The Leeds Pals (eBook)

Many men and boys from Leeds enlisted as volunteer soldiers at the outset of the First World War as part of the national phenomenon of 'Pals' that sprang up across the Britain. The Leeds Pals, who made up the 15th Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own) West Yorkshire Regiment (the City Battalion), trained in rugged Colsterdale and at Ripon, guarded the Suez Canal and were changed irrevocably by their experiences during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 when, on the first day, the battalion was devastated. Who were these men? How did their experiences resonate in Leeds? What impact did they have on the city itself? Using unpublished archive sources and original research, this book adds to our knowledge of the Leeds Pals through case studies and historical overview, revealing how the city treated this one battalion at the expense of others.

The Leeds Pals Research Group formed in January 2014 to work with Leeds Museums & Galleries and Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty's HLF-funded project WW1 Nidderdale. The group wanted to research the lives of members of the Leeds Pals, connecting the city of Leeds to site of their training camp in Nidderdale. The researchers run a website www.leedspalsvolunteeresearchers.wordpress.com which hosts some of their research - particularly profiles of individual soldiers.