Cap Badge - 208th (Canadian Irish, Toronto) Battalion, CEF The 208th (Canadian Irish) Battalion, CEF was a unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the unit began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16 in that city and the surrounding district. After sailing to England in May 1917, the battalion was absorbed into the 2nd and 8th Reserve Battalions on January 3, 1918.