AN APPEAL to raise money for a fitting memorial to the Bradford Pals of the First World War has received a major boost.

The Honour the Pals Appeal has seen hundreds of individual Bradfordians, as well as groups, donate more than £2,700 to pay for a memorial to be installed in the French battlefields.

Now Bradford Council has agreed to double these donations.

It means the fund now stands at more than £5,400. Any money left over from the construction of the memorial will be used to fund its ongoing maintenance.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, said: "It has been a privilege to support such a worthwhile appeal.

"Hundreds of Bradfordians donated money and we felt that the council should match that money.

"It will be used to fund a fitting memorial to the Pals and other serviceman from our district who fought and gave their lives in the First World War.”

The Bradford Pals were formed from bands of friends or colleagues from all walks of life, who volunteered to serve their country shoulder-to-shoulder.

Tragically, this meant many were also destined to fall together on the battlefields in the unimaginable horror of trench warfare.

The Honour the Pals Appeal was begun by Bradford Council and the Telegraph & Argus in 2014, and has had substantial support from the Bradford World War One Group throughout.

Tricia Platts, secretary of the World War One group, said: "The response from the general public has been superb, from small individual donations to much larger donations from groups and societies across the city, such as the Civic Society.

"For the council to match it just shows that the city of Bradford continues to honour the citizens who served in the four-month-long Battle of the Somme."

The memorial itself will be a replica of the existing Pals memorial at the cenotaph in Bradford city centre.

It will pay tribute to the Bradford Pals as well as other servicemen from the district who fought and died in the First World War, such as the Territorials and the 10th Battalion West Yorks.

The memorial stone is now in the early stages of production and will be unveiled this summer to mark the centenary year of the Battle of the Somme, as a lasting reminder of the sacrifice of the many young Bradfordians who lost their lives in the bloody battle.

Donations are still being accepted.

To donate, visit telegraphandargus.co.uk/news/honourthepals or send cheques, made payable to the Honour the Pals Appeal, to Honour the Pals Appeal, Telegraph & Argus, Hall Ings, Bradford, BD1 1JR.