The battalion was raised at Calgary, and started recruitment in Alberta, on 7 November 1914.

[1][2] 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 RMS Carpathia, with a complement of 36 officers and 1033 other ranks.

[3] The bulk of the battalion returned to Canada on SS Cedric on 27 May 1919, and to Calgary on 1 June 1919, with the unit's disbandment occurring on 30 August 1920.

[2] Through the course of the First World War, the 31st Battalion suffered losses of 941 dead, and an additional 2,312 non-fatal casualties.