The Somme 1916: & Other Experiences of the Salford Pals

Salford was late in recruiting for its Pals battalions, with many of its men already joining Territorial units and a new Pals battalion in Manchester. Yet within a year it had raised four Pals battalions and a reserve battalion. Raised mainly from Lancashire's most notorious slums, the men trained together in Wales, North East England, and on Salisbury Plain, they had great expectations of success.

On the 1st of July 1916, the Somme offensive was launched and in the very epicenter of that ca...