Cap Badge - The 17th (Service) Battalion (1st City), The King's Liverpool Regiment The Liverpool Pals were Pals battalion formed during the First World War as part of the King's (Liverpool) Regiment. They, along with the Manchester Pals, are commemorated at a small memorial in France. The Liverpool Pals (17th - 20th Battalions) wore the 'Eagle and Child' crest of Lord Derby. In August 1914 Lord Derby organised one of the most successful recruitment campaigns to Kitchener's Army in Liverpool. Over two days, 1500 Liverpudlians joined the new battalion. Speaking to the men he said: "This should be a battalion of pals, a battalion in which friends from the same office will fight shoulder to shoulder for the honour of Britain and the credit of Liverpool." Within the next few days three more pals battalions were raised in Liverpool. In October 1915, as Director-General of Recruiting, he instituted the Derby Scheme, a halfway-house between voluntary enlistment and conscription (which the Government was reluctant to adopt). It was not sufficiently successful in spite of the fact that the execution of Nurse Edith Cavell by the Germans on 12 October 1915 was used in recruitment rallies and conscription followed in 1916. The 17th (1st City) Battalion, The King's Regiment (Liverpool) was the first of all the Pals Battalions, raised by Lord Derby at the old watch factory, Prescot, Liverpool on 29 August 1914. They joined 89th Brigade, 30th Division which concentrated near Grantham. In the Autumn they moved to Larkhill, Salisbury and proceeded to France on the 7 November 1915 landing Bologne, the division concentrating near Amiens. It is commonly held that the North of England's Pals battalions were wiped out on the 1 July, 1916, certainly this befell a number of units, but the Liverpool Pals took all their objectives on that day. From then on they fought all through the Somme Battle, The Battle of Arras and the muddy hell of Passchendaele in 1917, and the desperate defence against the German offensive of March 1918. In 1916 they were in action during the Battle of the Somme, in which the Division captured Montauban. In 1917 they took part in the pursuit of the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, the Arras Offensive and The Battle of Pilkem Ridge. In 1918 They were in action on The Somme and in the Battles of the Lys suffering heavy lossed. On the 14 May the battalion was reduced to cadre strength and on the 16th of June 1918 transferred to 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. On the 30th they transffered to 75th Brigade, 25th Division and crossed to England. On 9 September the Brigade was retitled 236th Brigade and on the 11 October they sailed from Glasgow for service in North Russia, where they remained until September 1919.