Ben helped organize a commemoration for the forgotten soldiers of the 259th Battalion, who mutinied in downtown Victoria in 1918 while embarking for Vladivostok, Russia.
By Victoria News staff writer, December 21, 2011
Ninety-three years ago a group of French-Canadian conscripted soldiers staged a mutiny at the corner of Fort and Quadra streets.
Despite refusing, the mutineers were forced to head overseas to fight in a Russian civil war. The men, who were in their 20s and 30s, were also sentenced to between 30 days and three years of hard labour.
To honour their memory, Victoria residents gathered at that same corner Wednesday morning (Dec. 21). Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt was among those demanding a formal apology for the soldiers’ families, and asking that the soldiers receive a pardon for being wrongly convicted of mutiny.
