Battleford Light Infantry

A Saskatchewan-based Canadian military unit, the Battleford Light Infantry (BLI) was formed on July 3, 1905, as the 16th Mounted Horse. At the outbreak of World War I, the 16th Mounted Horse was combined with seven other militia cavalry units to form the 5th Battalion (Saskatchewan). Throughout the war, the 5th Battalion was consistently reinforced by men from northern Saskatchewan. The 5th Battalion served in France with the 2nd Infantry Brigade, 1st Canadian Division from February 14, 1915, until the Armistice. Following the war, the Saskatchewan Militia was reorganized, and from 1920 to 1924 all infantry soldiers in northern Saskatchewan were part of the North Saskatchewan Regiment. In 1924, three city-based infantry units were established: The Saskatoon Light Infantry (SLI); the Prince Albert Volunteers (PAV) and the Battleford Light Infantry (BLI). On September 1, 1939, the BLI was placed on active service for local protective duty. The BLI was disbanded in November 1945. In 1958, the BLI amalgamated with the SLI and the PAV to become the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the North Saskatchewan Regiment. In 1969, the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the North Saskatchewan Regiment amalgamated to form the North Saskatchewan Regiment “A” Company, headquartered Saskatoon, and “B” Company, headquartered in Prince Albert.

Peter Borch

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Further Reading

Bercuson, David J. 1994. Maple Leaf against the Axis: Canada's Second World War. Don Mills, ON: Stoddart; Blackburn, George G. 1996. The Guns of Victory: A Soldier's Eye View, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, 1944-45. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart; Worthington, Larry. 1965. Amid the Guns Below: The Story of the Canadian Corps, 1914-1919. Toronto, Montreal: McClelland and Stewart.