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War Diaries of the First World War: No. 2 Construction Battalion
During the First World War, the No. 2 Construction Battalion was the first and only all-Black battalion in Canadian military history. Organized in July 1916 under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel D.H. Sutherland, the No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed by members of the Black community in Nova Scotia. The battalion, whose members were not permitted to fight, supported the war effort by digging trenches and repairing roads. The No. 2 Construction Battalion attracted hundreds of recruits from across Canada, and even the United States. The battalion, like all Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions, was required to maintain a daily account of its “Actions in the Field.” These logs were called war diaries. War diaries are the most important records documenting the history of a battalion. Thanks to its War Diary, we know a great deal about this unique battalion.
You can transcribe, tag and translate the War Diary that documented the No . 2 Construction Battalion’s important story. With each page that is transcribed, Canada’s history becomes more accessible and easier to discover.