Black Canadian Veterans Stories

On the centennial arc of Canadian honour, the Order of Canada stands as one of the nation’s most resonant symbols of service. When First World War veteran Isaac Phills became the first Black Canadian appointed to the Order Black Canadian Veterans Storiess investiture marked far more than personal distinction. It signalled a quiet but powerful recognition of Black military service long overlooked, and it carved a place for future generations to see themselves reflected in the nation’s highest civilian honour.

On June 25, 2026, that lineage of remembrance and renewal converged again at Rideau Hall. At the latest investitures, Historian Kathy Grant of Black Canadian Veterans Stories had the distinct privilege of meeting Canada’s newest Governor General, Her Excellency Louise Arbour, during her inaugural presentations of the Order of Canada. In that moment, past and present touched hands.

Kathy carried with her a fragile 1967 newspaper featuring Isaac Phills—its edges softened by time, its story still urgent. Her Excellency graciously agreed to pose with Kathy, both holding the image of Phills, bridging nearly sixty years of history in a single frame.

The Ramp Ceremony. Last week I met with an individual who received The Order of Canada on April 17, 2026. I mentioned that April 17th, 2002, Corporal Ainsworth Dyer was killed 24 years earlier that day, in Afghanistan , along with 3 others. I shared a picture of his portrait and she said she was a pacifist.

I then showed her a picture of Agatha Dyer, Ainsworth's mother, visiting his larger than life portrait at the Canadian War Museum, and that she was stroking his face, talking to his portrait and sharing updates with him. She felt his mother's pain which never went away. She said she had never visited the War Museum because she thought it just glorified war. She was not aware of the humanity on display as well. She said she would visit.

John Gordon Dennison, born on June 22nd, devoted his life to lifting Black Canadian military history into the national light. A quiet force with a resolute moral compass, he championed the stories that had too long been overlooked—insisting that the men and women who served Canada with courage deserved remembrance equal to their sacrifice. His advocacy was not performative; it was purposeful, persistent, and rooted in love for community and truth.

It was at John’s request that historian Kathy Grant presented her No. 2 Construction Battalion exhibit at Cathedral Arts for the Battalion’s 95th anniversary. That presentation—solemn, public, and deeply symbolic—reflected John’s belief that remembrance must be shared in sacred and cultural spaces, where history could speak directly to the nation’s conscience. His encouragement helped ensure that the Battalion’s legacy reached audiences who might otherwise never have encountered its story.

In 2016, Kathy Grant received the John G. Dennison Award for Excellence in the study, preservation and promotion of Canada’s Black Military History and Heritage. The award carried his name because it carried his values: integrity, perseverance, and a commitment to restoring dignity to forgotten service.

John Gordon Dennison’s birthday stands as a reminder of a life spent championing truth. His legacy endures in every restored narrative, every honoured veteran, and every Canadian who now understands the depth of Black military service.

Me and my tall and handsome son William at his business graduation program 10 years ago today in 2016. I was going to be turning 55 in a few days and had made the journey to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to be there for him. This week I officially become a senior and my son is journeying from Halifax on my milestone birthday so he could give me hug.

Popped up yesterday on Father's day. A memory from a former soldier speaking about his friend he lost in Afghanistan who was also a father..the father was Robert Short.

From childhood, Master Warrant Officer Raymond Joseph wanted to be a soldier. He served in both the reserve and the regular army, where, over the course of over 3 decades, he was deployed for nearly 10, serving in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Somalia.

A dozen years ago during a Remembrance Day ceremony, Ray Joseph said he would be remembering one comrade in particular, a soldier he served with in Northern Quebec during the 1998 ice storm.

"Sgt. Robert Short" was among the first Canadians killed in Afghanistan in 2003. The 42-year-old father of two was on a routine patrol near Kabul when an explosive struck his vehicle.
“He was just a soldier’s soldier. Rob Short was the kind of guy you could go to in any scenario,” said Joseph.

In Quebec, he said, “I just remember him dragging me through the woods with everyone else. He was an outdoorsman by upbringing. He was giving everyone chainsaw courses and he was just a great guy to be around. He inspired all the soldiers. I always used to look back at him and wonder what his magic was.

