World War I

Lethbridge's contribution to the effort in the First World War was very large. Almost as soon as the war began, 1875 Lethbridgians. joined the armed forces. This was 20 percent of the city's population, the largest per capita enlistment of any Canadian city. Artillery units which served from Lethbridge included the 25th Battery, the 39th Battery, the 61st Battery, and the 78th Battery of the Canadian Field Artillery. The "A" Company of the 31st Alberta Battalion and some of the 50th Battalion and 13th Canadian Mounted Rifles were also manned by soldiers from Lethbridge. Two military units, the 113th Battalion Lethbridge Highlanders and a home guard to protect the CPR bridge, were stationed in Lethbridge during the war. At the end of World War I, approximately 2600 men and women had served in the war, and 261 of them had died for their country.

P19705549000-GA War memorial issued to the families of a fallen soldier

Lethbridge also had its first experience with intern camps during World War I. The first intern camp in Alberta was formed in Lethbridge to house Austrians, Hungarians, and Turks who were thought to pose a danger to peace on the home front. The camp operated from September 30, 1914 to November 11, 1916, and at its peak it housed over 300 prisoners. For Lethbridge it was a preview for the even larger contribution that it would make in World War II.

P19683508000-GA, Soldiers who grew bored in the trenches of World War I would often create art out of materials at hand.