The 137th Battalion, CEF, was a unit in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Based in Calgary, Alberta, the unit began recruiting in late 1915 in that city. After sailing to England in August 1916, the battalion was absorbed into the

21st Reserve Battalion First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

on January 10, 1917. The 137th Battalion, CEF, had one officer commanding: Lieutenant-Colonel G.W. Morfitt. The perpetuation of the battalion was assigned in 1920 to the 5th Battalion, the Calgary Regiment. When the regiment was split in 1924, the perpetuation passed to the 3rd Battalion, the Calgary Regiment. This regiment, now the King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC), still perpetuates the 137th Battalion, CEF. In 1967, members of the 137th Battalion CEF Association raised funds and erected a memorial to the unit on the west side of North Glenmore Park, in Calgary. Members of the King's Own Calgary Regiment commemorate the sacrifices of their fallen comrades each

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...

by sending a contingent to the memorial and conducting a small ceremony of remembrance. The 137th (Calgary) Battalion CEF is one of only four units whose glyphs survive on the hillside at

Battalion Park Battalion Park is a geoglyph site in southwest Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is located on Signal Hill, overlooking the Tsuu T'ina Nation (formerly Sarcee Nation), as well as lands formerly known as Camp Sarcee and later Sarcee Training Area, a m ...

in the neighbourhood of Signal Hill, Calgary.

References

Suggested Reading on the 137th Battalion including Harvey Daniel Duncan's diary of camp life and war on the battlefield. * Bagley, Fred and Duncan, Dr. Harvey Daniel ''A Legacy of Courage'' "Calgary's Own" 137th Overseas Battalion, C.E.F. 1993 * Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. {{DEFAULTSORT:137th (Calgary) Battalion, Cef Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force King's Own Calgary Regiment