31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF: Difference between revisions

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[[File:31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF (emblem).jpg|thumb|left|The distinguishing patch of the 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF.]]
[[File:31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF (emblem).jpg|thumb|left|The distinguishing patch of the 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF.]]
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.


The '''31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF''', was an infantry battalion of the [[Canadian Expeditionary Force]] during [[the Great War]]. The Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 17 May 1915. On 18 September 1915 it disembarked in France, where it fought with the '''6th Infantry Brigade, [[2nd Canadian Division]]''' in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920.<ref>Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.</ref>
On 17 May 1915, the battalion sailed for [[England]] on the {{ship|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 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 {{ship|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.
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 Battalion recruited in Alberta and was mobilized at Calgary. <ref>Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109</ref>
A total of 4,487 men served in the battalion. The 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion CEF was disbanded on 15 September 1920.


The 31st battalion had three Officers Commanding:
==Perpetuation==
⚫
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 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/his/ol-lo/vol-tom-3/par1/arm-bli/SALH-eng.asp |title=DHH – Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments – Armour Regiments – The South Alberta Light Horse |author= |date=11 June 2010 |work=Official Lineages |publisher=Directorate of History and Heritage |accessdate=21 September 2011}}</ref>


*Lt.-Col. A.H. Bell, DSO, 29 May 1915-23 April 1918
⚫
== References ==
*Lt.-Col. E.S. Doughty, DSO, 23 April 1918-6 October 1918
⚫
* Singer, Major Horace C. (Ed. Darrell Knight) '' History of the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F. ''. (Calgary: Detselig Publishing, 2006). ISBN 1-55059-316-1.
*Lt.-Col. N. Spencer, DSO, 6 October 1918-Demobilization<ref>Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109</ref>
{{Reflist}}


The 31st Battalion was awarded the following honours:
⚫
[[Category:Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force]]


*[[Battle of Mont Sorrel|MOUNT SORREL]]
{{WWI-stub}}
*[[Battle of the Somme|SOMME, 1916]], [[Second Battle of the Somme (1918)|’18]]
*[[Battle of Flers-Courcelette|Flers-Courcelette]]
*[[Battle of Thiepval|Thiepval]]
*[[Battle of Ancre Heights|Ancre Heights]]
*[[Battle of Ancre|Ancre, 1916]]
*[[Battle of Arras (1917)|ARRAS, 1917]], [[Battle of Arras (1918)|'18]]
*[[Battle of Vimy Ridge|Vimy, 1917]]
*[[Battle of Arleux|Arleux]]
*[[Battle of Arras (1917)#Third Battle of the Scarpe (3–4 May 1917)|Scarpe, 1917]], [[Battle of the Scarpe (1918)|'18]]
*[[Battle of Hill 70|HILL 70]]
*[[Battle of Passchendaele|Ypres 1917]]
*[[Battle of Passchendaele|Passchendaele]]
*[[Battle of Amiens (1918)|AMIENS]]
*[[Drocourt-Quéant Line|Drocourt-Quéant]]
*[[Hindenburg Line|HINDENBURG LINE]]
*[[Battle of the Canal du Nord|Canal du Nord]]
*[[Battle of Cambrai (1918)|Cambrai, 1918]]
*[[Battle of Mons|PURSUIT TO MONS]]
*[[Western Front (World War I)|FRANCE AND FLANDERS, 1915-18]]<ref>Meek, John F. ''Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War.'' Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109</ref>

⚫
The 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF, is perpetuated by '''[[The South Alberta Light Horse]]'''. 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 South Alberta Light Horse (29th Armoured Regiment) in 1954.<ref>Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003/AF-001 Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments - Part One: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments</ref>

⚫
===References===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
⚫
*Singer, Major Horace C. (Ed. Darrell Knight) '' History of the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F. ''. (Calgary: Detselig Publishing, 2006). ISBN 1-55059-316-1.


[[Category:Military history of Canada]]
⚫
[[Category:Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force]]

Revision as of 16:39, 11 February 2014

31st Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
Active17 November 1914 – 15 September 1920
Disbanded15 September 1920
Country Canada
BranchCanadian Expeditionary Force
TypeInfantry
Size1,030 soldiers
Part of6th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division
Nickname(s)'Bell's Bulldogs'
Mascot(s)'Heinie' (Russian pony)
EngagementsSt. Eloi Craters, Ypres, Vierstraat, The Somme, Vimy Ridge, Lens, Passchendaele, Amiens, Arras, Cambrai, Valencienne, Mons
Battle honoursMount 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
Commanders
Notable
commanders		LCol Arthur Henry Bell, CMG, DSO
LCol Nelson Spencer
The distinguishing patch of the 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF.

The 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF, was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The Battalion was authorized on 7 November 1914 and embarked for Britain on 17 May 1915. On 18 September 1915 it disembarked in France, where it fought with the 6th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division in France and Flanders until the end of the war. The battalion was disbanded on 30 August 1920.[1]

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 Battalion recruited in Alberta and was mobilized at Calgary. [2]

The 31st battalion had three Officers Commanding:

  • Lt.-Col. A.H. Bell, DSO, 29 May 1915-23 April 1918
  • Lt.-Col. E.S. Doughty, DSO, 23 April 1918-6 October 1918
  • Lt.-Col. N. Spencer, DSO, 6 October 1918-Demobilization[3]

The 31st Battalion was awarded the following honours:

The 31st Battalion (Alberta), CEF, is perpetuated by The South Alberta Light Horse. 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 South Alberta Light Horse (29th Armoured Regiment) in 1954.[5]

References

  1. ^ Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003 Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces. Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments.
  2. ^ Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109
  3. ^ Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109
  4. ^ Meek, John F. Over the Top! The Canadian Infantry in the First World War. Orangeville, Ont.: The Author, 1971. ISBN 0906158109
  5. ^ Canadian Forces Publication A-DH-267-003/AF-001 Volume 3: Combat Arms Regiments - Part One: Armour, Artillery and Field Engineer Regiments

Sources

  • Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 by Col. G.W.L. Nicholson, CD, Queen's Printer, Ottawa, Ontario, 1962
  • Singer, Major Horace C. (Ed. Darrell Knight) History of the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F. . (Calgary: Detselig Publishing, 2006). ISBN 1-55059-316-1.
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