In about September 1915 three local reserve battalions were formed from the depot companies of the eight battalions, with the role of training replacements for the service battalions; they joined 16th Brigade of the Training Reserve on 1 September 1916:[1][2][3]
25th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment, (from 16th, 17th, 18th Bn depot companies) became 69th Training Reserve Battalion
26th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment, (from 19th, 20th, 21st Bn depot companies) became 70th Training Reserve Battalion
27th (Reserve) Battalion, Manchester Regiment, (from 22nd, 23rd and 24th (Oldham Pioneers) Bn depot companies) became 71st Training Reserve Battalion
Almost 10,000 men enlisted in the Manchester Pals battalions, of whom 4,776 were killed. Overall, the Manchester Regiment lost about 13,000men.[8] In 1993, a memorial was unveiled in Heaton Park, where the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th battalions were trained between September 1914 and April 1915.[9]
Maj A.F. Becke,History of the Great War: Order of Battle of Divisions, Part 3b: New Army Divisions (30–41) and 63rd (R.N.) Division, London: HM Stationery Office, 1939/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2007, ISBN 1-847347-41-X.
J.B.M. Frederick, Lineage Book of British Land Forces 1660–1978, Vol I, Wakefield: Microform Academic, 1984, ISBN 1-85117-007-3.
Brig E.A. James, British Regiments 1914–18, London: Samson Books, 1978/Uckfield: Naval & Military Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1-84342-197-9.
Caroline Scott, The Manchester Bantams, The Story of a Pals Battalion and a City at War: 23rd (Service) Battalion, The Manchester Regiment (8th City), Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2016, ISBN 978-1-78346-389-3.
Stedman, Michael (2004) [1994], Manchester Pals: 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd & 23rd Battalions of the Manchester Regiment: a History of the Two Manchester Brigades, Pen and Sword Books, ISBN1-84415-046-1