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The story of the Accrington Pals is one of the best known – and tragic – of World War One.

The men of East Lancashire responded to the call for volunteers after the outbreak of war in 1914. So-called "Pals" battalions were formed of men from similar backgrounds – often from the same town or city or from the same profession.

The 11th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment became known as the Accrington Pals – although many of the men came from other towns such as Burnley, Blackburn and Chorley.

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, more than 580 of around 700 Pals were killed or wounded.

When they marched through Accrington in September 1914, they were led off by the Accrington Old Band playing a piece called "the Pals March." Now known as the East Lancashire Concert Band, they still rehearse in the Civic Hall in Oswaldtwistle – a building used as a recruitment office for the Pals in 1914. The band marked the centenary of the outbreak of the war with performances of a specially commissioned piece of music and a new arrangement of the Pals' March.

Location: Accrington, Lancashire BB5 1LA
Image: The East Lancashire concert band building as it stands today

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