Black History Month: Honouring the life and service of Sergeant Arthur Wallace Eatman (1920–1943)
The New Brunswick Museum recently acquired a significant collection of militaria relating to Abner Barnett Belyea (1893–1990), a New Brunswick First World War veteran. Among the archival material (or fonds) are several photographs sent to him by his half-brother, Russell Vernon Belyea (1920–2003), who enlisted with the Carleton & York Regiment. Taken together, these images offer a rare and powerful glimpse into military life on the eve of the Second World War and preserve the story of a New Brunswick soldier whose service might otherwise have gone unseen.
The photographs were taken in the fall of 1939 during military training at the Carleton and York Regimental Depot in Woodstock, New Brunswick. They document the participation of a New Brunswick Black recruit, Arthur Wallace Eatman, who was born on 15 May 1920 in Fredericton, NB, the son of James Wallace Eatman and Thursa Levina Wright.
Eatman enlisted on 3 September 19391 in Woodstock, NB, and like Belyea, was also the son of a First World War veteran. He quickly demonstrated skill and leadership, rising through the ranks from Private to Corporal in 1940, and then to Sergeant by 1942.
In 1943, the Carleton & York Regiment participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily. During a reconnaissance patrol on 22 July 1943, twenty-eight men from A Company under Eatman’s command were tasked with checking a nearby residence for enemy forces. The patrol did not return. The following day, five bodies – including Eatman’s – were recovered; another soldier’s remains were never found. The remaining twenty-two men were taken prisoner2. Eatman was laid to rest in the Agira Canadian War Cemetery in Sicily, Italy3.
Two of Eatman’s brothers also enlisted during the Second World War: Private Dubert Mansfield Eatman served with the Canadian Forestry Corps, No. 4, and Private Harry Ellis Eatman served with the U.S. Army’s 304th Bombardment Group, Army Air Forces. Their father, James Wallace Eatman (1882–1956), served in the First World War. He enlisted with the 104th Battalion, later transferring to the 140th Overseas Battalion and then the 25th Battalion in France. He participated in the capture of Vimy Ridge in 1917 and was wounded at the Battle of Passchendaele4.
An estimated 1,300 to 1,400 Black Canadians served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Of these, approximately 800 soldiers were posted to the No. 2 Construction Battalion, the only segregated unit during the conflict, while others served in various units across the Canadian Armed Forces5. There were no segregated units during the Second World War; however, discriminatory policies and attitudes continued to limit opportunities and placements for those who were historically marginalized.
Despite enduring significant barriers, the Eatman family – like many other New Brunswick families – answered the call to serve in the Allied forces and to defend Canada in both world wars. Their service, however, came at a profound cost. At just twenty-three years of age, Arthur Wallace Eatman had not only earned the rank of Sergeant, but had also been entrusted with the command of a mission. He was one of more than 44,000 Canadians from all walks of life, regions, ethnicities, and linguistic backgrounds who died during the Second World War, leaving behind stories that continue to shape our understanding of service, sacrifice, and remembrance.
