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Salford Lads Club was established in 1903 as a purpose built club for boys, and was officially opened by Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout movement in January 1904.

It gave youngsters from the Ordsall area a chance to take part in physical activity in a purpose built gym. It also organised camps and just before the war had more than a thousand members.

In August 1914 the club was preparing to open up again but on 16 August the army requisitioned the building as a recruiting centre. It stayed like this for two months and many volunteers for the Salford Pals would have come through its doors. The army also asked the club, which had organised pre-war camping trips to North Wales, to borrow its tents so they could be used in Heaton Park to house the newly formed Manchester Pals battalions.

By the end of the war; of the 1,030 lads from the club who joined up, 135 were killed.

Location: Salford Lads Club, Salford Manchester M5 3RX
Image shows Salford Lads Club, courtesy of Salford Local Studies
Presented by Jonathan Ali

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