In the early days of the First World War two volunteer Pals Battalions were raised in Bradford and this is their remarkable story. David Raw's account is based on memoirs, letters, diaries, contemporary newspaper reports, official records and archives, and it is illustrated with many maps and previously unpublished photographs. He recaptures the heroism and stoical humour displayed by the Bradford Pals in the face of often terrible experiences, but he also recounts the tragedy, pain, suffering and grief that was the dark side of war.

In 1976 one of the 'Pals Battalions' veterans said to me: "No one could write a book about the First World War unless he had been in it, because he could not possible imagine what it was like" So, I did not try to write a book about the First World War. I merely recorded the things that those old soldiers told me and what they wrote in their reports and in their letters to loved ones. This is their story, not mine.

This richly illustrated history explores every aspect of life in Bradford. The Story of Bradford traces the city's history from earliest times to the present, concluding with comments on the issues, challenges and opportunities that the twenty-first century will present. The departure of the German wool merchants in 1914 and the tragedy that befell the Bradford Pals at the Somme had a serious effect not just on the city but further afield, while the achievements of the great nineteenth-century wool barons are contrasted with the condition of the working class and industrial unrest. The challenge in the new millennium is for Bradford to use its considerable assets – including its architectural development and heritage – to shine as a prosperous and self-confident community.