This is a list of pals battalions (also called "service" or "locally raised" battalions) of the British Army during the First World War. Pre-war Territorial Force (T.F.) battalions have not been included, although they too usually recruited from a specific area or occupation. The 69 line infantryregiments formed 142 locally raised battalions and 68 local reserve battalions.[1] The Guards Regiments[2] and the regiments formed only from Territorial Force battalions[3][a] did not form pals battalions.
History
Lord Kitchener was one of the few people in 1914 to realise that the First World War was not going to be a short one; he believed that it would last three years and would require an army of 70 divisions. He eschewed the Territorial Force – partly due to the limitations imposed by its terms of service but also due to the poor impression he formed when observing the French Territorials in the Franco-Prussian War – and did not make use of the framework envisioned by Haldane's Reforms. He launched his appeal for 100,000 volunteers on 7 August 1914 to form a first New Army of six divisions (and support units) and within a few days this target had been reached; by the end of September, half a million volunteers had come forward to form the New Armies.[1]
Each of the 69 line infantry regiments raised one battalion for the First (K1)[b] and for the Second New Armies (K2)[c] designated as "service" battalions and numbered after the existing Territorial Force battalions of their parent regiments. This rigid structure did not take account of the differing ability of regiments to raise troops based upon the population of their recruiting areas. Therefore, the Third New Army (K3) had a much higher proportion of battalions from the more populous north of England, notably Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland. The Fourth New Army (K4) was formed from men of the Reserve and Special Reserve battalions which were over establishment. Originally formed into the 30th – 35th Divisions, these were broken up so the battalions could train recruits and send drafts to the first three New Armies.[1]
While the first four New Armies were being raised, a number of "service" battalions were also being raised by committees in cities and towns, and by other organizations and individuals. These units were recruited on a more narrow basis than usual, such as men who worked in a specific occupation or at a certain business, and were popularly known as "pals battalions". These were housed, clothed and fed by their committees until the War Office took them over in 1915 and the raisers' expenses were refunded. These units formed the Fifth and Sixth New Armies (later called the new Fourth and Fifth New Armies when the original Fourth New Army was broken up).[1]
The locally recruited battalions also formed depot companies and in 1915 these were grouped into "reserve" battalions to provide reinforcements for their parents. They became part of the Training Reserve on 1 September 1916.[12]
Units
The recruitment of pals battalions was confined to the 69 line infantryregiments of the British Army. The Guards Regiments[2] and regiments formed only from Territorial Force battalions[3][a] did not form any pals battalions. Amongst the line infantry regiments, there was considerable variation in the number of battalions recruited, depending upon the population of the regiment's recruiting areas. No pals battalions were raised in the more rural areas of England, the Scottish Highlands, or Ireland.
In all, 142 "service" battalions and 68 "reserve" battalions were formed.[1]
Formations
The pals battalions formed the bulk of the infantry for the divisions of the Fifth New Army (30th, 31st, 32nd, 33rd, 34th, and 35th) and the Sixth New Army (36th (Ulster), 37th, 38th (Welsh), 39th, 40th, and 41st). The exceptions were:
the 37th Division was made up of 13 Army Troops battalions from the First (2), Second (2) and Third (9) New Armies.[19]
^Although the 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers was a locally raised battalion, and carried an unofficial sub title of "Stockbrokers", it was in the Second New Army (K2) and was initially designated 'Army Troops'.[22]
^The 13th (Service) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment differed from other locally raised battalions in that it did not have a sub title (although there is a reference to the "Wirral Battalion" in the regimental history) and it was assigned to the 74th Brigade, 25th Division in the Third New Army (K3).[26]
^Baker, Chris. "The Training Reserve". The Long, Long Trail. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
^James 1978, pp. 46–47
^James 1978, pp. 49–50
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n oJames 1978, p. 83
^ a bJames 1978, pp. 93–94
^James 1978, pp. 97–98
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m nJames 1978, p. 106
^Becke 1945, p. 75
^Becke 1945, p. 136
^Becke 1945, p. 94
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 49
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p qJames 1978, p. 50
^ a b c d e f g hJames 1978, p. 58
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 61
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 66
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 73
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 76
^ a b c d e f g h i j k lJames 1978, p. 94
^ a b c d e f g h i jJames 1978, p. 95
^ a b c d e f gJames 1978, p. 101
^ a b c dJames 1978, p. 43
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 45
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 55
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 44
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 111
^James 1978, pp. 44–45
^James 1978, p. 45
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 103
^ a bJames 1978, p. 46
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m nBecke 1945, p. 25
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p qJames 1978, p. 47
^ a bJames 1978, p. 48
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 35
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 52
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m nBecke 1945, p. 5
^James 1978, p. 53
^ a bJames 1978, p. 54
^James 1978, pp. 54–55
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 56
^James 1978, pp. 56–57
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 15
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 59
^ a b c d e fBilton.
^James 1978, pp. 59–60
^James 1978, pp. 61–62
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 62
^ a b c d e f g hJames 1978, p. 64
^James 1978, pp. 64–65
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 67
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 85
^James 1978, p. 68
^ a b c d eJames 1978, p. 69
^James 1978, pp. 69–70
^James 1978, p. 70
^ a b c dJames 1978, p. 71
^ a b c d e f g h i j k l mBecke 1945, p. 65
^ a b c d e fJames 1978, p. 72
^ a b c d e f g h i j k lBecke 1945, p. 95
^ a bJames 1978, p. 74
^Jackson.
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 75
^James 1978, pp. 76–77
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 77
^ a b c dJames 1978, p. 78
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 80
^James 1978, pp. 80–81
^James 1978, p. 81
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 82
^James 1978, pp. 83–85
^James 1978, p. 85
^ a bJames 1978, p. 86
^ a b c d eJames 1978, p. 87
^James 1978, pp. 88–89
^James 1978, p. 89
^James 1978, pp. 89–90
^James 1978, p. 90
^ a b c dJames 1978, p. 91
^James 1978, p. 92
^James 1978, p. 93
^ a bJames 1978, p. 96
^ a b c d eJames 1978, p. 97
^ a b c d e f gJames 1978, p. 98
^James 1978, pp. 98–99
^ a b c dJames 1978, p. 100
^ a b c d e f gJames 1978, p. 103
^James 1978, pp. 103–104
^James 1978, pp. 104–105
^James 1978, p. 105
^ a b cJames 1978, p. 107
^James 1978, pp. 108–109
^James 1978, pp. 107–109
^James 1978, p. 109
^James 1978, pp. 109–110
^James 1978, p. 110
^ a bJames 1978, p. 111
Bibliography
Becke, Major A.F. (1938). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3A. New Army Divisions (9–26). London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-08-6.
Becke, Major A.F. (1945). Order of Battle of Divisions Part 3B. New Army Divisions (30–41) & 63rd (RN) Division. London: His Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 1-871167-08-6.
David Bilton, Hull Pals, 10th, 11th 12th and 13th Battalions East Yorkshire Regiment – A History of 92 Infantry Brigade, 31st Division, Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2014, ISBN 978-1-78346-185-1.
James, Brigadier E.A. (1978). British Regiments 1914–18. London: Samson Books Limited. ISBN 0-906304-03-2.
Andrew Jackson, Accrington's Pals: The Full Story, Barnsley, Pen & Sword, 2013, ISBN 9781-84884-469-8.