Книга: No. 2 Construction Battalion: Canadian Expeditionary Force, Battalion, 193rd Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), CEF, William A. White, World War I, War Office, Canadian Forestry Corps, Allies

High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), was the only all-black battalion in Canadian military history and also the only one to serve in World War I. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel D.H. Sutherland, formerly of the 193rd Battalion, CEF, all but one of the unit's 19 officers were white, the exception being Honorary Captain William A. White. This outbreak of war, few if any blacks were serving in the Canadian military because of the racial attitudes prevalent at the time. Initially, some blacks attempted to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, but most were rejected. The Department of Militia and Defence's policy towards recruitment was to defer to the judgement of the individual commanding officer, and since most?if not all?held deeply ingrained beliefs about the inferiority of blacks, very few were accepted. Rejected black recruits were often told that 'this is a white man's war'.