Accrington Pals
 

Went over to Belgium and France recently and have some Photos of the area where the Pals were in action and some of the graves yards etc.
Nigel Packer

Re: Accrington Pals
 

Been there, in 1975 I went with 30 WW1 soldiers & some ex Pals, (one in particular stands out, Sandy Ellison, for a time he was Stanley's Mascot when they were at Peel Park), took loads of pictures, went again in 1985, made a 40 minute video of the trip round the battlefields & cemeteries. I've also been collecting individual WW1 headstones of local men, now got a few hundred in the collection. My daughters have now taken over the job of photographing the headstones, & visit the area every year for me, as I'm no longer able to travel very far.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

Hi NJSP, nice to hear you also have been over to France. Have you a connection with one of the ACC PAL's, or are you just interested in our history? Believe its a very sad sight to see.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

Did anybody watch this programme about Pals regiments last night ? It's on the iPlayer

Melvyn Bragg reveals footage telling the history of modern Britain. At the Queen's Lancashire Regiment Museum and Barracks in Preston, Melvyn looks back to WWI.

BBC iPlayer - Reel History of Britain: Soldier, Soldier

Re: Accrington Pals
 

I watched that Wadey and found it very interesting.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

Yes and it was a load of crap, many errors, not one mention of William Turner, who without his research & books on the Accrington Pals, that episode of Reel of Britain could not have been made.
The producers of that program contacted me asking for info, and how many relatives of Accrington Pals were available to tell of there experiences.

Bills widow rang me, and she was livid at some of the rubbish spouted by bond, who didn't even know his uncles service number till I told him, now he comes out with all sorts of wonderous tales his uncle told him, & now pretends he's and X spurt on the Pals.
The woman Vanda Isherwood, who was looking for her grandfather William Lowther, who was killed on July 1st. I sent her all the material & pictures available some 4 year ago. William Lowther had 4 brothers serving in WW1 2 of whom were also killed, but they did not serve in the Pals.
Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

I didn't see the programme but will now watch it on the catch up as it sounds interesting.

It's a shame they did not credit Bill Turner for his years of research as I had the pleasure of working with Bill on certain projects and he certainly was a man with a mission on recording not only the Pals but also the men from Haslingden who died in the 2nd World War and also the history of the men who died from 2 parishes in Haslingden in both world wars.

Funnily enough I have a copy of the Songs of Praise that came from Accrington about the Pals and last week had it made into a DVD from the video and really enjoyed watching it after all this time.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

When you watch the Reel of Britain, it shows a film of the Pals leaving camp for the last time, on their way to Egypt, that piece of film was taken on December 10th 1915, it was supposed to be a march of 3 miles, but they got lost, & ended up doing 10 miles, when the Pals actually left for Egypt it was in the middle of the night 5 days later.

Retlaw.

Re: Accrington Pals
 

I watched it too wadey very a interesting program