This is a list of

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

(also called "service" or "locally raised" battalions) of the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Pre-war

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

(T.F.) battalions have not been included, although they too usually recruited from a specific area or occupation. The 69 line

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

s formed 142 ''locally raised'' battalions and 68 ''local reserve'' battalions. The

Guards Regiments Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

and the regiments formed only from Territorial Force battalions did not form pals battalions.

History

Lord Kitchener was one of the few people in 1914 to realise that the

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

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 Warand did not make use of the framework envisioned by

Haldane's Reforms The Haldane Reforms were a series of far-ranging reforms of the British Army made from 1906 to 1912, and named after the Secretary of State for War, Richard Burdon Haldane. They were the first major reforms since the " Childers Reforms" of the ...

. 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. Each of the 69 line infantry regiments raised one battalion for the

First First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

(K1) and for the Second New Armies (K2) 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 30th35th Divisions, these were broken up so the battalions could train recruits and send drafts to the first three New Armies. 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 "

". These were housed, clothed and fed by their committees until the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

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). 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.

Units

The recruitment of pals battalions was confined to the 69 line

s of the

. The

and regiments formed only from Territorial Force battalions 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. The

Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Raised in 1674 as one of three 'English' units in the Dutch Anglo-Scots Brigade, it accompanied William III to England in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution an ...

raised the largest number of pals battalions (twelve) of any regiment, followed by ten raised by the

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

, nine for the

Welch Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

, nine for the

Middlesex Regiment The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Re ...

, and nine for the

Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th ...

. The

Royal Irish Rifles The Royal Irish Rifles (became the Royal Ulster Rifles from 1 January 1921) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, first created in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 83rd (County of Dublin) Regiment of Foot and the 86th (Royal County ...

had nine battalions raised in a similar fashion from the

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaig ...

. In all, 142 "service" battalions and 68 "reserve" battalions were formed.

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 Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

) 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. * the 14th (Service) Battalion,

Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) , colors = , colors_label = , march = "The 8th Hussars" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

was raised as part of the original 33rd Division of the Fourth New Army. When the Fourth New Army was broken up, it was reassigned to the 118th Brigade, 39th Division. A handful of battalions served away from the Fifth and Sixth New Army divisions: * 10th (Service) Battalion,

Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

(

Stockbrokers A stockbroker is a regulated broker, broker-dealer, or registered investment adviser (in the United States) who may provide financial advisory and investment management services and execute transactions such as the purchase or sale of stocks and ...

) was assigned to the 54th Brigade,

18th (Eastern) Division The 18th (Eastern) Division was an infantry division of the British Army formed in September 1914 during the First World War as part of the K2 Army Group, part of Lord Kitchener's New Armies. From its creation the division trained in England u ...

(Second New Army) * 25th (Service) Battalion,

( Frontiersmen) served in the East African Campaign from May 1915 to the end of 1917 * 21st (Service) Battalion,

Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) ) , march = ''Ça Ira'' , battles = Namur FontenoyFalkirk Culloden Brandywine , anniversaries = Imphal (22 June) The West Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) (14th Foot) was ...

(Wool Textile Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 4th Division * 11th (Service) Battalion,

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

(Midland Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 6th Division * 13th (Service) Battalion, Cheshire Regiment was locally raised but was assigned to the 74th Brigade, 25th Division (Third New Army) * 13th (Service) Battalion,

Worcestershire Regiment The Worcestershire Regiment was a line infantry regiment in the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot and the 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot. The regimen ...

(Severn Valley Pioneers) as Pioneers in the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division * 10th (Service) Battalion,

Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry The Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) was a light infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 to 1959. The regiment was created on 1 July 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms, by the merger of the 32nd (Cornwall Light ...

(Cornwall Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 2nd Division * 23rd (Service) Battalion,

Welsh Regiment The Welch Regiment (or "The Welch", an archaic spelling of "Welsh") was an infantry regiment of the line of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1969. The regiment was created in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of ...

(Welsh Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 28th Division * 26th (Service) Battalion,

Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment) The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers Ref ...

(3rd Public Works Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 27th Division * 20th (Service) Battalion,

King's Royal Rifle Corps The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

(British Empire League Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 3rd Division * 22nd (Service) Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (3rd County Pioneers) as Pioneers in the Regular 8th Division

List of pals infantry battalions by regiment

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * 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, . * * Andrew Jackson, ''Accrington's Pals: The Full Story'', Barnsley, Pen & Sword, 2013, {{ISBN, 9781-84884-469-8. United Kingdom in World War I

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