WW1 CEF 244th (Kitchener’s Own) Battalion sweetheart.

WW1 CEF 244th (Kitchener’s Own) Battalion sweetheart, high quality die struck gilded brass badge.

The battalion: The 244th (Kitchener’s Own) Battalion, CEF was a Canadian Expeditionary Force infantry unit based in Montreal, Quebec. It began recruiting in the spring of 1916 in Montreal and the surrounding district.  The unit was called “Kitchener’s Own” because it was officially authorised the day after Lord Kitchener was killed when the warship he was travelling on struck a mine  (HMS Hampshire, 5 June 1916).

After sailing to England in April 1917, the battalion was absorbed into the 23rd Reserve Battalion, CEF later that month , so it was one of many CEF units that never served as a distinct formation at the front, common for battalions raised later in the war once reinforcement drafts took priority over intact units going overseas. Its sole Officer Commanding was Lieut-Col. F.M. McRobie , and it’s perpetuated today by the Victoria Rifles of Canada, currently on the Supplementary Order of Battle .