31st Overseas Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force
[Alberta Regiment]
31st Battalion Relieving the 28th Battalion
Guarding the Bonn Bridge after the Armistice
|
The 31st Battalion C.E.F. was officially raised on 17 November, 1914 with Headquarters in Calgary, Alberta. The first Commanding officer was Lieutenant-Colonel A. H. Bell, who was formerly of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians). The 31st Battalion was part of the 6th Infantry Brigade of the Second Canadian Division. The 6th Brigade later became known as the ‘Iron Sixth’ and the 31st Battalion had been nicknamed ‘Bell’s Bulldogs’ after their Commanding Officer.
The 31st Battalion C.E.F. sailed from Quebec on 17 May 1915 to Plymouth Sound, England, docking at Devonport at 1415 hours on 28 May to a hearty welcome from the people of the Mother Country. The Battalion trained in England until their arrival in France on 18 September 1915.
The 31st Battalion C.E.F. had a reputation as an effective and fierce fighting unit that was shared with the sister units of the Sixth Brigade. The 31st Battalion never surrendered any ground during the war and served in many famous battles such as Vimy and Passchendaele. In the Battle of Passchendaele, the 31st Battalion had the honour of capturing the village of Passchendaele. The Battalion earned 19 Battle Honours during the Great War, 10 of which appear on the Regimental Guidon of the South Alberta Light Horse.
31st Battalion Colours
|
The Colours of the 31st Battalion C.E.F. were consecrated and presented to the Battalion in front of Namur Cathedral, Namur, Belgium on 6 April 1919. On the following day the 13th Belgian Regiment of the Line relieved Canadians of their final posts and the 31st Battalion soon after began the long journey home, arriving in Calgary, Alberta on 1 June 1919.
The history of the 31st Battalion C.E.F. has many proud moments on the battlefields of Europe. The men of the Battalion also excelled at sports. The unit won several awards in individual and platoon/company shooting competitions. The unit also played several matches in team sports against Canadian Corps and Allied units, winning the Corps Football Championship in 1919. The unit’s history is extensively covered in the book History of the 31st Canadian Infantry Battalion C.E.F. by Major H.C. Singer 20th Field Battery R.C.A.
The 31st Overseas Battalion C.E.F. had 4,487 soldiers serve between the time the unit departed Canada and its demobilization on 1 June 1919. There were 941 fatal casualties and 2,312 non-fatal casualties suffered by the Battalion. The Regimental Colours were laid up in Pro-Cathedral of the Redeemer on 19 July, 1919 and were received by Rt. Rev. Cyprian Pinkham the Anglican Bishop of Calgary the father of Lieutenant E.F. Pinkham an officer of the 31st who was killed on the Somme 15 September 1916.
Decorations and Awards of 31st Battalion C.E.F.
C.M.G.
O.B.E.
M.B.E.
D.S.O.
Bar to D.S.O.
M.C.
Bar to M.C.
D.C.M.
M.M.
Bar to M.M.
M.S.M.
Mentioned in Despatches
French Croix de Guerre
French Medaille Militaire
French Medaille d'Honneur avec Glaives (en Argent)
Belgian Croix de Guerre
Belgian Decoration Militaire
Russian Cross of St. George
|
1
3
1
6
1
47
5
29
223
13
8
36
1
1
1
6
1
2
|
Second Canadian Division
Fourth Canadian Infantry Brigade
18th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [West Ontario]
19th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Ontario]
20th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [North & Central Ontario]
21st Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Eastern Ontario]
Fifth Canadian Infantry Brigade
22nd Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [French Canadians]
24th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Victoria Rifles]
25th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Nova Scotia]
26th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [New Brunswick]
Sixth Canadian Infantry Brigade
27th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Winnipeg]
28th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [North-West]
29th Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Vancouver]
31st Overseas Battalion C.E.F. [Alberta]
|
