The premier of Nova Scotia and high-ranking military officials gathered in Pictou, N.S. to mark the 100th anniversary of the first and only segregated black military unit in the Canadian history.
The No. 2 Construction Battalion, also known as the “Black Battalion,” was created in the town a century ago to accommodate black men who wanted to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces took part in a parade on Saturday, followed by a ceremony at the deCoste Centre.
“The men of the Number 2 Construction Battalion fought for our country with the loyalty and zeal of any other Canadian regiment in the Great War,” Rear Admiral John Newton said in a statement.
“But, they assaulted an even greater enemy in an epic national campaign — the battle to respect basic human dignity, rights and freedoms no matter the colour of one’s skin, religion, or gender.”
Black Canadians flooded to enlist in the military after the war broke out, but were discriminated against by recruiters.
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Members of the black community lobbied for the chance to serve their country and were eventually told they could join the war effort if they gathered enough men to constitute their own unit.
Formed on July 5, 1916, the more than 600-strong volunteer unit was not allowed to fight, but dug trenches and repaired roads along the Western Front in Europe.
The battalion was disbanded in September of 1920.