This Battalion reflected the strong determination of Black men to contribute to Canada's First World War effort despite discrimination. Although reluctant to accept Blacks into the armed forces, the Canadian military agreed in 1916 to create a segregated non-combatant unit. Recruited from across Canada and the United States, these eager volunteers were based at Pictou and Truro before going to Europe in 1917. They served primarily in the Canadian Forestry Corps in the Jura region of France where they laboured to supply much needed lumber for the front. The Black Battalion was disbanded in 1920.