They fought for the right to fight
The No. 2 Construction Battalion is the subject of a presentation at the Historeum
TRURO, N.S. – Ready to fight for their country, many young men showed up at recruitment centres during the First World War, only to be turned away because of the colour of their skin.
These men were eventually permitted to join the No. 2 Construction Battalion – also known as the Black Battalion – a non-combative unit.
Douglas Ruck will share the story of this battalion during a presentation at the Colchester Historeum.
“They were told, ‘This is a white man’s war,’” he said. “After two years pressure and letter writing, the Black Battalion formed on July 5, 1916. The men wanted to be part of the military, but it wasn’t felt appropriate that they should be armed so they were sent out with picks and shovels.”
His father, the late Senator Calvin Ruck, talked with people who had relatives in the battalion and went through military records, and then wrote a book about the battalion.
“Some of the people he talked to didn’t know they had an ancestor who served in the First World War,” said Ruck. “When they found out, they looked through things at home and found more information.”
The men in the battalion weren’t treated well by some people. They were often denied proper medical care and supplies.
“They were viewed as being less than,” said Ruck. “Some people considered their desire to join the military as imitative instead of patriotic.
“They did receive support from some areas. Lt.-col. Dan Sutherland, who led the battalion, was very supportive. He respected them, and they held him in high regard.
One doctor, Dan Murray – who was the grandfather of Anne Murray – was very good to them.”
The battalion was first headquartered in
Pictou and later moved to Truro because it was more central. Most of the more than 600 recruits were from Nova Scotia. They handled work such as repairing roads, railroads, bridges and trenches, and a few were involved in trench combat.
Ruck noted they came home to face many of the stereotypes they had faced before the war.
The unit’s chaplain, Rev. Captain William White, of Truro, later went to New Glasgow and was founding pastor of Second United Baptist Church.
“It’s important to remember these men and today, when we see world leaders who speak openly of others being less than, it’s important to tell this story,” said Ruck.
The presentation will be held at the Colchester Historeum on Monday, Feb. 17 at 11