Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 67 continued ... In July 1920, a commemorative plaque recognizing the battalion's casualties was unveiled at the provincial legislature in Toronto; it was rededicated in September 1926. In 1920, Captain M. Stuart Hunt compiled Nova Scotia’s Part in the Great War, which summarizes the activities of every unit raised in Nova Scotia during the First World War. It includes a chapter on No. 2 Construction Battalion. Members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, 5 July 1920 The photograph was taken at the dedication of a plaque in memory of the members of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, an all-Black non-combat battalion that served in the First World War. The plaque was (and is) in the main hall of Queen's Park. Rev. Mrs. H.F. Logan and Rev. H.F. Logan, who spearheaded the campaign for the plaque, are at left of centre. Also included in the photograph are Rt. Rev. Samuel R. Drake, General Superintendent of the British Methodist Episcopal Conference; Ontario Premier Ernest Charles Drury; and Sir Henry Pellatt. (courtesy City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 2, Series 411, Item 86) However, No. 2 Construction Battalion was soon forgotten, as it was not a combat unit. The battalion remained almost unknown until Calvin Ruck began his research into the battalion in the 1980s. The Government of Canada recognized the creation of the battalion as a national historic event in 1992, the same year that Ruck was appointed to the Canadian Senate. Agranite monument commemorating No. 2 Construction Battalion was erected at Pictou, Nova Scotia, in 1993 and was declared a national historic site. Canada Post issued a first day cover and a commemorative stamp for Black History Month in February 2016 recognizing the battalion. No. 2 Construction Battalion Stamp A first day cover and commemorative stamp from Canada Post issued on the 100th Anniversary of the formation of No. 2 Construction Battalion (Courtesy Canada Post) continued ...
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==