Bradford Pals

This is a picture of my Grandad's youth club football team shortly before the start of WW1. He had five brothers, four of which served in the conflict, and two of which are in this picture. As a family they were quite 'lucky' in that they only suffered one fatality. My Grandad, Charlie was wounded on the first day - spending three days in no man's land. He was helped back, but his shrapnel wounds were so bad he spent 18 months in hospital. He was physically damaged but lived until 1982 and had four children and thirteen grandchildren of which I am one. It's hard to imagine what they all went through, and it's a fact that we all, in our family, very nearly never existed!
As a postscript - I just love that flat cap - all the rage in this part of Northern England - apparently!!