The Liverpool Pals were

Pals battalion The pals battalions of World War I were specially constituted battalions of the British Army comprising men who enlisted together in local recruiting drives, with the promise that they would be able to serve alongside their friends, neighbours an ...

s formed during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as part of the

King's (Liverpool) Regiment The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was one of the oldest line infantry regiments of the British Army, having been formed in 1685 when a single battalion was raised as The Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Princess Anne of Denmark's Regiment of Foot. ...

. They, along with the

Manchester Pals The Manchester Pals were pals battalions of the British Army raised in 1914 during the Great War, formed as part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. They were formed into eight battalions of the Manchester Regiment.Frederick, pp. 133–4.James, pp. ...

, are commemorated at a small memorial in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.Maddocks

Recruitment

The volunteers were initially sought at The Kings Regiment Liverpool HQ in St Anne Street on 28 August 1914, and were addressed by Lord Derby, who said:

I am not going to make you a speech of heroics. You have given me your answer, and I can telegraph to Lord Kitchener tonight to say that our second battalion is formed. This should be a Battalion of Pals, a battalion in which friends from the same office will fight shoulder to shoulder for the honour of Britain and the credit of Liverpool. I don’t attempt to minimise to you the hardships you will suffer, the risks you will run. I don’t ask you to uphold Liverpool’s honour, it would be an insult to think that you could do anything but that. But I do thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming here tonight and showing what is the spirit of Liverpool, a spirit that ought to spread through every city and every town in the kingdom.

Businesses had been asked to encourage their staff to enlist, and the volunteers were drawn from city offices and factories. Although similar events were held elsewhere, recruitment in Liverpool was said to be particularly strong. The numbers attending were far greater than anticipated, and extra rooms were opened up in order to enlist them. By November, enough volunteers had come forward to form four battalions. Barracks were created on disused sites at

Prescot Prescot is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It lies about to the east of Liverpool city centre. At the 2001 Census, the civil parish population was 11,184 (5,265 males, 5,919 femal ...

, Hooton,

Sefton Park Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a conservation district of the same name, It is the largest public park in Liverpool and the Liverpool City Region. Suburbs neighbouring the park include Toxteth, Aigb ...

and Knowsley Park before further training on

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

. They left for France in late 1915, and took part in some of the fiercest battles of the war, with heavy loss of life. Almost 200 of the Liverpool Pals were killed in one day, 1 July 1916, in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. At the end of the war, about 20% of the volunteers had been killed, and a further 50% injured. The Liverpool Pals consisted of: Frederick, p. 129.James, p. 52. * 17th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) (1st City), formed at

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, 29 August 1914 by

Lord Derby Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby (29 March 1799 – 23 October 1869), known as Lord Stanley from 1834 to 1851, was a British statesman and Conservative politician who served three times as Prime Minister of the United K ...

; reduced to cadre in France, June 1918; reconstituted from personnel of 28th (Service) Bn, King's (Liverpool Regiment), 3 July 1918; disbanded at

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, 13 September 1919 * 18th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) (2nd City), formed at Liverpool, 29 August 1914 by Lord Derby; absorbed 1/1st Lancashire Hussars 24 September 1917 and redesignated 18th (Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry) Bn; absorbed 13th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) (Pioneers) 13 August 1918; disbanded at

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town and civil parish (as just "Barrow") in the Westmorland and Furness district of Cumbria, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the county of Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borou ...

20 May 1919 * 19th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) (3rd City), formed at Liverpool, 29 August 1914 by Lord Derby; absorbed into 14th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) 31 July 1918 * 20th (Service) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment) (4th City), formed at Liverpool, 16 October 1914 by Lord Derby; disbanded in France 16 February 1918 * 21st (Reserve) Battalion – formed at Knowsley Park, August 1915 from depot companies of 17th and 18th Battalions; became 67th Training Reserve Battalion 1 September 1916; disbanded at Ripon 14 December 1917 * 22nd (Reserve) Battalion – formed at Knowsley Park, August 1915 from depot companies of 19th and 20th Battalions; became 68th Training Reserve Battalion 1 September 1916; disbanded at Ripon 14 December 1917

References

Bibliography

* J.B.M. Frederick, ''Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978'', Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3. * Brig E.A. James, ''British Regiments 1914–18'', London: Samson Books, 1978, ISBN 0-906304-03-2/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9. * Graham Maddocks, ''Liverpool Pals: 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th (Service) Battalions, The King's (Liverpool Regiment)'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2008, ISBN 978-1-84415641-2.

External links

Chris Baker, ''The Long, Long Trail''
*
BBC News OnlineLiverpool Echo
Pals battalions King's Regiment (Liverpool) Military units and formations in Liverpool Military units and formations in Lancashire {{UK-mil-stub