ABOUT 50 years ago, a brass plaque was secretly fixed to a tree on the old front line near where the Bradford Pals fought on July 1, 1916.
Over the years, many visitors hunted for the tree among the many trees in Sheffield Memorial Park near the village of Serre. Many rumours surround the origins of the plaque: was it placed by a private individual or during the last visit of the Pals’ veterans?
In December 2018 a message appeared on Facebook announcing that the plaque had fallen off the tree. The image was spotted by Tim Hardy, a battlefield visitor, who instantly knew what it was. Tim arranged for the plaque to be brought back to Bradford, and in February 2019 it formed a prized item in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Lest We Forget roadshow in City Hall.
A group of interested individuals was convened by Bradford World War 1 Group to decide what should be done with the plaque. A return to Sheffield Park was not possible, and other locations in France were considered not to be secure. The Lord Mayor of Bradford had originally called for the formation of the Pals, in 1914, but no Civic tribute to the Pals had previously been thought of: City Hall was the obvious resting place!
Covid intervened with the plans but eventually, on July 1, 2023, the plaque was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Cllr Gerry Barker. It forms part of a new display about the Bradford Pals created to commemorate the 107th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Bradford Council’s Museums and Galleries Collections Team worked with Bradford WW1 Group and Bradford Lord Mayor’s Office on the display, which was unveiled after the annual service at Bradford Cenotaph remembering the sacrifices made by the Pals in the First World War.
Attending the event were descendants of the Pals and representatives of the groups which arranged the return of the brass plaque to the city - Bradford WW1 Group, Bus-to Bradford, Friends of Undercliffe Cemetery, Men of Worth and the Royal British Legion.
Objects in the display includes items from the WW1 Group and the council’s museums’ collection, such as souvenir tins and medals, letters and the minute book and plaque from Bradford Pals Comradeship Association.
The focus of the display is the brass plaque, bearing the words: ‘In memory of the men of the 16th and 18th West Yorkshire Regiment. The Bradford Pals. Killed/missing July 1st 1916 and to those who lived to tell. Sadly now are none’.
Two guest speakers provided contrasting reminiscences. David Scott Hellewell, 86, was born when his father, Captain David Hellewell, was 56. Captain Hellewell had supervised men boarding the troop ship Minneapolis when the Bradford Pals were leaving Egypt, and marched with his men for five days from Amiens station to their training camp in the village of Bus-les-Artois - a distance of some 60 miles.
Two months later Captain Hellewell was invalided back to England after being wounded during a skirmish, rejoining his unit after the Battle of the Somme. At the end of the war, Hellewell resumed his old job in the Bradford textile trade and served as Deputy Lord Mayor of the city from 1943 to 1944.
The contrasting story, told by Sue Wilson, reminded us of the recruiting slogan, ‘Join Together, Serve Together’. Her great uncle, Ernest Nettleton, joined up with his brother Hubert, brother-in-law Edmund Steele and neighbour Edgar Wilkinson.
Lance Corporal Ernest Nettleton was an 18-year-old office clerk when war was declared in 1914. He enlisted in 1st Bradford Pals’ Battalion and survived the Somme.
Ernest’s younger brother Hubert was accepted into the 2nd Pals’ Battalion and six days later came his sister’s husband, Edmund Hugh Steele. Edmund suffered wounds and was discharged on November 1, 1917. Hubert Nettleton was discharged wounded in January 1919. Ernest died near Hébuterne in February 1917 and was buried at Owl Trench Cemetery. Remarkably, two other families present at this month’s plaque unveiling at City Hall also have ancestors at the same cemetery! Sue Wilson said how proud her grandmother would be that her favourite brother’s medals and the photo of his original wooden grave marker are now in the City Hall First World War display case.
Many groups and individuals have been involved in the installation of this tribute to the Pals. Successive Lord Mayors and the staff of the Civic Office have been supportive throughout the long negotiations. Lauren Padgett of Bradford Museums Service has been particularly helpful in tracking down Pals’ artefacts and documents held in storage.
Both Pals and Territorials from the Bradford district had a torrid time on July 1, losing two Commanding Officers (one wounded, one died) and Medical Officer, a former Bradford GP (killed) among many hundreds of casualties. It seems entirely fitting that the Lord Mayor, whose predecessor raised the Pals battalions, should lead these tributes in the presence of many family members descended from the volunteers of 1914.
Lord Mayor of Bradford Cllr Barker said: “This is a poignant display of personal items belonging to those from the district who came together to form the Bradford Pals. The sacrifices of those gave so much during the First World War and particularly the Battle of the Somme should never be forgotten. We should also remember the grief and suffering of those families whose loved ones never returned home.”
During the reception families who played a part in providing details of their ancestors shared stories, in the knowledge that some of them would know each other. The permanent display can be viewed at an open weekend marking 150 years of City Hall on September 9 and 10.
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