Lieutenant Colonel A. Pryce-Jones
113th (Lethbridge Highlanders) Battalion

Why is it that we never hear our O.C. condemned for little things which are common in other units?

Answer: The men are just beginning to realize that he is every inch a gentleman, every fiber a soldier and above all, every ounce a man. Always ready to listen to any man’s story and just under all circumstances, he cannot but hold the respect of the men under his command.

(Lethbridge Highlander, 16 Sept 1916, 7)

Born in Newton, Wales on 26 May 1870, Albert W. Pryce-Jones was the son of Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones, a former Conservative member of the British House of Commons. He attended Cambridge University, became a noted sportsman and joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. He moved to Canada in 1910 and established the department store Pryce-Jones Ltd. in Calgary.

A militia officer in the 15th Light Horse, Pryce-Jones was appointed second-in-command of Lieutenant Colonel George B. McLeod’s 63rd Battalion in early 1915. By December, he was authorized to raise the 113th Highlanders from Lethbridge.

Departing overseas in September 1916, Pryce-Jones sent a message to the citizens of Alberta:

Whenever and wherever the Lethbridge Highlanders may be called upon to do their duty in this great struggle for freedom, I know that they will not fail to uphold the glorious record of those Canadians who have already preceded them to France!

The colonel’s twenty-year old son, Lieutenant Reginald Ernest “Rex” Pryce-Jones, who enlisted in December 1914, was one of those who had preceded the 113th to France. While fighting with the 50th Battalion, Rex was killed at the Somme on 18 November 1916.

Shortly after arriving in England, the 113th was absorbed into the 17th Reserve Battalion. Private F. Robinson wrote home to the Lethbridge Herald:

You will regret to learn that event closed the existence of the 113th as a battalion. Our colonel addressed us after the inspection… He was greatly disappointed at leaving us, and was much upset; but wished us luck and explained how urgent the need for drafts was, and thanked us all for loyal support.

After the breakup of the 113th, Pryce-Jones remained in England with reserve units before proceeding to France as a staff officer. He died on 17 August 1946.

Further Reading: LCol. Christopher Kilford, On the Way! (Trafford Publishing, 2004)