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The 10th (Stockbrokers') Battalion was one of the first Pals' Battalions, a unit of men already friends and colleagues who had signed up together, to serve together.

A former military officer, the Honourable Robert White wrote to the Stock Exchange and the Bank of England to ask if a group from the City of London would be willing to come forward and create a new regiment. After just a few days more than one thousand men arrived at his offices at Throgmorton Street to sign up.

Many of the men who signed up would have been eligible to apply for officer commissions but the creation of the Stockbrokers' Battalion allowed them a much quicker route into the military.

The Stockbrokers' went on to serve in France and Belgium and saw action at Ypres and the Somme.

Location: 5 Throgmorton Street, City of London EC2N
Image: Throgmorton Street during the war, courtesy of IWM, compared to a century on