WW1 CEF 79th (Manitoba) Battalion collar/sweetheart.

 WW1 CEF 79th (Manitoba) Battalion, white metal , probably silver collar turned sweetheart.

Maple leaf shape topped with a King’s (Tudor) crown, meaning it dates to before 1953 and, given the unit’s short existence, specifically to 1915–1916

“79 OVERSEAS BATTALION” arched around a standing buffalo/bison, with “MANITOBA” on a bar below and “CANADA” on a scroll at the base

Pin-back fitting on the reverse, standard for a sweetheart brooch rather than a soldier’s issue badge (issue badges from this era more typically used lugs or a slider)

The unit

The 79th (Manitoba) Battalion was raised at Brandon starting in July 1915, built around the 99th Manitoba Rangers. It recruited across Manitoba, mustered roughly 1,095 other ranks, and sailed from Halifax on the troopship Lapland on 25 April 1916, arriving in the UK on 5 May. Rather than serving as a fighting unit in France, it fed reinforcements into the Canadian Corps until being absorbed into the 17th Reserve Battalion on 12 July 1916, and was formally disbanded in October 1917. The buffalo emblem reflects Manitoba’s provincial symbol.

Because the battalion existed for barely two years and never went to France as a unit, surviving badges are relatively scarce.