First World War - Men of the Black Battalion. From the start of the First World War, many Canadians wanted to join the Military and serve their country. This included hundreds of Black Canadians who were refused because of the prevailing racial attitudes of the times. Many were told that this is a "White man's war". With pressure from the Black community and an offer from Edmonton's Reverend C.W. Washington to raise an all-Black Battalion, the military officials finally authorized the creation of the 2nd Construction Battalion. Although the Battalion was Black, they had only one Black officer, Chaplain William Andrew White II, who was commissioned as the first Black officer in the British army. In the fall of 1917, they were operating in Jura Mountains of France as part of the Canadian Forestry Corp as the only Black unit ever formed in Canada. Learn more at Canada’s First Black Battalion Narrated by Hon. Mayann Francis, ONS (English Only) Second World War - Canadians serving together Little more than 20 years after the end of the "War to End all Wars," the Second World War (1939–1945) erupted and soon spread across Europe and around the globe. The Second World War saw considerable growth in how Black Canadians served in the military. While some Black recruits would encounter resistance when trying to enlist in the army, in contrast to the First World War no segregated battalions were created. Indeed, thousands of Black Canadians served during the bloodiest war the world has ever seen. These brave individuals joined all Canadians serving, here at home, in England, and on the battlefields of Europe. Together they served in places like Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Thanks to Veterans Affairs - Read More on Black Canadians in uniform — a proud tradition |