Canada’s first all-Black battalion highlighted at military museum

By Mark Ribble

The Kingsville Military Museum was the host of an informative talk by Vice President and Fundraising Chair of the Amherstburg Freedom Museum Barbara Porter on Saturday, February 18.

Ms. Porter was there to talk about the No. 2 Construction Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), Canada’s only all-black battalion during the First World War and the largest allblack battalion in Canadian history.

As part of Black History Month, volunteers at the Kingsville Military Museum had made the effort to research local Black residents who served in WWI, WWII, Korea and more recent conflicts, and had many articles and photos on display in the museum.

The contribution to the war effort by Windsor and Essex County Black soldiers had gone unrecognized for many years, but Barbara Porter was able to attend a ceremony last summer in Nova Scotia that honoured the No. 2 Construction Battalion, where a formal apology was given by Prime Minster Trudeau.

In August of 1914, thousands of Canadian men attended recruiting offices across the nation to volunteer for the war effort as things ramped up in Europe.

Many Black men tried to enlist as well but were rejected. Some were told that this was a white man’s war, while others were told that their services were not required. In fact, many white soldiers told recruiting officers and battalion commanders that they refused to serve with Black men.

In Windsor in 1916, several local Black men had tried to enlist and when that didn’t happen, they decided to start a recruitment drive.

Barbara Porter’s great-grandfather — Alfred Augustus Tudor — had been born in Kentucky and moved to the Windsor area. He joined the ranks of the battalion after having spent three years with the American Cavalry.

Barbara Porter’s greatuncles — James and Jerome Lockman — were instrumental in the recruitment and about 1,000 people lined the streets of Windsor to bid farewell to the 54 men from this area who joined the newly formed No. 2 Construction Battalion.

The battalion was responsible for digging trenches, laying barbed wire and building roads and bridges — among other duties.

“Nowadays, these soldiers would be called engineers,” said Barbara.

The No. 2 Battalion set the groundwork for white Canadian soldiers to fight the war in Europe, but Porter says it was never mentioned in the history books.

“As a child watching TV, I wondered why black soldiers were not in any of the war movies,” she said. “I knew that stories from my family said otherwise.”

Porter said the battalion was known as Canada’s greatest secret and she set out to get them properly recognized.

Her trip to Truro last summer gave her some hope that the battalion would soon become part of school curriculum.

“The men of the No. 2 Construction Battalion need to be recognized,” she said. “The Prime Minister said he would make sure of that.”

Porter received a $20 silver commemorative coin along with that promise and she holds it near and dear to her heart on behalf of those family members who served their nation.

About two dozen people showed up to hear Porter’s presentation, including Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers, who thanked her for such an informative morning on behalf of the town.

Barbara Porter with Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers. SUN photo

Everet Mulder, twice decorated Canadian veteran, looks over the information boards at the Kingsville Military Museum on Saturday, February 18. Mulder attended the presentation on the No. 2 Construction Battalion given by Barbara Porter at the museum. Sun photo