- Leeds Pals
The Leeds Pals were a
First World War Pals battalion ofKitchener's Army raised in theWest Yorkshire city ofLeeds . When thebattalion was taken over by theBritish Army it was officially named the 15th Battalion (1st Leeds),The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) .The battalion was formed in September 1914 and underwent training at
Colsterdale in theYorkshire Dales . It became part of the 93rd Brigade of the 31st Division, along with the twoBradford Pals battalions (16th and 18th Battalions, The West Yorkshire Regiment). In December 1915 the Leeds Pals were deployed toEgypt to defend theSuez Canal from the threat of theOttoman Empire .In March 1916 the battalion landed in
France , joining the British build up for the Battle of the Somme. On thefirst day on the Somme ,1 July 1916 , the 31st Division attacked towards the village of Serre and the Leeds Pals advanced from a line ofcopse s named after theGospels . The battalion was shelled in its trenches before Zero Hour (7.30 am) and when it advanced, it was met by heavymachine gun fire. A few men got as far as the Germanbarbed wire but no further. Later in the morning the German defenders came out to clear the bodies off their wire, killing any that were still alive. The battalion casualties, sustained in the few minutes after Zero, were 24 officers and 504other ranks , of which 15 officers and 233 other ranks were killed.:"The name of Serre and the date of 1st July is engraved deep in our hearts, along with the faces of our 'Pals', a grand crowd of chaps. We were two years in the making and ten minutes in the destroying." (Private A.V. Pearson, Leeds Pals)
In December 1917 the Leeds Pals were amalgamated with the 2nd Leeds battalion (17th Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment, a Bantam battalion) to form the 15th/17th Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment.
External links
* [http://www.leedspals.co.uk/ The Leeds Pals - The 15th (Service) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment]
* [http://www.yorkshire-guide.co.uk/nidderdale/leeds-pals-memorial.aspx The Leeds Pals memorial at Colsterdale near Masham]
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