William Henry Bundy and Allan Bundy

The Bundy Family

WILLIAM BUNDY

William Bundy was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 7 March 1885. After he finished school, he left Halifax and moved to Amherst, where he worked as a moulder on construction jobs. In 1916, at age 31, he joined the Royal Engineers, as a private in No. 2 Construction Battalion. Although there were exceptions, Black men were typically restricted to service in manual labour or service units during the war, and No. 2 Construction was the only all-black battalion in the Canadian Corps.

Private Bundy left for England in March 1917, and his battalion was sent to France two months later in May. The men were attached to the Canadian Forestry Corps, and worked logging and producing timber. Having a steady supply of wood was essential to maintain the infrastructure in the front lines and in support positions. Trenches were reinforced with wood beams; dangerous ground was covered in wooden walkways; railways needed wooden railway ties to transport food and ammunition to the trenches.

Private Bundy was demobilized at the end of the war, and moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. There, he settled down and became a firefighter for the Department of National Defence, protecting ammunition stores. He met his wife shortly after the war, and they had four children: Allan Selwynn, Carl, Milton, and Lillian.

Black and white photograph. A trench with a wooden walkway. Two men stand underneath a wooden "bridge". Others peek out from bunk holes built into the sandbagged wall. — Trench Work, February 1918

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Black and white print ad. A recruitment advertisement for the No. 2 Construction Battalion. Large bold print, no images. — No. 2 Battalion Recruitment Poster

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Black and white photograph. A large group of majority black men sit for a group photo. Most are wearing long military coats. Trees and rooftops are visible in the background. — No. 2 Construction Battalion, 'A' Company

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Black and white photograph. Members of the Canadian Forestry Corps sit for a group photo on top of building materials. Their uniforms are of differing quality; both black and white men are part of the group. — Members of the Canadian Forestry Corps in France

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ALLAN BUNDY

Born in 1920, William’s son Allan Bundy excelled in sports and his academic work. He eventually won an Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire scholarship to attend Dalhousie University, where he studied chemistry in order to become a doctor.

When the war broke out Allan wanted to serve in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). However, he was rejected at the recruiting station while his white friend was accepted immediately. Bundy tried again at another recruiting station in Halifax; he was informed that black men were not allowed to serve in the RCAF, unless they wanted to work as a cook or clerk.

In 1940, Bundy received a conscription notice from the army, which he ignored. A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer visited him, but on hearing that he had tried to enlist and was rejected because of racist recruiting policies, he did not arrest him, or force him to enlist in the infantry. When the policies targeting black men were rescinded in 1942, Bundy immediately enlisted, and received his flight training. He was such an exceptional student that he was given an officers commission immediately after he graduated.

Pilot Officer (P/O) Bundy was posted overseas in December 1943. He took additional training to become a combat pilot, and spent several weeks learning how to fly and fight in a two-person aircraft called the Bristol Beaufighter. Allan Bundy became the first black Canadian military combat pilot to serve with the RCAF during the Second World War. His training complete, he was ready to be assigned to an operational unit. However, no white officer would agree to be his navigator until Flight Sergeant Elwood Wright agreed to be his partner just before P/O Bundy was reassigned to a different unit and a different job.

Bundy and Wright were posted to Scotland in September 1944 to fly Beaufighters as well as de Havilland Mosquitos during coastal combat with the 404 Squadron. Their job was to protect the coasts of Scotland by harassing and sinking enemy ships coming from occupied Norway, as well as disrupting German shipping. During their first mission, the squad destroyed two enemy ships. Bundy and Wright would go on to fly 43 more missions together before the end of the war.

Black and white headshots. Left: a head shot of Allen Bundy in his air force uniform. His pilot wings are clearly visible. Right: a civilian photo of Allen in civilian clothing. — Allan Bundy

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An artist's rendering (in colour sketch) of the planes of 404 squadron attacking German shipping boats. One plane is in the foreground, with others visible in the distance, flying over large cargo ships. Smoke billows off of one of the ships. — Beaufighters of 404 Squadron RCAF

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Black and white photograph. About 60 members of 404 squadron pose for a group shot in front of a Beaufighter. Men are lined up in front of the plane and also sitting on the engines and standing on the wings. — 404 Squadron and a Beaufighter

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LIFE AFTER WAR

In August 1945, P/O Bundy was demobilised, and returned to Amherst. In December 1950, the Bundy family sadly lost both Private William Henry Bundy, and his youngest son, Milton Bundy, in the Halifax’s Kay Department Store fire. Ten people perished in the disaster. Milton had been too young to join the RCAF with his older brother, but had been an air cadet for the duration of the war. William and Milton were buried next to one another in Camp Hill Cemetery.

Allan Bundy eventually met his wife Marie, and the pair moved to Toronto. There, Allan worked as a supervisor in a manufacturing company, and was active in his local Legion. He also enjoyed playing golf. In a newspaper interview given in the 1970s, he said that he went to sleep dreaming of flying every night. He passed away on 9 December 2001, at the age of 81.