance, given the state of the world today.
Many Black men were rejected from enlisting during the First World War because of the colour of their skin.
In 1916, Canada allowed them to form the No. 2 Construction Battalion based in Pictou, N.S. It was Canada’s first and only segregated military unit. Nearly half of the battalion’s 600 members were from Nova Scotia.
“When they were told ‘This is not your war, this is a white man’s war,’ they were in effect being told ‘This is not your country,” said Douglas Ruck.
Marking the anniversary
In 2017, family members and community leaders gathered at Pier 21 in Halifax to mark the 100 anniversary of the battalion setting sail for WW1. Among them was Sylvia Parris, daughter of the late Joseph Alexander Parris who joined the battalion when he was 17 years old.
Her father never spoke of his service, Parris said. She believes he wanted to protect his children from his experiences with racism.
The No. 2 Construction Battalion never fought on the front lines, and they weren’t allowed to have guns. Instead they headed to France armed with picks and shovels.
They were tasked with building trenches, bridges and clearing the way for white soldiers to fight.
“They were putting themselves in immediate danger. So in that regard they were a big contribution to the war and what happened in the success of the war,” said Parris.
~Wakenya Canada
