The 104th Regiment originated 1 April 1910 in New Westminster, BC. It was redesignated 15 December 1913 as the 104th Regiment Westminster Fusiliers of Canada. Canada, a Dominion of the British Empire, joined the declaration of war 4 August 1914. The 104th Regiment was placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties. The 01 September 1914 British Columbian reported that about 60 men signed a petition sent to the federal Minister of Militia asking for equipment and training for the Maple Ridge militia. By 13 November the Abbotsford Post reported that 60 “strapping sons of Maple Ridge including 32 from Whonnock… a strong company of highly patriotic men of enviable physique” were parading in the Haney Agricultural Hall for Colonel J D Taylor, Commanding Officer of the 104th New Westminster Regiment, and measuring for uniforms. Many Maple Ridge men from F Company of the 104th Regiment enlisted with the 47th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, which was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 13 November 1915.
Maple Ridge had a population under 3,000 people when war was declared 4 August 1914. Initially, recruits had to be men between the age of 18 and 45, but both underage and overage men lied about their age. Many of the men were brothers, cousins, former classmates, and local athletes. The 17 February 1917 Vancouver Daily World made the claim that the Port Haney Basketball Club had disbanded as they had “sent practically every eligible player to the firing line.” From Maple Ridge, over 200 men joined the military forces, 2 women joined as nurses, 2 women and 1 returned soldier were employed as munition workers and 6 men volunteered for home defenses. Of those, about 36 were killed or died as a result of the war. The initial sentiment of the Cenotaph committee was that the names of the soldiers were soldiers of Maple Ridge, however, research shows that some of the service men did not reside in Maple Ridge or Pitt Meadows prior to enlistment, but had relatives who were residents after the war.
