thumb|Recruiting poster for the [[Football Battalion]]
This is a list of pals battalions (also called "service" or "locally raised" battalions) of the British Army during the First World War. Pre-war Territorial Force (T.F.) battalions have not been included, although they too usually recruited from a specific area or occupation. The 69 line infantry regiments formed 142 locally raised battalions and 68 local reserve battalions. The Guards Regiments and the regiments formed only from Territorial Force battalions did not form pals battalions.
History
Lord Kitchener was one of the few people in 1914 to realise that the First World War was not going to be a short one; he believed that it would last three years and would require an army of 70 divisions. He eschewed the Territorial Forcepartly due to the limitations imposed by its terms of service but also due to the poor impression he formed when observing the French Territorials in the Franco-Prussian Warand did not make use of the framework envisioned by Haldane's Reforms. He launched his appeal for 100,000 volunteers on 7 August 1914 to form a first New Army of six divisions (and support units) and within a few days this target had been reached; by the end of September, half a million volunteers had come forward to form the New Armies. the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Munster Fusiliers raised two battalions for the 10th (Irish) Division; the Royal Fusiliers raised two battalions for the 12th (Eastern) Division; and the Rifle Brigade and the King's Royal Rifle Corps raised three battalions for the 14th (Light) Division for a total of 81 battalions. and for the Second New Armies (K2) designated as "service" battalions and numbered after the existing Territorial Force battalions of their parent regiments. This rigid structure did not take account of the differing ability of regiments to raise troops based upon the population of their recruiting areas. Therefore, the Third New Army (K3) had a much higher proportion of battalions from the more populous north of England, notably Cheshire, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland. The Fourth New Army (K4) was formed from men of the Reserve and Special Reserve battalions which were over establishment. Originally formed into the 30th35th Divisions, these were broken up so the battalions could train recruits and send drafts to the first three New Armies.
Units
The recruitment of pals battalions was confined to the 69 line infantry regiments of the British Army. The Guards Regiments followed by ten raised by the Royal Fusiliers, nine for the Welch Regiment, nine for the Middlesex Regiment, and nine for the Manchester Regiment. The Royal Irish Rifles had nine battalions raised in a similar fashion from the Ulster Volunteer Force.
In all, 142 "service" battalions and 68 "reserve" battalions were formed.
- the 14th (Service) Battalion, Princess Louise's (Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders) was raised as part of the original 33rd Division of the Fourth New Army. When the Fourth New Army was broken up, it was reassigned to the 118th Brigade, 39th Division.
A handful of battalions served away from the Fifth and Sixth New Army divisions:
- 10th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Stockbrokers) was initially an 'Army Troops' battalion attached to the 54th Brigade, 18th (Eastern) Division (Second New Army), and then served with 37th Division on the Western Front
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| 16th (Service)
| 2nd Edinburgh
| Edinburgh, December 1914
| Lt Col Sir George McCrae
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| 11th (Service)
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| Lancaster, August 1915
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| Bantam battalion
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| 19th (Service)
| 2nd Tyneside Pioneers
| Newcastle, 16 November 1914
| Lord Mayor and City
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| 15th (Service)
| 2nd Birmingham
| Birmingham, September 1914
| Lord Mayor and a local committee
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| 19th (Service)
| 2nd Public Schools
| Epsom, 11 September 1914
| Public Schools and University Men's Force
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| 18th (Service)
| 2nd City
| Liverpool, 29 August 1914
| Lord Derby
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| 10th (Service)
| Grimsby
| Grimsby, 9 September 1914
| Mayor and Town
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| 11th (Reserve)
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| Lincoln, October 1915
| Depot companies of 10th Battalion
| 19th Reserve Brigade
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| 11th (Service)
| Cambridgeshire
| Cambridge, 25 September 1914
| Cambridge and Isle of Ely T.F. Association
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| 12th (Service)
| East Anglian
| Bury St. Edmunds, July 1915
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| Bantam battalion
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| 15th (Service)
| 1st Leeds
| Leeds, September 1914
| Lord Mayor and City
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| 11th (Service)
| 2nd Hull (Hull Tradesmen)
| Hull, 2 September 1914
| Lord Nunburnholme and East Riding T.F. Association
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| 11th (Service)
| Midland Pioneers
| Leicester, October 1915
| Mayor and local committee
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| 12th (Reserve)
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| Leicester, March 1916
| Depot companies of 11th Battalion
| 19th Reserve Brigade
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| 12th (Service)
| Tees-side Pioneers
| Middlesbrough, 21 December 1914
| Mayor and Town
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| 13th (Service)
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| Richmond, July 1915
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| Bantam battalion
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| 16th (Service)
| 2nd Salford
