22-2, No.2 Construction Battalion Officer's Cap Badge
Pickled Brass
2 lugs
Lugged badges are attributed as Officer's per Brooker's CEF Book, Part 6b, pg. 9.
On July 5, 1916, No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, was authorized as part of the Canadian Railway Troops, Canadian Engineers. This was largely due to successful lobbying by Black community leaders of the Canadian Government that had been reluctant to enlist Black soldiers for service with the CEF, Overseas. It was intended to recruit the unit primarily from the Maritime Provinces, with companies also to be raised in Ontario and Western Canada. However, a month after the unit was authorized, only 180 recruits had been obtained. This was greatly improved when 165 Black American volunteers from the United States, then still neutral, were recruited. When the unit assembled in March 1917 to prepare for departure overseas, the Battalion's overall strength was 729 men.
The unit departed from Halifax, Nova Scotia, on board the SS Southland on March 28, 1917 and arrived at Liverpool, England, ten days later.
Lacking the numbers to make up a Battalion (the smallest unit then deployed by army authorities), the unit was reorganized as No. 2 Construction Company in May 1917, and attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps.
26 men of the No. 2 Construction Battalion died while on active service. The men of No. 2 Construction Battalion returned to Canada in early 1919 and the unit officially disbanded on September 15 of the same year.
