Fratton Park, Portsmouth: Recruiting the Pals

Available for over a year

Portsmouth was one of few places in the south to raise a Pals’ battalion, which friends could join together. But within a few months, the flood of volunteers had dwindled to a trickle. In a military heartland, it dealt a blow to Pompey pride. Portsmouth responded with enthusiasm to Kitchener’s initial call. A thousand volunteers signed up in September 1914, some encouraged by half-time speeches and parades during football matches at Fratton Park. But in common with the rest of the country there was a dip the following month to just 200 recruits. The damage to civic pride was felt keenly in Portsmouth, the home of the Royal Navy. The editor of the Portsmouth Evening News declared that Portsmouth “has not done its duty” and a relatively high number of indignant correspondents vented their spleen in the letters columns. Location: Fratton Park, Portsmouth PO4 8RA Image: Pompey Pals boarding a train at Portsmouth Harbour on their way to the front for the first time, courtesy of Bob Beech