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At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Lord Derby, unofficially known as ‘England’s best recruiting sergeant’, came up with the idea of bringing men who worked and socialised together in a fighting regiment. This would hopefully make the idea of going to war more appealing to the men of Liverpool. An advert was placed in the local press on 27 August 1914, suggesting that men wishing to join ‘a battalion of comrades, to serve their country together’ should report to the 5th Battalion The King’s (Liverpool Regiment) [narrative forthcoming] the next day. Lord Derby had also written to the heads of the large companies and businesses in Liverpool, such as the shipping lines and insurance houses, outlining his plans for the Pals battalions and requesting that efforts should be made to send eligible employees to the recruitment offices. The response to the adverts was so great that on the first day of recruitment, Lord Derby was able to form two battalions, to whom he gave a rousing welcome speech. These first 1,050 recruits were officially enlisted at St. George’s Hall on 31 August. By 7 September 1914, Lord Derby had over 3,000 recruits, and by mid-October a second advertisement appealing for recruits meant that there were a total of four ‘Liverpool Pals’ battalions, and two reserve battalions. They were officially known as the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th Service Battalions of the King’s Liverpool Regiment, or sometimes as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th City Battalions of the King’s Liverpool Regiment. |
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Montauban, the first village to be captured by British troops, was one of the few successes on 1 July. It was the objective of the 30th Division, made up of four battalions each of Liverpool Pals, Manchester Pals and Regular battalions. The start-line was close to the British and French junction, and the Division was helped by French heavy artillery, which destroyed the German barbed wire and defences. So to all those people who think Mancs and Scousers hate each other - look what happens when they support each other..... |
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The Cenotaph Memorial was designed by George Herbert Tyson Smith, the architect was Lionel Bailey Budden, and unveiled on 11 November 1930 by the 17th Early of Derby.
The memorial was dedicated (twenty years after the great war) to the dead of the first World War. On one side of the memorial those who mourn for the dead are depicted, while the other side shows the relentless march of the grim faced soldiers, so many of whom were lost in that most terrible of wars. The word cenotaph is of Greek origin meaning tomb, not containing any remains.
The inscription on the east face reads “To the men of Liverpool who fell in the Great War, and the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people”.
The west face reads, “As unknown and yet well known as dying and behold we live, out of the great north parts a great company and a mighty army”.
The memorial is listed as Grade II.
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Poppy wreaths after the 11th of the 11th. |
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