| 31st Battalion
Canadian Expeditionary Force |
|
|---|---|
| Active | 17 November 1914 – 15 September 1920 |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 1,030 soldiers |
| Part of | 6th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division |
| Nickname | 'Bell's Bulldogs' |
| Mascot | 'Heinie' (Russian pony) |
| Engagements | St. Eloi Craters, Ypres, Vierstraat, The Somme, Vimy Ridge, Lens, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, Valencienne, Mons |
| Battle honours | Mount Sorrel, Somme, 1916, Flers-Courcelette, Thiepval Ridge, Ancre Heights, Arras, 1917, '18, Vimy, 1917, Arleux, Scarpe, 1917, Hill 70, Ypres, 1917, Passchendaele, Somme, 1918, Amiens, Scarpe, 1918, Drocourt-Quéant, Hindenburg Line, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, 1918, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders, 1915–18 |
| Disbanded | 15 September 1920 |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
LCol Arthur Henry Bell, CMG, DSO LCol Nelson Spencer |
The 31st Battalion, CEF was raised as one of the four fighting battalions destined for the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division Canadian Expeditionary Force, on 15 March 1915. The battalion commander until late in the war was Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Henry Bell of Calgary.
On 17 May 1915, the battalion sailed for England on the RMS Carpathia, with a complement of 36 officers and 1033 other ranks.
After initial training in England, the battalion fought in Belgium and France, and was often at the forefront of the fighting at St. Eloi Craters, the Ypres Salient, Vimy Ridge (Thélus Village), Fresnoy, the Somme, Passchendaele Village, the Battle of Amiens, the Battle of Arras, Drocourt-Quéant Switch, Valenciennes, Mons, and the occupation of the Rhine.
The bulk of the battalion returned to Canada on the SS Cedric on 27 May 1919, and to Calgary on 1 June 1919. Through the course of World War I, the 31st Battalion suffered losses of 941 dead, and an additional 2,312 non-fatal casualties.
A total of 4,487 men served in the battalion. The 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion CEF was disbanded on 15 September 1920.
Perpetuation of the 31st Battalion was assigned to The Alberta Regiment in 1920. When this regiment split in two in 1924, both The South Alberta Regiment and The North Alberta Regiment carried the perpetuation. The North Albertas disbanded in 1936. The South Alberta Regiment merged into the The South Alberta Light Horse (29th Armoured Regiment) in 1954, and this regiment (now simply "The South Alberta Light Horse") carries on the perpetuation of the 31st Battalion, CEF, and has the battalion's battle honours on its guidon.[1]