A MEMORIAL bench has been erected in France in memory of the Barnsley Pals who died in the Battle of the Somme.

It is 102 years since 800 Barnsley men died in one of the bloodiest battles in history.

Many of them were from the Barnsley Pals - the 13th and 14th Battalions of the York and Lancaster Regiment.

Now, a bench featuring a poppy and the logos of the Yorkshire Regiment and the Yorkshire volunteers has been erected in the fields where the battle took place. It reads ‘Lest We Forget.’

It has been erected by the Yorkshire Regiment Association, which is made up of former reservists and regular serving soldiers, formed nine months ago and meets at the TA centre on Wakefield Road, Barnsley.

Tony Simpson, 63, from the association, said: “It’s the first time the Barnsley branch of the regiment has done anything like this. We asked for permission to put it in the Yorkshire area at the Somme, and it was taken across. The members built it up and carried it into where the rest of the memorials are.

“For some of the older men, it’s a place where they can rest on the seats we have provided and look out over where the lads came out of the trenches.

“It’s a constant reminder.”

The members also took across their mannequin called Poppy Jack, which is used to raise funds for the Royal British Legion.

Members of the association have ambitious plans to have wrought iron-style benches designed and erected at all memorials across Barnsley.

There is already a memorial bench in Darton in memory of Private Matthew Thornton, who was killed on patrol on November 9, 2011. Another will be erected in Penistone in the next few weeks.

Tony, who spent eight years with the Yorkshire Volunteers and four years in the Merchant Navy, said: “There are about 90 memorial sites across Barnsley and we want to seek permission to put one of our benches on these particular sites and see if we can leave our mark for the future. There’s a bench in Darton, France, one going up in Penistone shortly and there are two more benches in the process of being made, which are for Cudworth and Grimethorpe.

“The Barnsley Rockley Rotary Club wants to do two benches, and has contributed to the full price. But at this point, we don’t know where those benches will go.”

The design has to be agreed by both the Rotary Club and the association, and we’re in the very first weeks of the planning stages.”