The Leeds Pals : A Handbook for Researchers

Many men and boys from Leeds enlisted as volunteer soldiers at the outset of the First World War as part of the national phenomenon of Pals that sprang up across the Britain. The Leeds 'Pals', who made up the 15th Battalion (Prince of Wales's Own) West Yorkshire Regiment (the City Battalion), trained in rugged Colsterdale and at Ripon, guarded the Suez Canal and were changed irrevocably by their experiences during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 when, on the first day, the battalion was devastated.