of minutes on the first day on the Somme. The battalion was brought back up to strength and served for the remainder of the war, moving to the 92nd Brigade of the 31st Division in February 1918. 12th Battalion The 12th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment was formed about May 1915 at Chadderton Camp, Oldham from the depot companies of 11th Battalion. This was a local reserve battalion, that is, a reserve battalion for the locally raised (pals) battalion intended to provide trained reinforcements for its parent unit. In the autumn of 1915 it was at Prees Heath in the 17th Reserve Brigade. On 1 September 1916, it transferred to the Training Reserve as the 75th Battalion in 17th Reserve Brigade. In May 1917, it was redesignated as the 233rd Graduated Battalion (for those who had completed basic training) and was assigned to Home Defence duties while the men were completing recruit training. On 27 October 1917, it became 52nd (Graduated) Battalion, King's (Liverpool Regiment). It was converted to a service battalion on 8 February 1919 and disbanded on 13 February 1920. Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. One member of the battalion won the award. Second Lieutenant Basil Arthur Horsfall, 1st Battalion attached to the 11th Battalion, East Lancashire Regiment, won the award on 21 March 1918, between Moyenneville and Ablainzevelle, France. The award was posthumous. Legacy A song telling their story was written and recorded by English folk singer and comedian Mike Harding. A play based on the unit, The Accrington Pals, was also later written by Peter Whelan. Memorial A memorial to the battalion stands in the Sheffield Memorial Park in France. Built from Accrington brick and dedicated in 1991, the memorial stands close to the location of the trench line from which the Accrington Pals advanced on the first day of the Somme. See also List of pals battalions Recruitment to the British Army during the First World War References Bibliography External links Pals battalions Infantry battalions of the British Army Military units and formations established in 1914 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919 Military units and formations in Lancashire