Nº 2 Construction Battalion, C. E. F. National Historic Event

Pictou, Nova Scotia
Group at No. 2 Construction Battalion plaque dedication ceremony at Queen's Park © City of Toronto Archives | Archives de la ville de Toronto, Fonds 2, Series 411, Item 86
Plaque dedication for the battalion, Toronto, 1920
© City of Toronto Archives | Archives de la ville de Toronto, Fonds 2, Series 411, Item 86
No. 2 Construction Battalion © Museum Windsor | Musée Windsor, P6110Group at No. 2 Construction Battalion plaque dedication ceremony at Queen's Park © City of Toronto Archives | Archives de la ville de Toronto, Fonds 2, Series 411, Item 86
Address : Pictou, Nova Scotia

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1992-06-04

Other Name(s):
  • Nº 2 Construction Battalion, C. E. F.  (Designation Name)
Research Report Number: 1992-003

Importance: Reflects the strong determination of Black men to overcome racism and contribute to Canada’s First World War effort

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque:  On Caladh Avenue by Market Street, Pictou, Nova Scotia

This Battalion reflected the strong determination of Black men to overcome racism and contribute to Canada’s First World War effort. With battalions reluctant to accept Black people, Militia Headquarters formed in 1916 a segregated non-combatant unit. Volunteers from across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean were based at Pictou and Truro, in Nova Scotia, and Windsor, Ontario, before going to Europe in 1917. They served primarily with the Canadian Forestry Corps in the Jura region of France, supplying lumber for the front and performing supporting tasks. The Black Battalion was disbanded in 1920.