Lesson 4 - No. 2 Construction Battalion Flashcards
(1 cards)
What as the No. 2 Construction Battalion, why was it made, who did it consist of, and what important work did they do for the war effort.
Black Canadian men responded to the call of arms like other loyal citizens who wanted to fight for their country but realized it was a “white man’s war” from commanding officers. These commanding officers rejected many black men; however, with some help from supportive white Canadians, the segregated construction battalion was established on July 5, 1916. It was Canada’s first and only Black unit after the confederation in 1867.
Over 600 men came to the battalion base in Pictou, Nova Scotia, on July 5, 1916, because Nova Scotia had most of Canada’s black population.
The battalion did crucial work for the war effort. The men sailed to England in March 1917 before moving to the Juru Mountains in southeastern France in May. The men assisted four companies of the Canadian Forestry Corps in logging, milling, and shipping lumber, a crucial resource in the war. They also dug trenches, built railroads, repaired roads, and laid barbed wire for combat operations; despite their service, they still faced the same prejudice at home.
