Presence of Blacks in the Canadian Army | To the front for the country… and their own rights

The Canadian government issued a national apology on July 9 for the systemic racism suffered by members of the 2^e Segregated construction battalion, during the First World War. Black history in the Canadian Armed Forces is still being written. One soldier at a time.

On Thursday evening, the Canadian War Museum will present a webinar entitled “Beyond the Apologies: The Future of Black Military History in Canada”. For what ? Because this story remains unknown today and deserves to be brought to light. What many members of the community are doing.

“It’s not just about asking for an apology. It is necessary that we, in the black community, create resources, raw material that people can go and consult,” summarizes Sarah Onyango, a television and community radio host from Ottawa who will be the moderator of the encounter.

The apologies referred to here are those that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of National Defense Anita Anand made in Truro, Nova Scotia, in the summer of 2022. They apologized for the segregation to the black soldiers of World War I, hundreds of whom formed the 2^e Construction Battalion. This segregated unit was headed by white officers, with the exception of chaplain William A. White.

Preserving the legacy

Black participation in Canadian military history dates back to the late 16^e century. And, over the years and conflicts, many members of the community have volunteered, eager to serve.

This was the case of Owen de Vere Rowe. A West Indian born in Barbados, he enlisted in the Canadian Army Signal Corps in 1942, at the age of 20. Much later, Mr. Rowe worked to document the history of West Indians in the Canadian military. A passion transmitted to his daughter Kathy Grant, born in Montreal and now a historian in Ontario.

Thursday night’s event at the Canadian War Museum is part of Black History Month. “I think we are making efforts to bring these stories to light that have long been ignored,” says Teresa Iacobelli, museum historian and First World War specialist.

President of the Ligue des Noirs du Québec, Max Stanley Bazin also believes that this aspect of Canadian history should be better known. “We know that there has been a significant participation of black people in the Canadian Armed Forces. It’s documented, he said. And it is a reality that, normally, all Canadians should bear in mind. But it is not taught in schools. It is not something that is said. »

initiatives

National institutions such as the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Canadian War Museum refer to the participation of Blacks in the country’s military history. Added to this are private initiatives where we seek to document this aspect in greater depth.

Kathy Grant founded the Black Canadian Veterans Stories website, where various individual stories are told, from all eras and in all sectors of the army (land, air, sea).

“Yes, we now know better the story of the 2^e Construction Battalion. But black soldiers, there were also at Vimy, at Passchendaele and on the Somme front, she said. Our aim is more to tell the individual stories of these people than to glorify war. »

Those who paved the way

Some Milestones in the History of Blacks in the Canadian Army

1780: the origins

The oldest traces of blacks in the military date back to the 1780s, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. After the American Revolutionary War, runaway black slaves settled on land they were given, along with freedom, in exchange for enlistment in British forces.

1859: a great military distinction

In 1859, William Hall became the first black person to receive the Victoria Cross, Canada’s highest military honour. Naval Gunnery Officer on HMS Shannon, he distinguished himself during the Battle of Lucknow, India (November 1857), where rebels surrounded the British garrison. A commemorative stamp recalls its history. On November 27, 2022, an offshore patrol vessel bearing his name entered service.

1914-1918: First World War

Nearly 1,300 black soldiers served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. They occupy positions such as translators, gunners, fighters, snipers, loggers and others. Hundreds are part of the 2^e (Segregated) Construction Battalion.

1944: a pilot proves himself

Allan Selwyn Bundy, considered the first black combat pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), flies on his first attack mission on October 15, 1944. The 12-plane formation targets and sinks two enemy ships, near Kristiansand , in Norway. Rockets fired from Bundy’s plane hit an oil tanker. Two other soldiers, Gerry Bell and Eric Watts, are considered the RCAF’s first black pilots.

1944: a rare woman serving overseas

Eva May Roy enlisted in the army in 1944 and joined the ranks of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC). One of many black women in the Canadian military, she serves overseas, a rarity. It is known thanks to a painting painted in 1946 by Molly Lamb Bobak, which has toured the world. Returned to civilian life in 1946, Eva May Roy enlisted again in 1955 and obtained the rank of sergeant. She left the ranks in 1965 and died in 1990.

1939-1945: the first black joins the navy

Percy Haynes is one of the very few black people who served in the Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Refused at the time of enlisting, Haynes insisted with the Secretary of the Navy, Angus L. McDonald, who ended up giving his agreement. He is considered the first black man to join the Canadian navy in the modern era.

1953: a soldier breaks glass ceilings

After joining the Navy in 1953, Raymond Lawrence climbed several ranks. He became the first black master of 1^D class and first coxswain on a ship. He will also be the first black Canadian named to the Order of Military Merit.

1961: another pioneer

In 1961, Edward Watkins, known as Eddie, was appointed Regimental Sergeant Major of the Royal Montreal Regiment in Westmount. According to the site of this unit, he is “most likely” the first black to reach this rank in the entire Canadian army. Deployed in Europe on 1^er December 1939, he spent the entire Second World War there. He died on February 6, 2001 at the Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Veterans’ Hospital.

1968: doctor… and pilot!

In 1968, at the Canadian base in Moose Jaw, Stephen Blizzard received his pilot’s wings. A second career then began for this native of Trinidad and Tobago, who had already graduated in medicine! A jet pilot, Mr. Blizzard has long contributed to the development of aviation medicine.

July 9, 2022: a national apology

In Truro, Nova Scotia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of National Defense Anita Anand issue a national apology for the systemic racism that members of the 2^e Construction Battalion suffered before, during and long after the First World War. Over 600 men were accepted into this first and only all-black battalion in Canadian military history. The majority of officers were white.

Sources: Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, Canadian War Museum, The Maple Leaf, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Department of Veterans Affairs, Canadian Armed Forces, Black Canadian Veterans Stories and Western University