The Grey Regiment was an infantry regiment of the

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent ...

of the Canadian Militia (now the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

). In 1936, the regiment was amalgamated with the Simcoe Foresters to form the

Grey and Simcoe Foresters The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Within the Canadian Army, it is part of the 4th Canadian Division's (formerly known as Land Force Central Area) 31 Canadian Brigade Group. Due to the rest ...

Lineage

The Grey Regiment

* Originated on 14 September 1866, in Owen Sound, Ontario, as the 31st Grey Battalion of Infantry * Redesignated on 8 May 1900, as the 31st Grey Regiment * Redesignated on 1 May 1920, as The Grey Regiment * Amalgamated on 15 December 1936, with The Simcoe Foresters and redesignated as The Grey and Simcoe Foresters

Perpetuations

* 147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF * 248th Battalion, CEF

History

Early history

With the passing of the Militia Act of 1855, the first of a number of newly-raised independent militia companies were established in and around the

Grey County Grey County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario. Grey County is also a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of t ...

region of

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(now the Province of Ontario). On 14 September 1866, the ''31st Grey Battalion of Infantry'' was authorized for service by the regimentation of five of these previously authorized independent militia rifle and infantry companies. Its regimental headquarters was at

Owen Sound Owen Sound ( 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi and Sydenham Rivers on an inlet of Georgian Bay. The primary tourist attractio ...

and companies at Owen Sound, Meaford,

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

and

Flesherton, Ontario Flesherton (population 584) is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, located at the junction of Highway 10 and Grey County Road 4 (formerly Highway 4). Although the area initially showed a high rate ...

South African War and early 1900s

During the South African War, the 31st Grey Battalion contributed volunteers for the Canadian Contingents serving overseas. On 8 May 1900, the 31st Grey Battalion of Infantry was redesignated as the 31st Grey Regiment.

Great War

During the First World War, the 31st Grey Regiment as a unit was not mobilized but when the Canadian Expeditionary Force was raised in September 1914, drafts from various units were called up and formed into numbered battalions. The 31st Grey Regiment in particular contributed drafts to help form the

15th Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), CEF The 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), CEF was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War. The 15th Battalion was authorized on 1 September 1914, embarked for Britain on 26 September 1914 and arrive ...

as part of the First Canadian Contingent (later the

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very shor ...

). On 22 December 1915, the ''147th (Grey) Battalion, CEF'' was authorized for service and on 14 November 1916, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. On 1 January 1917, the battalion’s personnel were absorbed by the 8th Reserve Battalion, CEF to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. On 1 September 1917, the 147th Battalion, CEF was disbanded. On 1 May 1917, the ''248th Battalion, CEF'' was authorized for service and on 2 June 1917, the battalion embarked for Great Britain. On 21 June 1917, the battalion’s personnel were absorbed by the 8th Reserve Battalion, CEF to provide reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field. On 15 September 1917, the 248th Battalion, CEF was disbanded.

1920s–1930s

On 1 May 1920, as a result of the

Otter Commission The Otter Commission, or Otter Committee, was established after the First World War to tackle a problem created by the chaotic mobilization of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. In 1919 units of the CEF, intended as a wartime expeditionary force, ret ...

and the following post-war reorganization of the militia, the 31st Grey Regiment was Redesignated as ''The Grey Regiment'' and was reorganized with two battalions (one of them a paper-only reserve battalion) to perpetuate the assigned war-raised battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As a result of the 1936 Canadian Militia reorganization, on 15 December 1936, The Grey Regiment was amalgamated with The Simcoe Foresters to form ''

The Grey and Simcoe Foresters The Grey and Simcoe Foresters is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces. Within the Canadian Army, it is part of the 4th Canadian Division's (formerly known as Land Force Central Area) 31 Canadian Brigade Group. Due to the rest ...

''.

Organization

31st Grey Battalion of Infantry (14 September 1866)

* Regimental Headquarters (

, Canada West) * No. 1 Company (Owen Sound) (first raised on 24 October 1862 as the ''Owen Sound Volunteer Militia Company of Infantry'') * No. 2 Company ( Meaford) (first raised on 17 October 1862 as the ''Meaford Volunteer Militia Rifle Company'') * No. 3 Company (

) (first raised on 30 January 1863 as the ''Leith Volunteer Militia Company of Infantry'') * No. 4 Company (

) (first raised on 6 February 1863 as the ''Durham Volunteer Militia Company of Infantry'') * No. 5 Company (Owen Sound) (first raised on 6 July 1866 as the ''Owen Sound Infantry Company'')

The Grey Regiment (1 March 1921)

* 1st Battalion (perpetuating the 14th Battalion, CEF) * 2nd (Reserve) Battalion (perpetuating the 248th Battalion, CEF)

Battle honours

Hill 70 The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France ...

Ypres, 1917 The Third Battle of Ypres (german: link=no, Dritte Flandernschlacht; french: link=no, Troisième Bataille des Flandres; nl, Derde Slag om Ieper), also known as the Battle of Passchendaele (), was a campaign of the First World War, fought by t ...

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

Arras, 1918 Arras 1918 was a battle honour awarded to units of the British and Imperial Armies that took part in one or more of the following engagements in World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one ...

Hindenburg Line The Hindenburg Line (German: , Siegfried Position) was a German defensive position built during the winter of 1916–1917 on the Western Front during the First World War. The line ran from Arras to Laffaux, near Soissons on the Aisne. In 1916 ...

Pursuit to Mons Pursuit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''Pursuit'' (1935 film), a 1935 American action film * ''Pursuit'' (1972 American film), a made-for-TV film directed by Michael Crichton * ''Pursuit'' (1972 Hong Kong film), a Shaw Brot ...

Notable members

* Major-General Sir Sam Steele * Private

Thomas William Holmes Thomas William Holmes VC (14 October 1898 – 4 January 1950) was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy ...

* Brigadier Thomas Rutherford

Notes and references

Former infantry regiments of Canada Military units and formations of Ontario Owen Sound {{DEFAULTSORT:Grey_Regiment