Film premiere to focus on Pals
STUART PIKE
ACOMPELLING film about The Accrington Pals is to be shown at a special premiere in Accrington as part of the regiment’s centenary commemorations.
The Heritage Lotteryfunded film will be shown at a special intimate screening at Accrington Town Hall on Tuesday, July 5.
The Accrington Pals film is presented by the late William Turner, local historian and researcher of The Accrington Pals.
It has never previously been screened in the town, only on Manchester-based Channel M.
The screening on July 5, the anniversary of Mr Turner’s death, is dedicated to his memory, acknowledging that “without [his] efforts on the part of The Accrington Pals this programme would not have been possible”.
The 46-minute film was uncovered by Scott Dawson Advertising of Burnley, while carrying out separate research. The marketing firm has arranged the screening of the film, working with Hyndburn council.
Co-presented by Colonel Mike Glover it features other contributors, including The Fusiliers Museum, Lancashire.
It gives an incisive and deeply moving account of the devastating losses suffered by the battalion in the attack on Serre on July 1, 1916, the opening day of the Battle of the Somme.
Viewing of the film is strictly limited to 100 people and by ticket only.
Tickets for the event at 3pm on Tuesday, July 5 are priced at £3, including tea, coffee and biscuits.
They can be booked by calling Accrington Town Hall on 01254 380293.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Accrington Pals commemorative fund.
Soldiers killed at the Battle of the Somme are also being honoured on the centenary with limited edition poppy pins.
TMB Art Metal is creating a limited series of 19,240 pins, one for every soldier killed on the opening day of the battle, and the pins will be made from materials from the battleground.
The pins are made using metal reclaimed from shell fuses and painted with enamel paint containing earth from the battlefields themselves.
Shell fuses were painstakingly collected from the Somme, with many additional fuses coming from farmers in the local area, unearthed while harvesting potatoes in the peaceful Picardy fields that now form the site of the former battlefield.
Charles Byrne, the Royal British Legion’s director of fundraising, said: “The Somme 100 Poppy Pin is a poignant tribute to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of the Somme, one hundred years ago. The Royal British Legion has commissioned this special pin as part of a programme of activity to mark the centenary of the battle.”
The pins priced £39.99 are available through the Legion’s online Poppy Shop with all proceeds benefiting the charity.