‘It means a lot for our family’s heritage and the traditions that we were taught when we grew up’Published Jun 12, 2025 • Last updated 52 minutes ago • 5 minute readWreaths placed in front of the Miners Monument on Wednesday during a Davis Day ceremony in New Waterford — which also marked 100 years since William Davis was fatally shot during a miners strike march at Waterford Lake. Photo by IAN NATHANSON /Cape Breton PostStanding the gaff. Remember the miner.That rallying cry and a mournful Leon Dubinsky-penned song, respectively, loomed large over Wednesday’s New Waterford commemoration of 100 years to the day since coal miner William Davis was fatally shot by a British Empire Steel and Coal Company police force member during a protest march at Waterford Lake in the New Victoria area.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentRead More IN PHOTOS: Davis Day marks 100th anniversary Descendants of William Davis feel commemoration of Cape Breton’s Davis Day deserves day-long holiday Davis Day 100th anniversary essay winners announced What became known every June 11 as Davis Day, or Miners’ Memorial Day, annually pays tribute to the 37-year-old father of nine, with a 10th child on the way, and whose untimely death wound up becoming a contributing factor to the advancement of workers’ rights.BEARS NAME OF GREAT-GRANDFATHERFor a Davis descendant who bears the same name as his coal miner great-grandfather, honouring 100 years since that fateful day meant not just remembering his sacrifice but ensuring the day would not be forgotten among his family members.“It means a lot for our family’s heritage and the traditions that we were taught when we grew up,” said Davis, who along with wife Anne Marie, travelled from Derby, Conn., to attend the commemoration.Article content William Davis, right, of Connecticut with his wife, Anne Marie, attend a Davis Day church service in New Waterford on Wednesday. William is a great-grandson of the late New Waterford miner of the same name killed during a miners strike riot in 1925. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST“As time passes by, people tend to forget the struggles and what our forefathers went through to set the place where we are now. Without (William Davis’s) sacrifice and without the things that were done by all miners and unions at the time, we would be essentially working for nothing under companies.“The structure of the mining culture back then was basically servitude. You made a small wage that went to the house that (the company) owned and shop in the store that they owned. So they gave you a little bit of money — but you gave it all back anyway.”And although he’ll identify himself as Bill Davis, just carrying the name of his great-grandfather bears a honour itself.“I’m pretty proud of it,” he said. “My dad was William Davis. I’m William Davis. My son is William Davis. My grandson is William Davis. So we’ve made sure the name carries on.”Article content Rev. Dana Feltmate of Port Morien presides over a Calvin United Church service for Davis Day on Wednesday, surrounded by members of The Men of the Deeps. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST‘HOTBED OF CONTENTION’Rev. Dana Feltmate of Port Morien wanted to let people know that Davis Day, or Miners’ Memorial Day, honoured the sacrifice of one miner but in the process became a day to honour miners across Nova Scotia, and also in New Brunswick, who lost their lives working in coal mines.“At the beginning, it was used as a get-together, as a time to remember William — and later, it changed, it evolved, and we remembered all miners who had died while working,” Feltmate told gatherers and Davis descendants who attended the morning service at Calvin United Church.“It became a hotbed of contention for the union with radical left and the more moderate. Over the years, politicians jumped in at different times to use this platform to push their causes.“(But) I think we got back a little bit to who we are and who we’re supposed to be.”Article content Four granddaughters of the late William Davis — from left, Lorraine Head, Norma MacDonald, Sharon Hines and Evelyn McLeod — join a number of dignitaries at Davis Square in New Waterford as part of the 100th anniversary of Davis’s death on Wednesday. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTAs William Davis’s four granddaughters — Lorraine Head, Sharon Hines, Norma MacDonald and Evelyn McLeod — joined local government representatives, NDP MLA Kendra Coombes, provincial NDP Leader Claudia Chender, and various union representatives, guest speaker Cecil E. Roberts, the UMWA’s outgoing international president, brought into context what Davis Day represents.“On June 11, 1925, thousands of our union brothers and sisters in Cape Breton, on strike and deprived of basic human necessities, marched to the company’s power facility outside New Waterford in an attempt to restore power and water,” said Roberts, who will be retiring from his position in October. Cecil E. Roberts, outgoing international president of the United Mine Workers of America, was guest speaker during the Davis Day commemoration at New Waterford’s Davis Square on Wednesday. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST“On that dark day, the cowardly and tyrannical company police opened fire on the unarmed miners, killing William Davis and wounding many others. Brother Davis was a skilled worker, union activist, husband and father whose life was tragically cut short, but his name became a rallying cry for the oppressed miners across Canada, his sacrifice became a symbol of the determination and struggles of his union brothers and sisters.Article content“Later that year, June 11 was declared Davis Day in remembrance of his ultimate sacrifice. On this day, the 100th anniversary of his death, we continue to honour his death sacrifice.”PROCESSION ALONG PLUMMER AVENUEAdding to the day’s commemoration, The Men of the Deeps performed as part of the Calvin church service and joined students from the Breton Education Centre high school band at the Davis Square ceremony. Bagpipers led a procession from the Hudson Street church along Plummer Avenue to the area where a Miners Monument and Standing the Gaff plaque are located.Davis descendants, local and provincial politicians and organizations, a Men of the Deeps singer, and union representatives from Canada and the U.S. all laid wreaths in front of the Miners Monument. A portion of the crowd, including descendants of the late William Davis, take in Wednesday’s commemoration of Davis Day, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of his fatal shooting, at Davis Square in New Waterford. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTIMPORTANCE FOR YOUNGER PEOPLETo emphasize that importance, The Men of the Deeps performed the likes of Remember the Miner (which name-checks William Davis) and Rita MacNeil’s Working Man, along with a duet between BEC band singer, Grade 10 student Madison MacIsaac, and miners chorale singer Mickey MacIntyre covering another Leon Dubinsky classic, Rise Again.Article contentStephen Muise, musical director for The Men of the Deeps — and whose father, the late Wilfred (Yogi) Muise taught a coal mining course during his teaching tenure at BEC, added that young people need to keep Davis Day commemorations and spirit alive.“There’s still more to come,” he told spectators at Davis Square, “and it’s important that Davis Day is understood from our youth.“They’re not around to see the coal mines anymore. We were, but our young ones aren’t. So it’s very important that our high school students here be present and part of this.”Many of the spectators attending Wednesday’s event brought their children to watch the ceremony — which gave McLeod a good feeling.She feels children today should be learning about the history of coal mining — and how Davis Day fits into that history.“Yes, that should be taught in the schools,” she said. “Even though there are no more mines, they have to know back from years ago what happened.“We’ve had great support from the UMWA. They’ve kept it (going), and they promised us it was going to keep going on. I certainly hope it does, because we’re getting older, and now the younger people are coming up behind. I have children and grandchildren coming up behind me.”If the Britain-born Davis were still alive today, MacDonald said later, she believed he would be chuffed by all the tributes.“I think he’d be very proud of all of his family that was here today,” she said, “and that in the last few days, how we’ve come together as a family to celebrate him and to remember him.”Article content
Davis Day honours 100 years since fatal shooting
