The 173rd Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force

Canadian Expeditionary Force

The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...

 during the First World War. One of a number of Highlander battalions in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, it was based in Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton, Ontario

Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...

and began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16. The unit sailed to England in November 1916. On January 17, 1917, it arrived at Bramshott where on January 19 it became part of the 2nd Reserve Battalion of the 6th Reserve Brigade. The 2nd Reserve Battalion was designated to supply drafts for the 125th and 116th Battalions, CEF. The 173rd (Highlanders) Battalion had one Officer Commanding: Lieut-Col. W. H. Bruce.