Vimy Week Stories - Privates Norman and Rollie Ash

Privates Rollie and Norman Ash were brothers from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, who served with the 26th Battalion (New Brunswick) during the First World War. As Black Canadians, they enlisted despite widespread discrimination and limited opportunities for Black volunteers at the time.

Norman, born on June 2, 1897, in Antigonish, was the fourth child of James and Ester Ash. He worked as a labourer and exaggerated his age by two years when he enlisted on July 6, 1916, at Truro, Nova Scotia, joining the 106th Battalion (Nova Scotia Rifles). His older brother Rollie, born on September 6, 1894, and employed as a horseman, enlisted just four days later. The 106th was one of very few units that accepted Black recruits—an estimated 16 Black soldiers were on its nominal roll. Coincidentally, No. 2 Construction Battalion, Canada’s only all-Black unit in the war, was authorized the day before Norman enlisted.

The brothers departed Halifax with the 106th aboard the SS Empress of Britain on July 15, 1916. Upon arrival in England, the unit was disbanded and its men reassigned. Norman and Rollie were transferred to the 26th Battalion and arrived in France on September 28, joining their new unit in the field by mid-October near Lens.

In January 1917, the 26th was stationed in northern France, rotating through the trenches around Lens. While large-scale combat was rare during the winter months, patrols and raids remained deadly. On January 16, 1917, Rollie took part in a trench raid and was reported missing, later presumed dead. His body was never recovered.

Norman remained with the battalion and fought in the successful assault on Vimy Ridge on April 9. Weeks later, while under heavy shelling near Neuville-St.-Vaast, he sustained a contusion to his left knee and was hospitalized at Saint-Cloud. After a month of recovery, he rejoined his unit in time to take part in the attack on Hill 70.

On August 15, 1917, the first day of the battle, the 26th advanced through heavy machine gun and rifle fire. After reaching their objective—an exposed stretch of shattered earth dubbed "Norman Trench"—the men dug in by hand while facing repeated German counter-attacks. Private Norman Ash was killed in the day’s fighting. Like his brother, his remains were never recovered.

Today, the Ash brothers are among a small number of Black Canadians commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Their names are engraved side by side on the monument, a lasting tribute to their sacrifice.

Explore the stories of the 11,285 Canadians commemorated on the Canadian National Vimy Memorial by using the Vimy: Living Memorial app. Download now to explore their legacies.

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