THE history of the Accrington Pals has been retold in a new book.

‘Pals’ by Helmshore author Stuart Haines tells the story of young working class soldier Albert Webb.

Growing up in desperate poverty with dreams of a better life, Albert dons the infamous battalion’s uniform and is forced to endure the carnage of the Somme.

Readers of the book, which will be available on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble and is published under the pseudonym Henry P Barnes, will see Albert become the reluctant hero in the coming of age novel.

Stuart, 45, said he picked up his pen almost three years ago after the sudden death of his 49-year-old wife Pauline from a heart attack.

He said: “I had it in my mind to start writing before Pauline died, but when she did die, I found myself with a big hole in my life, so I decided to start writing.

“I am interested in Second World War history but the First World War has always scared me. But then the phrase, ‘The Western Front was a hell of a place to come of age’, came into my mind and I couldn’t get it out of my head.

“I did not set out to tell the history of the Pals but I wanted to tell the story of ordinary people from Accrington who were caught up in it.”

Stuart, who works as a healthcare manager in Leeds, said that while the detail of the Battle of the Somme in his book is accurate, he used a creative licence while telling the story of the aftermath.

He said: “The characters are not real because I did not want to upset anybody. Albert is not based on anyone.”

One of the most famous stories in Hyndburn’s history is that of the Accrington Pals.

More than 1,000 men from across the borough answered the call to join the Armed Forces in August 1914. But on July 1, 1916, the Pals suffered huge losses after they went over the top of the trenches during the Battle of the Somme. At 7.30am, 720 men advanced across’ no man’s land’ but were mowed down by German bullets. Later that night, less than 100 answered their names at roll call.