The Search for the descendants of Barbadian unsung heroes has begun

The search to find the descendants of forty-two Barbadian and twenty-nine Caribbean Soldiers of the all-Black Canadian No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only one that was formed during World War 1, has been initiated by?the Barbados Museum & Historical Society (BMHS). Working alongside the Government of Canada, Canadian Filmmaker and member of National Advisory Committee for the Government of Canada's formal apology to the descendants of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, Anthony Sherwood, the Barbados Archives Department, the Division of Culture in the Prime Minister’s Office?and many regional entities,?this collaborative search was launched at the ‘Director’s Evening’, a virtual event hosted by the Barbados Museum on Monday, April 25th, 2022.

In attendance of this seismic historic event, which featured the screening of the docudrama ‘Honour before Glory’ was its Director Anthony Sherwood, Barbados Consul General to Canada, Sonia Marville-Carter, Chief Archivist, Ingrid Thompson, Senator John King, President of the Barbados Museum Sir Trevor Carmichael and Director Alissandra Cummins, among an audience of researchers, military historians and interested parties.?The evening uncovered many hidden truths, including the fact that these seventy-three Caribbean soldiers endured tremendous obstacles of racism during the war and their contributions have gone unrecognized for over one hundred years.?

During the lively post film discussion, Director Anthony Sherwood revealed the importance of the search and urged known descendants of the soldiers to come forward.?“This is a historic year because the Government of Canada is going to be issuing a formal apology to the descendants and the Black soldiers of the No. 2 Construction Battalion on July 9th. It took the Canadian government one hundred and four years to finally issue an apology. These are historic times for this particular part of history, for this particular part of Barbados.”

Re-affirming the Barbados Museum’s commitment to assisting Mr Sherwood’s with the grand task of finding these descendants, Director of the BMHS Alissandra Cummins?stated that the Museum in collaboration with the Archives Department and the Division of Culture are excited to work together.?“We are going to find them, we are going to find their families and the only way we can do that is by sharing information.

During his research for the film, which was inspired by the War diary of Sherwood’s Great Uncle, Captain Reverend William White, the Chaplain of the No. 2 Construction Battalion, he uncovered that?one of the main issues the Battalion faced during their service was ill-treatment fueled by racism. The featured ‘Honour before Glory’ film therefore pays homage to the black soldiers of the Number Two Construction Battalion who showed that the measure of a man is made through the courage in his heart and not by the colour of his skin.

Among the audience of impressed viewers was?Senator John King?who expressed that he can’t wait for this movie to be shared with a wider Barbadian audience.?“There’s a certain amount of pride you get from watching it, knowing that Barbadians and Caribbean people withstood the challenges and triumphed in their own way.”

Persons interested in viewing the film and the subsequent panel discussion, which also featured Barbados Maritime & Military Researcher, Geoff Ward, Karen Proverbs from the Archives Department and Shani Roper of the Jamaican Archives are invited to visit @BarbadosMuseum on Facebook or The Barbados Museum & Historical Society’s YouTube channel.

If you or someone who you know?is related to a soldier who many have served in this battalion, please contact the Barbados Museum directly at?[email protected]?so that we may direct you to the appropriate authorities. Help us this Heroes Day to identify and celebrate some of Barbados’ much deserving unsung heroes.