Archana Cini, Lookout Newspaper.

  • A multimedia performance at CFB Esquimalt honoured the service and sacrifice of the No. 2 Construction Battalion.
  • The production explored the experiences of Black Canadians who served despite systemic anti-Black racism during the First World War.

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One of the most selfless things a person can do is stand up and volunteer to fight for their country – it is an act of extraordinary bravery, honour, sacrifice, and loyalty. At the onset of the First World War, many Black volunteers were turned away when they offered to sacrifice their lives for us all. 

The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was formed in 1916 as a segregated unit, since many Black service members were not permitted to fight alongside their white compatriots. It was the first and only all-Black battalion-sized formation in Canadian military history, formed only after Black communities across Canada put pressure on the government and military officials. 

While the contributions of No. 2 Construction Battalion members to the war effort were invaluable – they cut the lumber that was used in the trenches, railways, and even aircraft – they faced systemic anti-Black racism throughout the war. 

Following the end of the First World War, the unit was officially disbanded without recognition for their service or sacrifices on behalf of the Government of Canada. 

– Government of Canada 

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On June 4, Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt became a space for remembrance and learning as audiences gathered for a powerful multimedia storytelling honouring the service and sacrifice of the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Written and performed by B.C. storyteller, playwright, and musician shayna-adjowa jones, The Bugle Called and Forth They Went traced the story of Canada’s first and only all-Black battalion, formed during the First World War. This event was made possible by D.L. (Door) Gibson, Vice-President of the BC Black History Awareness Society and Project Manager for the No. 2 Construction Battalion’s Legacy in BC, with support of the Commemorative Partnership Program of Veterans Affairs.  

Authorized in July 1916, the segregated, non-combatant unit of more than 600 men served in France building, maintaining, and repairing roads, rail lines, and critical wartime infrastructure — labour often overlooked in historical record, though essential to the Allied war effort. The battalion also included 12 men from B.C., three of whom came from Salt Spring Island, with the youngest, 18-year-old James Douglas Whims, never returning home. The No. 2 Construction Battalion was disbanded in 1920. 

Members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Photo: Government of Canada Archives

The Bugle Called and Forth They Went unfolded as a layered narrative, weaving together historical fact that challenged audiences to sit with the truth of Canada’s past alongside fictional storytelling told through song; narration; spoken word; and sound. Audience members were invited into the lived realities of Black Canadians navigating the contradictions of service to a country that, at the time, denied them their human right to serve in combat roles. The multimedia storytelling went on to then reveal the formation of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion comprised of the Black Canadians who chose to enlist, serve, and sacrifice in spite of the systemic barriers against them. 

Jones’ narration did not shy away from the emotional weight of the historical material.  

“It has been a massive journey holding the story of these men in my spirit. I labour with the complexity of honouring what it was for these Black men to be finally sent to war in a segregated labour battalion, never being allowed to lay down their lives for this land,” said jones. “Still, I labour with the complexity and irony that right here in Canada our own deaths were rated as second class, as inferior to the service and deaths of white lives. What an immense and complex honour it is to bring a window into this history to life. I give thanks for this gritty and noble opportunity.”  

These reflections were echoed in the performance’s central storytelling of two fictional brothers inspired by real brothers James Douglas and Robert Clark Whims from Salt Spring Island, through whom the audience was guided from the outbreak of the First World War to its end.  

A poster encouraging enlistment into the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Photo: Government of Canada Archives

The event also honoured descendants and community members connected to the battalion’s legacy, including families whose ancestors served, and individuals involved in preserving and restoring the memory of the unit through archival work and commemorative initiatives. 

Speaking during the event, Kenny Craig, engagement lead of the B.C. Black History Awareness Society, emphasized the importance of remembering ancestry and shared legacy. “We have many roots of arrival and ways of coming to these lands and territories,” said Craig. The Black Anthem was also sung by Tekea Ogoh, award-winning Nigerian-born Singer/songwriter who performs under the name TK the Artist.  

On July 9, 2022, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, then Canadian Prime Minister, issued a formal, public apology alongside The Honourable Anita Anand, then Minister of National Defence, on behalf of the Government of Canada for the systemic anti-Black racism that members of No. 2 Construction Battalion endured before, during, and long after the First World War. The apology was conducted in Truro, Nova Scotia, on the very same ground that the battalion was first formed upon.  

Jones noted at the conclusion of The Bugle Called and Forth They Went, “Until the tale of the hunt is told by the lion, it will always glorify the hunter.” 

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In Memory and Honour of the Brave Black Soldiers Who Enlisted in B.C. and Served in the No. 2 Construction Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force from 1916 to 1920: 

  • 931612 Private Roy (Edward) Alexander 
  • 931349 Private Norman Bowden 
  • 931615 Private Arthur Burns 
  • 931350 Private Joseph Gilkes 
  • 931583 Private Arnold William Harris 
  • 931330 Private Ernest Hutcheson 
  • 645263 Corporal Daniel Livingstone 
  • 931617 Private David Redman 
  • 931614 Private James Douglas Whims 
  • 831613 Private Robert Clark Whims 
  • 2063 Sapper James Edward Wintworth 
  • 931615 Private Harry Wright