Special Accrington Pals documentary to be released to the public for the first time

A special feature length documentary showcasing the story of the Accrington Pals will be released to the public at 12:01am on Sunday 16th February to mark the 110th anniversary of the Pals’ valedictory service.

On 21st February 1915, two days before the Pals left their hometowns, the special service was held at St John’s Church and was attended by 700 officers and men from the battalion, as well as a large congregation.

An annual memorial service is held to commemorate the event, and this year will take place on Sunday 16th February.

The newly released Pals Documentary was created by Rory MacColl, the grandson of Lt. Col. Arthur Rickman, who commanded the Accrington Pals from 1915 until the end of the Great War.

Titled ‘The Men Are A Good Deal Rattled’, the feature film explores Arthur’s role as commandant in the Pals, telling the story of the battalion during WWI.

Having been shown at private events including recently at Accrington Stanley’s Wham Stadium on Remembrance Sunday, this is the first time that people from around the world will be able to view the 90-minute film via YouTube.

Sadly, documentary producer Rory recently passed away after an illness, but his sister and granddaughter of Lt. Col. Arthur Rickman, Lady Alexandra Winnington, continues to promote the special documentary on behalf of the family.

Lady Alexandra Winnington said: “For many years we have wanted to release this documentary to the public and it is a great honour to now be able to do this thanks to the help of Amazing Accrington.

“The Accrington Pals are very close to our hearts, and as a family we are proud to see the documentary being viewed by people around the world for the first time.”

Murray Dawson, Chair of #AmazingAccrington, said: “The documentary is a poignant way to commemorate the Accrington Pals and to be able to share their history with the wider public is an important milestone.”

Cath Holmes, daughter of the late Pals historian Walter Holmes, said: "I was fortunate to meet both Rory and Lady Alexandra and see the film in 2021, I found it very interesting, learning so much about the highly respected man who led our Pals into battle. It was so lovely to welcome Lady Alexandra back in 2024 to enjoy the film again and promote the great work of her brother Rory."

The feature length documentary will be available to view from Sunday 16th February by visiting the #AmazingAccrington YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLztS1WwcF6hXbGY9pizDUHCognoc9bm8w