The No.2 Construction Battalion

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. It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel D.H. Sutherland.

The war started in August 1914 and for two years, Canadian Blacks petitioned the government for inclusion in the expeditionary force. Many reasons were given why Blacks couldn’t enlist, such as that the war was “a white man’s war” or saying “we will call you when we need you”, yet a few actually made it into uniform.

Black Canadians were treated as third-class citizens, but they weren’t about to meekly accept this fate and fade into the woodwork. All across Canada, many Black leaders, along with some white supporters, started to question the policies and directed their concerns to the highest authorities. After these high-ranking authorities were asked why Blacks were not being allowed to enlist, they replied “that it was up to the commanding officer and that there were no regulations or restrictions that prohibit or discriminate against Blacks” and that they “don’t interfere with their decisions.”

In New Brunswick, twenty men’s persistence finally paid off and they were allowed to enlist on November 15, 1915. However, they were sent back home after being refused participation in the 104th Battalion, CEF.

The Honourable Minister gave instructions that any Black man that was physically able was allowed to enlist in any Battalion, but from the ensuing treatment, his orders were not taken very seriously.

Major-General Gwatkin wrote a statement saying that he recommended individuals wanting to enlist had to do so at the discretion of the commanding officers, but he also suggested that they be allowed to form one or more labour battalions. In May 1916 the British War Office in London wrote Gwatkin indicating their pleasure over such an idea.

Finally, on July 5, 1916, Blacks were given the opportunity to form a construction battalion. They were allowed to recruit from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and western Canada. The largest amount of recruits was from Nova Scotia (about 300 men).

Some of the officers were Captain David Anderson, Captain John Sidney Davie, Lieutenant Issac Logan Barnhill, Lieutenant Russell Roderick R. MacLean and Reverend Captain William A. White (Chaplain).

The Reverend Captain William Andrew White, D.D., was a Black Baptist minister from Truro and was reported to be the only Black commissioned officer during the war. He was born in 1874 to former slaves in King and Queen County, Virginia, U.S.A. but came to Nova Scotia in 1900.

Early recruits from the Halifax-Dartmouth area were William Tolliver, Samuel Collins, and Gilbert Richard Lattimore. Lattimore was reported to have been the first to sign up.

The headquarters were in Pictou, Nova Scotia for three months, and they were under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Hugh Sutherland, who was a railroad contractor from Rive r John, Nova Scotia. The barracks were the Bob Brown building, which was previously occupied by the 106th Battalion, CEF.

The Battalion was later relocated to Truro, Nova Scotia to encourage enlistment because they only had about 180 men. To get more recruits they had a concert in the First Presbyterian Church Hall in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia. After that they went through the province recruiting and came back with less than satisfactory numbers. The hardships in recruiting were probably due to the previous rejection, segregation, and also being a non-combatant Battalion.

In March 1917 all the companies from across Canada came to Truro. Prior to leaving they held a parade proceeded by the Battalion’s brass band, and they marched through Dartmouth. The Battalion left with 19 officers and 605 men of various other ranks.

The unit was given basic military training, then sent first to Liverpool, England. Due to being under-strength, they were changed from a battalion to a company. They then proceeded to France and the Swiss border in May 1917. They were attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps and were 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.

Early in 1919, after the Armistice, the company returned to Canada without fanfare, where it was officially disbanded.

Some veterans like Ernest Grosse and Edward Sealy became sleeping-car porters. Charles Nathan Smith became a Pentecostal minister, and Adolphus F. Skinner a Methodist minister, and then later a Baptist preacher. Another veteran, Walter A. Johnson, was one of the organizers of the William Hall, VC, Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion; and another, Issac Phills, provided leadership in the Ancient Order of Foresters and Ethiopian Community Club.