NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM
Black military
history of niagara Traveling Exhibit
Exhibit Content Guide Part 2 Soldiers featured on the banners
Soldiers featured on the banners 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
JAMES GRANT JOHNSON FAMILY CONNIE AND KATHLEEN BROWN EVERETT “PUDGE” DAWSON GERALD (GERRY) BELL WILLIAM (BILL) HOKAN STEPHEN THOMAS, MB, CD EDWARD SMITH
Dedicated to Wilma Morrison the 91-year-old Black historian and educator from Niagara Falls.
1
JAMES GRANT MM
James Grant was the first African Canadian to be awarded with the Military Medal in the First World War. According to Grant’s citation he made two trips to bring ammunition to the battery despite intense shelling. Grant was born April 29th, 1897, son of George and Mary Grant of 51 Page Street in St. Catharines.
2 The johnson family Rev. Clifford and Susie Johnson ministered at the BME Church on Peer Lane, Niagara Falls. The exhibit features their sons: ● Douglas Johnson, Irish Regiment of Canada ● Beverly Johnson, Royal Canadian Navy ● David Johnson, The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, Korea ● Clarence Johnson, conscripted minister
Douglas Johnson, Irish Regiment of Canada
3 Connie and kathleen brown Connie Duncan repaired firearms in Toronto at a depot behind Union Station.
Her twin sister, Kathleen, signed up in Hamilton with the Air Force. Many members of the Brown family served as did Connie’s husband Bruce Duncan.
4
EVERETT “PUDGE� DAWSON CONCEPT 1 Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun and the smallest one
In WWII Dawson served in an Artillery unit as a gunner and his crew became known as the Dauntless 4. Dawson became a key figure in the struggle for rights of Black workers in the United Auto Workers union at General Motors.
5
GERALD (GERRY) BELL
Gerry Bell, Canada’s first Black airmen, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force with 119 Squadron. When war broke out in 1939, he was sent to Yorkshire, England where for the next four years he trained the pilots of No. 6 Bomber Group and eventually ended his active duty as an Air Gunner with 424 Squadron.
6
WILLIAM (BILL) HOKAN Bill Hokan joined the military in 1951 and served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for 20 years. During that time Bill served in Canada, Korea, and Germany. Bill Hokan
7 STEPHEN THOMAS, MB, CD Sergeant Stephen Thomas, MB, CD was born in Scarborough, Ontario. In 2000, in high school, he joined a Toronto reserve unit completing his first tour in Afghanistan in 2004. In 2005, with The Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada’s parachute company, Toronto, his second deployment to Afghanistan was based In Kandahar. Thomas was awarded the Medal of Bravery for saving lives by unloading ammunition from a burning vehicle during a suicide bomber attack. The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Regimental Museum and Archives
https://qormuseum.org/soldiers-of-the-queens-own/thomas-stephen-louis/
8
EDWARD SMITH
Ed Smith was born and raised in St. Catharines. He joined the Canadian Forces in his early 20s. Smith served Canada in many regions of the world. For 8 years (2003-2010) Smith was the Officer in Charge of a binational training exercise that took place in the African nation of Cameroon. The 25-year veteran also served in Bosnia and as a UN peacekeeper in South Sudan. Smith retired at the rank of Major in 2011 after 25 years of service.
Major Edward Smith is presented with the Order of Military Merit at Rideau Hall by Governor General MichaĂŤlle Jean
Dedicated to Wilma Morrison Niagara Military Museum collaborated with Wilma Morrison to develop a Black military history exhibit. This would be Wilma’s last project in her lifelong journey to preserve Black history in our community.
Wilma Morrison saved the BME Nathaniel Dett Memorial Chapel from the wrecking ball. The structure verifies that Blacks have been in the Niagara region for over 200 years and contributed to the building of this community. Morrison established the Norval Johnson Heritage Library, received an honourary doctorate from Brock University, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Order of Ontario, among other honours. The 91-year-old historian and educator passed away on 23 April 2020 after contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Do you have any questions? NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM niamilmuseum@gmail.com (905) 358-0813 www.nmm.life
exhibit content guide: part 2 The Soldiers featured in the exhibit
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