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''The Black Battalion (1916-1920) Canada's best kept military secret'' refers to the 1987 book by Calvin W. Ruck CM about the
Ruck provided the context behind the establishment of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion.
Five hundred black soldiers volunteered from Nova Scotia alone, representing 56% of the Black Battalion. It was the only black battalion in
No. 2 Construction Battalion
The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), was raised in Nova Scotia and was one of two predominantly Black battalions in Canadian military history and the only Canadian battalion composed of Black soldiers to serve i ...
, Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...
, the only all-black battalion to serve in World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The book's main theme is to chronicle the contributions of Black veterans of the Great War (1914-1918), whose military heritage had been forgotten. Ruck served on the Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The Senate is modelled after the B ...
from 1998 to 2000, and has been honoured with the Order of Canada and the Governor General's award.
Context
Following the reunion of the Black Battalion on November 12–14, 1982 organized by The Society for the Protection and Preservation of Black Culture in Nova Scotia as its first public event, which brought together nine surviving black WWI veterans, Ruck was inspired to delve into their history. Their contributions to the war effort were largely unknown until the publication of this book.Content
Ruck provided the context behind the establishment of the segregated No. 2 Construction Battalion.
Five hundred black soldiers volunteered from Nova Scotia alone, representing 56% of the Black Battalion. It was the only black battalion in Canadian military history
The military history of Canada comprises hundreds of years of armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, and interventions by the Canadian Forces, Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping worldwide. For thousands of years, t ...
and also the only Canadian Battalion composed of black soldiers to serve in World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The first black officer in the British Empire, Reverend William A. White
William Andrew White II (June 16, 1874 – September 9, 1936) was a Canadian chaplain and military officer from Nova Scotia who was commissioned as the first black officer in the Canadian Army. He served in World War I as a military chaplain, the ...
led the Battalion.
Other publications
Ruck also published ''Canada's Black Battalion: No. 2 Construction, 1916-1920'' ()Calvin W. Ruck
In 1998 Ruck was named to the Canadian Senate and was conferred with an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by University of King's College.See also
*Black Canadian
Black Canadians (also known as Caribbean-Canadians or Afro-Canadians) are people of full or partial sub-Saharan African descent who are citizens or permanent residents of Canada. The majority of Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin, though t ...
*Military history of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia (also known as Mi'kma'ki and Acadia) is a Canadian province located in Canada's Maritimes. The region was initially occupied by Mi'kmaq. The colonial history of Nova Scotia includes the present-day Canadian Maritime provinces and th ...
* Victoria Rifles (Nova Scotia)
The Victoria Rifles was a military unit of black soldiers in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that was established in 1860 in the wake of the Crimean War and on the eve of the American Civil War. It was one of the oldest black units established in Canada. On ...
* Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men
Captain Runchey's Company of Coloured Men was a Canadian militia company of free blacks and indentured black servants, raised in Upper Canada as a small Black corps under a white officer, Robert Reuben Runchey (1759–1819), a tavern keeper fro ...
* Black Nova Scotians
References
{{reflist, 30em Military history of Canada History of Black people in Canada Black Nova Scotians