Black History Month is a time to learn about Black Canadian stories and their importance to the history of this country. The month-long celebration encourages us to honour the significant role that Black Canadians, both past and present, have played in shaping the mosaic of our great nation and its values.
The Military Communications and Electronics Museum is honouring the service of Welsford Daniels, (1920-2012) who in 1939 enlisted with the Reserve Army. On August 7, 1941 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS) in Montreal.
The RCCS’ main role was to provide, maintain, and repair communication tools and resources that are required by other Corps of the Canadian Army to do their jobs. The various communication lines that the military used in World War II included radio, teletype, telephony, and messenger services including dispatch riders. As a result, RCCS soldiers were often on or just behind the front lines and worked in dangerous and potentially deadly situations. In his story found on The Memory Project, Welsford Daniels, speaks about the danger of going to the frontlines in the dark.
Mr. Daniels participated in the invasion of Normandy and the Liberation of the Netherlands. He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp. He served with the RCCS until he was honourably discharged in 1946.
Unlike the First World War, segregated battalions did not exist in Canada in World War II. The Canadian Army was a mixture of ethnicities who served beside each other. However, this did not prevent Black soldiers from experiencing discrimination and prejudice from their fellow soldiers and even the people they helped to liberate. In his transcript on The Memory Project, Mr. Daniels recalled that the Dutch ladies were checking their hands to see why the “Black” did not stain their hands after dancing with Black servicemen.
After leaving the army, Mr. Daniels attended Sir George Williams University in Montreal and graduated with a degree in commerce. He was inducted into the Canada Veterans Hall of Valour in 2009.
If you would like to learn more about Welsford Daniels, The Memory Project has both his transcript and photographs online: https://www.thememoryproject.com/stories/716:welsford-daniels/ The Veterans Affairs website also hosts several videos of Mr. Daniels speaking about his experience: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/video-gallery/video/5809
This article would not have been possible without the support of The Memory Project, Historica Canada.
With thanks to Lezlie Harper and Annette Gillis for their insight.
Photo: Welsford Daniels, Courtesy of The Memory Project, Historica Canada.