No. 2 Construction Battalion

By: Chelsey Martin

Who were they?• The No. 2 Construction Battalion were formed in Pictou, Nova Scotia and

they were the first and only Black Battalion in Canadian military history. They were granted special authority to recruit blacks in all provinces and over 600 black men from Canada were accepted into the Battalion.

What did they do?• In the beginning the No. 2 Construction Battalion took ships from Halifax

to dig trenches, build buildings, and repair roads for soldiers in England. Soon after they joined the Canadian Forestry Corps in France. Their main task there was to provide lumber for trenches in railways. Eventually a few of the men in this battalion were able to join the fighting units. After the end of world war 1 the men sailed back to Halifax and the unit was officially disbanded in 1920.

What impact did they have?• The No. 2 Construction Battalion had a huge impact on Canadian people

of African descent wanting to join the military. Considering they were the first all black battalion to fight with the Canadian military they opened the doors for many other black soldiers to come. They have a monument for them in Pictou.

Sources• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._2_Construction_Battalion• http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/feature/blackhistory/first• http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=3575857