Who were the Bradford pals?

Answer 1

"Pals" battalions in the British Army were formed as part of the effort to keep men enlisting, thus avoiding the need for conscription (a "draft"). The early pre-war British professional army was soon shot to pieces in the first few battles, and a much larger new force was needed right away. Posters appeared all over England of a bristling-moustachioed Field Marshal Kitchener, glaring out and pointing at the viewer, informing that viewer that Kitchener wanted YOU. So men volunteered for "Kitchener's Mob", and to induce them to do so these Pals battalions became a thing, allowing men from the same town, or from the same trade or profession in larger cities, to enlist to serve together (there was even a battalion of Accountants from London). This proved to be not such a good idea when "Kitchener's Mob" with its many Pals battalions first went into heavy action on the Somme, July 1, 1916. It made for a very, very bad day in many towns and villages, as all their boys were shot up at the same time. Unsurprisingly, enlistment soon slowed to a trickle as well, and the British had to resort to conscription after all, after the war had been going on for about a year and a half. See related links below for more information on the Bradford Pals.