The Bristol Pals and Recruitment in Bristol and South Gloucestershire

Clive Burlton

This essay examines the recruitment of personnel to the armed forces in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire Area in the First World War, and in particular, during the early phases and before the imposition of conscription in January 1916. Although focussing primarily on the 12th (Service) Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment – or ‘Bristol’s Own’ as it was known – the essay will also refer to the mobilisation and recruitment of reservists, territorials and other army and navy units based in the area. As well as recruitment to the military the essay will examine the impact on the local community and the social and cultural context.

In the spring of 1914 the local population was looking forward in anticipation to a balmy summer that would bring with it the major attraction of the Bristol International Exhibition of 1914. Set on land to the south side of the City, the Exhibition site covered a large 32-acre site and included massive temporary structures and pavilions made mostly from white plasterboard. The site became known locally as ‘The White City’ and exhibition attractions included replicas of Bristol Castle; of Drake’s ship Revenge and a group of buildings known as ‘Shakespeare’s England’. Along with a Figure Eight Roller Coaster Ride, The Eastern Tea Gardens, Bostock’s Arena and Jungle, The Bowl Slide, The Crazy Kitchen, and the House of Nonsense, the attraction was opened by the Lord Mayor of Bristol on 28 May 1914.