Honouring BIPOC veterans

By: Sarika Singodia, MSW Placement Student for the Office of EDID  

Throughout my elementary school years, I participated in many Remembrance Day assemblies. I recall making wreaths with my classmates to present in honor of Canadians who fought and gave their lives in the World Wars. As a school community, we would pause for a moment of silence at 11:00 am. I remember listening to the Last Post, proudly wearing my poppy, and being in awe of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much for me to have the freedoms I have. In honor of those brave men and women, I would like to highlight some of the veterans who made important contributions to Canadian history.

Private Buckam Singh (1893-1919)

Pte. Buckam Singh was the first Sikh soldier to enlist in Canada. According to historical records, he was one of ten Sikh soldiers who fought in World War One. He was born in Mahilpur, Punjab and came to Canada in 1907. Singh served with the 20th Canadian Infantry Battalion and fought on the frontlines in Flanders during 1916. He was wounded twice in separate battles, and received treatment at a hospital run by one of Canada's most famous soldier poets, Doctor Lt. Colonel John McCrae. Sadly, he contracted tuberculosis and died in Kitchener, Ontario. For 90 years, Singh’s story was largely unknown until a historian found his medals in a British pawn shop. Now, for the past 16 years, a special Remembrance Day ceremony has been held at Singh's grave on the Sunday before Remembrance Day.

To learn more about Pte. Buckam Singh, go to: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sikh-canadians-in-the-first-world-war?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgK2qBhCHARIsAGACuzkDjudXkMczx6G_7N8QbQbk5aEDBAigjIZRj0Q-C1kEWktsr8E69wIaAp8mEALw_wcB

Canada’s WWI all-Black military battalion

At the start of World War One, racist policies barred Black men and men from other racialized communities from enlisting in the Canadian military. Regardless, many Black men were determined to fight for Canada. No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1916 and recruited more than 600 men. Rev. Dr. W. Andrew White held the rank of captain and was one of the only Black officers in the Canadian military during the war.

The No. 2 Construction Battalion was deployed to Jura, France on May 17, 1917. The men assisted the Canadian Forestry Corps with lumber and logging operations, transportation, and railroad construction, water and power supply, and road maintenance. The timber they helped load and transport was used to line battlefield trenches, support observation posts, and construct aircraft in France. These were vital services that greatly supported Canada’s war effort.

To learn more, go to: https://bccns.com/our-history/black-battalion-history/

Private Mary Greyeyes (1920-2011)

Mary Greyeyes was a World War Two veteran. She was born in the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps, making her the first Indigenous woman to join Canada’s armed forces. Greyeyes first served at a base in Aldershot, England where she did tasks such as cooking and laundry. She was eventually transferred to London, England where she cooked at the war headquarters. Because her superiors wanted to give her the appearance of having a diverse workplace, they brought her to public events and she met public figures such as King George VI. After the Canadian Women’s Army Corps was disbanded in 1946, Greyeyes returned to Muskeg Lake. She referred to her work with the Canadian military as the best years of her life.

To learn more about Pte. Mary Greyeyes, go to: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/mary-greyeyes