Liverpool Pals, is a record of duty, courage and endeavour of a group of men who, before war broke out in 1914, were the backbone of Liverpool's commerce. Fired with patriotism, over 4,000 of these businessmen volunteered in 1914 and were formed into the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th (Service) Battalions of the King's (Liverpool Regiment); they were the first of all the Pals battalions to be raised, and they were the last to be stood down. It is commonly held that the North of England's Pals battalions were wiped out on the 1st July, 1916, certainly this befell a number of units, but the Liverpool Pals took all their objectives on that day. From then on they fought all through the Somme Battle, The Battle of Arras and the muddy hell of Passchendaele in 1917, and the desperate defence against the German offensive of March 1918. AUTHOR Graham Maddocks was bron in Merseyside in 1947. He taught Business Studies, Politics and History at a local comprehensive school. His first book on the Imperial German Army was published in 1975 and he worked on many magazine articles, mainly on military topics. His main interest was the First World War and he was to make many visits to the battlefields of the Western Front, taking school parties and others on study tours of the sites. He died in July 2003.
