Manchester was one of the most successful recruiting grounds for Kitchener’s Army in the Great War. The City was also significant in the ‘Pals’ movement and the formation of the University and Public Schools Battalions in September 1914. The scale and breadth in which men joined the Services in the first few months of hostilities is difficult to envisage. This book embraces volunteers from the Head Office of the Co-Operative Wholesale Society as a case study – with a focus on the men who are commemorated on the Company’s Memorial. The Centenary of the Battle of the Somme brings Kitchener’s Army to the forefront of minds; and the men from Balloon Street, Manchester were part of significant actions in the tumultuous one hundred and forty one day offensive. The records available for the men named on the Memorial provide some clear perspectives on the ordinary Co-op men undertaking extraordinary deeds. The magazine provides a detailed record and commemoration on some of these individuals.
