In the Great War, Bradford raised four battalions - two Territorial Force (1/6th and 2/6th West Yorks) and two ‘Pals’ battalions (16th and 18th West Yorks). Recently, I was reading the very rare 2/6th West Yorks. Battalion history when I can upon an interesting passage dating to events in the 6th battalion prior to Christmas 1914: “There were two interesting events during the period at Belle Vue Barracks. There was a cinematographic record of the battalion training at Peel Park, which was shown at all the picture halls throughout the city to encourage recruiting and the second was the Christmas treat of the battalion at the Central Baths on December 19th 1914.”

A film - of the Bradford Territorials! Things only got better when I was directed by a fellow researcher to two newspaper articles. First from the Bradford Weekly Telegraph, Friday, March 5, 1915:

“2nd Bradford Pals - A cinematograph film has been taken by the Gaumont Company which will present a picture of the whole story of the formation of the Bradford ‘Pals’ Battalion from the registration and enlistment process to the work of the six months trained men in their camp at Skipton. It is intended to loan the offer of a film of about [sic] with bodies of men who are drilling for home defence only”

Secondly, an article from the Leeds Mercury, Thursday, February 25, 1915: “Bradford Pals Filmed - The Bradford Citizens’ Army League is embarking on a vigorous recruiting campaign in order to complete the 18th (Service) Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment, popularly known as the 2nd Bradford Pals. Cinematograph operators were busy yesterday taking pictures of the men in course of training and also on their usual Wednesday afternoon route march, and these pictures will, in due course, be shown at the Picture theatres...Captain Buxton explained that 1,350 men were required, and 320 had already enlisted.”

Now putting these three sources together what you come up with maybe is a film about the recruitment and training of new soldiers to encourage enlistment at the time such numbers were falling (though this would reverse with the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915). It is probably neither the individual units nor the locations filmed would be named in the film, the film-makers and audiences would not be too worried here. Such a composite film would then likely comprise: The initial recruitment (2nd Bradford Pals), Company drill (Bradford Territorials, Peel Park), on a route march (2nd Bradford Pals) and further training (1st Bradford Pals in training at Raikeswood camp, Skipton).

In the city there are photographs of platoons of Bradford Pals and Territorials, there are also extensive list of their names. Sadly, other than from named family photographs, we have little chance of putting the two together. Both the Bradford Pals and Territorials were decimated on the Somme in 1916 and in later actions. Imagine now, in 2023, if it was possible to discover and identify this old archive film footage to then have moving images of these Bradford WW1 soldiers for the city’s future generations!

Does anyone have any further information about this film? Are there film experts out there who might be familiar with film archives, eg Gaumont/Pathe/Reuters and could use their skills and experience to possibly identify this film? Over to you!

* David P Whithorn is president of Bus to Bradford, which researches and commemorates Bradford men who served in the First World War.