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Leeds Pals Memorial at Colsterdale
I came across this memorial on a very cold gray day, when I only had a cheap camera
with me. One day I'll go back and get some decent shots.
I'm sure most people know the stories of the first world war "Pals" batallions.
They were raised by local areas, so that men could serve alongside their friends
and colleagues. Unfortunately, this also meant that in bloodbaths like The Somme,
they died alongside their colleagues, and the effect on home front morale was devastating.
The Leeds Pals was one such battalion, raised in the patriotic fervour of 1914.
Once raised, the Pals en-trained to Masham and then marched to Colsterdale, where they made camp on Water Board land.
After nine months training at Colsterdale - and what must that have been like for
many of the inner city lads - they were shipped to Egypt to defend the Suez Canal,
but managed to arrive in France in time for the Battle of the Somme in 1916.
The first day of tThe Somme was the bloodiest day in the history of the British
Army with nearly 60,000 casualties, including 20,000 dead. The Leeds Pals
were thrown into one of the fiercest sectors of the line alongside the Accrington
Pals and suffered over 500 casualties within a few minutes of advancing. In effect
they were wiped out. Small wonder then that in 1935 the survivers relatives and
friends erected this memorial. Small tribute indeed to men who suffered in a way
that is almost unimaginable today.
,
My Grandfather served with the Leeds Pals, but as he died when I was about four
I don't know if he had to go through the hell of The Somme. Maybe one day I'll do some research and find
out.