Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 105 RUSSELL, William John WWI & WWII William was born on June 30, 1899 in Francis Harbour, Labrador. He was a coal miner in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. William served in both the First and Second World Wars. In World War I, he enlisted in the 185th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Cape Breton Highlanders) at the age of sixteen, serving as a private. He served in France with the 73rd and 42nd Battalions. With the 42nd, he fought during the Battles of the Last Hundred Days. At Amiens, he destroyed an opposing machine gun pill box, allowing the company to advance. He also served as a runner, delivering messages between his company and Battalion Headquarters. On one occasion, he stayed on duty for 72 hours under conditions of poison gas attacks. For these acts he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal and the Military Medal. These actions are described in the book The 42nd Battalion, C.E.F. Royal Highlanders of Canada in the Great War by Lieut.-Colonel C. Beresford Topp, D.S.O., M.C. During World War II, he served in a variety of postings, including a POW camp housing German soldiers. He was a member of the Glace Bay Legion. William died in 1968 in Glace Bay from miner’s lung. Submitted Independently SUTHERLAND, Daniel H. WWI Daniel was born in River John, Nova Scotia in 1878. He studied engineering at McGill University and worked as a railroad contractor before enlisting with the 193rd Battalion, Nova Scotia Highlanders. On July 5, 1916 he became the Commanding Officer of the newly formed No.2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s first and only predominately black Battalion. The officers were white with the exception of Hon. Captain William A. White, chaplain, one of very few black officers in the British Empire. Daniel recruited men from across Canada, the highest number came from Nova Scotia, and as well, men came to join from United States and the British West Indies. The original headquarters were in Pictou, NS, moving three months later to Truro, NS to larger accommodations. The Battalion sailed from Halifax, NS to Liverpool, England on March 25, 1917 during the height of enemy submarine warfare in the Atlantic. In England training continued, until they were sent to France in May. In France they were sent to assist the Forestry Corps, in the Jura region. Here they supported the war effort by logging, milling and shipping timber. They built and maintained roads needed to transport the heavy traffic demand and they also built and maintained the water pumping stations and water lines needed for camp life. They served their country well. This is the 100th Anniversary of the Battalions’ formation and it is finally receiving the recognition it and its men deserve. In February, Canadian Post designed a stamp to honour the No.2 Construction Battalion’s role in Canadian history. Daniel was a member of the Legion Branch 108 before he passed away in 1977. He is buried in Bellevue Cemetery in River John. Submitted by Family
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