Visit Masham

Friday 15 July, 2016 - Friday 15 July, 2016

The Pals

Masham Town Hall, Little Market Place, Masham

19:30

Horsforth School Masham Town Hall Performance of ‘the Pals’
One fine 1914 summer day fourteen year old Leeds lad Horace Iles volunteered for the ‘Leeds Pals’ battalion and this courageous decision led to his death almost two years later as he became the youngest of the ‘Pals’ to die in a volley of enemy machine gun fire in the opening hour of the battle of the Somme. He is buried in the cemetery at Serre. Horace is the main character in Horsforth School’s production of ‘The Pals’ a play which will be performed at Masham Town Hall at half past seven on Friday July 15th. There are twelve year ten boys aged fifteen acting.
Horsforth pupil Josh who plays Horace explains that ‘The Pals’ tells the story of Horace Iles from his joining the battalion through his Colsterdale training until that beautiful but fateful morning of 1st July 1916 when along with so many others he gave his life in his country’s – indeed in our country’s service. Although apparently powerfully built for his age Horace was just sixteen and a half at the time of his death. All British soldiers at the Somme had volunteered. ‘Pals’ battalions were recruited in many northern towns and often paid recruiters turned a blind eye when an enthusiastic but clearly underage young lad presented himself. Our play makes no comment on the rights or wrongs of the war but just asks that we remember these young lads our age and the terrible fate that befell them. We are working hard to honour the memory of Horace and his pals so we’re keen to play to full houses.’
Tickets are £5 each, £4 over 60s and will be available from Mashamshire Community Office from 16th May but for a preview of the play please look at the following link to the Horsforth School website:
www.horsforthschool.org/the-pals–presented-by-the-year-10-boys-drama-group/946.html