The 97th Battalion was authorized on 22 December 1915 and embarked for Britain in May 1916, but was halted in Aldershot, Nova Scotia when the American government protested the title of ‘American Legion,’ as the country was officially a neutral state.
Finally the designation ‘American Legion’ was dropped and the unit could proceed overseas.
[3] The 97th Battalion was awarded the battle honour THE GREAT WAR 1916.
[3] The 97th Battalion (American Legion), CEF is not perpetuated by any Canadian Army unit.
Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962