“Everyone feels a sense of loss when we lose a soldier overseas. It hits more if it happens to be in your battalion,” said Joseph...

I created our Black Canadian Veterans Stories page as a promise I made to my father "Owen Rowe" to continue his legacy of documenting , digitizing and preserving the legacy of the Black Community who proudly served Canada in uniform.. AND share these stories with youth.

Happy Heavenly Father's Day to my dad (Owen Rowe) a WWII veteran who served in the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. This is me at four years old with my dad and mom in Montreal.. June 1965

Dad at 18.. he was a school teacher in Barbados. The following years he volunteered to fight for Canada in the Second World War.

My father was 19 whem he wrote the poem " A Soldier's Farewell " before leaving Barbados to volunteer to fight for Canada in the Second World War

Flying Officer William Kenneth Rock, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF),

William Kenneth Rock (Ken) was born at Windsor, Ontario, in June 1923. His maternal Grandfather Robert Newsome was born into enslavement and his father McKeon Rock worked at the Ford Canada Auto Plant and the Windsor Utilities Commission. His mother Louise Newsome was an accomplished organist who played at the B.M.E.Church and started the first music therapy program after seeing the positive effects it had on her youngest son.

He was married to Effie Kersey, also from Windsor and they had two children, Kenneth and Karen. Ken grew up in an upwardly mobile neighborhood and hung out with the smart set. His friends included other distinguished Windsorites such as David Croll, the former Mayor of Windsor and Federal Senator and sports star Fred Thomas. As a student at Patterson Collegiate, Ken was an outstanding athlete, and a member of the Student Council. He was considered one of the school’s best football players, and in August 1940, he also won the 120-yard low hurdles at the Ontario Athletic Commission Camp at Orillia.

It was during the Second World War that, in January 1943, after graduating High School, Ken decided to enlist with the RCAF. While Ken was accepted as a pilot, he was also recognized for his athletic abilities. At the No. 1 Training Command’s Second Annual Track and Field Meet (September 1943), Ken won the 120-yard hurdles, beating out Flying Officer Jim Worrall, a member of Canada’s Olympic team at Berlin, Germany in 1936.

Ken learned to fly at the No. 9 Elementary Flight Training School at St. Catherine’s, Ontario, and the No. 8 Service Flying Training School at Weyburn, Saskatchewan and earned his wings in June 1944. Because of his skills and ranking among the top of the class, Ken was commissioned as an officer. Because the RCAF was only sending a limited number of personal to Europe at that stage in the War, Ken was sent to Manitoba to fly for the No. 3 Wireless School at Winnipeg and to serve as an instructor at the No. 18 Service Flying Training School SFTS in Gimli. While playing football with the N. 3 Wireless School’s “Blue Bombers,” Ken broke his leg. With the war coming to an end, Ken was released from service on 30 April 1945.

Following the War, Ken Rock was able to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a doctor. With the financial support provided from the Veterans’ Grant Program, Ken was able to attend the University of Toronto. He also kept up his interest in sports, and in 1945, he won the Dominion Hurdles Championship at Hamilton, Ontario. After graduating from Medical School and completing his medical internship at Windsor, Ontario’s Hotel Dieu Hospital, Dr. Rock established his private practice in 1952: he maintained into the 1980s.

Dr. Rock also dedicated himself to community service. He provided medical care to offenders residing at “St. Leonard’s House;” was on the Board of Directors of “The Inn of Windsor,” a home for teenage girls; worked with the “House of Sophrosyne,” a residence for women recovering from addictions; and was known for taking groups of children to his cottage near North Bay to fish and swim. If that wasn’t enough service to community, Dr. Rock was on the Windsor Media Council, served as the Director of Clinical Services at the Metro Windsor and Essex County Health Unit, and as the first Black County Coroner in the County of Essex,Ontario.

Dr. William Kenneth Rock, MD, RCAF Veteran, Award Winning Athlete and community volunteer passed away on March 31, 1985.