| Salford, 5 November 1914
| Mr. Montague Barlow, <span style="font-size: 85%">MP</span> and the Salford Brigade Committee
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| 13th (Service)
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| Port Sunlight, 1 September 1914
| Gershom Stewart,
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| 14th (Service)
| Caernarvon and Anglesey
| Llandudno, 2 November 1914
| Welsh National Executive Committee
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| 10th (Service)
| 1st Gwent
| Brecon, October 1914
| Welsh National Executive Committee
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| 11th (Service)
| 2nd Gwent
| Brecon, 5 December 1914
| Welsh National Executive Committee
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| 13th (Service)
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| Hamilton, July 1915
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| Bantam battalion
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| 9th (Service)
| County Tyrone
| Omagh, September 1914
| Tyrone Volunteers of the Ulster Volunteer Force
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| 13th (Service)
| Forest of Dean, Pioneers
| Malvern, December 1914
| Lt Col H. Webb
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| 12th (Reserve)
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| Chadderton Camp, Oldham, May 1915
| Depot companies of 11th Battalion
| 17th Reserve Brigade
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| 13th (Service)
| Wandsworth
| Wandsworth, 16 June 1915
| Mayor and Borough of Wandsworth
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| 11th (Reserve)
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| Launceston, November 1915
| Depot companies of 10th Battalion
| 22nd Reserve Brigade
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| 11th (Service)
| Lonsdale
| Penrith, 29 March 1915
| Earl of Lonsdale and an Executive Committee
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| 12th (Service)
| 2nd South Down
| Bexhill, 3 November 1914
| Lt Col C. Lowther <span style="font-size: 85%">MP</span> and committee
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| 15th (Service)
| 2nd Portsmouth
| Portsmouth, 5 April 1915
| Mayor J. H. Corke and local committee
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|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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| 11th (Service)
| St. Helens Pioneers
| St. Helens, 1 September 1914
| Lord Derby
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| 12th (Service)
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| Warrington, June 1915
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| Bantam battalion
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|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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| 13th (Service)
| West Ham
| West Ham, 27 December 1914
| Mayor and Borough of West Ham
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| 14th (Reserve)
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| Brentwood, September 1915
| Depot companies of 13th Battalion
| 23rd Reserve Brigade
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| 16th (Service)
| Chatsworth Rifles
| Derby, 16 April 1915
| Duke of Devonshire and the Derbyshire T.F. Association
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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| 10th (Service)
| Kent County
| Maidstone, 3 May 1915
| Lord Harris, Vice-Lieutenant of Kent at the request of the Army Council
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| 11th (Service)
| Lewisham
| Lewisham, 5 May 1915
| Mayor and a local committee
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| 12th (Reserve)
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| February 1916
| Depot companies of 11th and 12th Battalions
| 23rd Reserve Brigade
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| 16th (Service)
| Public Schools
| 24 St James's Street, London, 1 September 1914
| Lt Col J. J. Mackay
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| 17th (Service)
| 1st Football
| London, 12 December 1914
| Rt. Hon. W. Joynson Hicks
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|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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| 17th (Service)
| 2nd City
| Manchester, 28 August 1914
| Lord Mayor and City
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| 22nd (Service)
| 7th City
| Manchester, 21 November 1914
| Lord Mayor and City
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| 12th (Service)
| Sheffield
| Sheffield, 5 September 1914
| Lord Mayor and City
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| 13th (Service)
| 1st Barnsley
| Barnsley, 17 September 1914
| Mayor and Town
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| 15th (Service)
| 1st Glasgow
| Glasgow, 2 September 1914
| Lord Provost and City with many recruits from Glasgow Tramways
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=13|
| 8th (Service)
| East Belfast
| Belfast, September 1914
| Belfast Volunteers of the Ulster Volunteer Force
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| 9th (Service)
| West Belfast
| Belfast, September 1914
| Belfast Volunteers of the Ulster Volunteer Force
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| 10th (Reserve)
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| Lurgan, September 1915
| Depot companies of 9th Battalion
| 15th (Ulster) Reserve Brigade
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=1|
|colspan=5| Did not form any locally raised battalions.
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|rowspan=2|
| 16th (Service)
| St. Pancras
| Borough of St Pancras, 2 May 1915
| Parliamentary Recruiting Committee
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|17th (Reserve)
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| Charrington Hall, October 1915
| Depot companies of 16th Battalion
| 26th Reserve Brigade
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