WW1 CEF 143rd Infantry Battalion, ‘B.C Bantams’ cap badge.

Lovely looking badge with just the right age patina.

The 143rd Battalion (British Columbia Bantams), CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during World War I. It was one of the Bantam Battalions, meaning it was composed of men who were below the standard height requirement for military service (typically under 5 feet 4 inches). The battalion was raised in British Columbia in 1916, primarily recruiting from Victoria and Vancouver.

However, like many other Bantam units, the 143rd Battalion faced difficulties in maintaining its numbers due to the challenges of finding enough physically small but otherwise fit recruits. As a result, the unit never served as a complete battalion overseas. Instead, it was absorbed into the 24th Reserve Battalion, CEF, in England on February 11, 1917, to reinforce other Canadian units at the front.

The commanding officer of the 143rd Battalion was Lieutenant-Colonel R. G. Maynard.

Code: 64402