BY SALT SPRING HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND ARCHIVES
Some stories take a long time to return home. This year we are learning that the story of the No. 2 Construction Battalion is one of them.
Authorized on July 5, 1916, the No. 2 Construction Battalion was the first and only all-Black battalion in Canadian military history. They served in France during the First World War building roads, rail lines and infrastructure essential to the war effort, contributions too often left out of Canada’s historical record regardless of racial heritage.
Twelve of the men who enlisted with the “Black Battalion” came from British Columbia, and of those, three travelled overseas from Salt Spring Island. The youngest was James Douglas Whims, only 18 years old, who did not return.
On Sunday, June 7, we are invited to an evening that shines a light on their service and legacy.
The BC Black History Awareness Society presents The Bugle Called & Forth They Went, a multimedia performance written and performed by B.C. folklorist, playwright, poet and singer Shayna-Adjowa Jones. Drawing on African and Afro-Diasporic oral storytelling traditions, Jones combines history, performance and spoken word to bring these stories vividly to life.
The performance takes place at ArtSpring from 7 to 8:30 p.m., followed by a Q&A.
Admission is by donation ($5 to $15 suggested), with tickets available through the ArtSpring box office.
This event is made possible through the Commemorative Partnership Program of Veterans Affairs Canada and presented by the BC Black History Awareness Society in collaboration with the Salt Spring Island Historical Society & Archives.
Salt Spring history would not be what it is without the contribution of Black pioneer families who arrived here in 1859 among the first colonists to take up land on the island. Some of their names — Stark, Whims, Robinson — are preserved on the roads we travel today. Our archives holds photographs and records of those who enlisted in the First and the Second World Wars, including the sons of our Black pioneers, and we are honoured to help connect this national story to our own community.
We hope islanders will join us for this special evening. The sliding scale price is a gift to the cultural history of Salt Spring Island and we look forward to sharing this with you.