Lord Kitchener makes appeal

Lord Kitchener makes his famous appeal for volunteers, 100,000 are required. This national campaign has the attention locally of Lord Derby. He meets with Kitchener to discuss the possibility of raising one battalion of men drawn from the business community in Liverpool. Kitchener approves of the idea and leaves the responsibility for arranging this venture with Lord Derby.

The process of recruiting began with Lord Derby writing to all of the major employers within Liverpool asking them to release all eligible men for military service. He fully recognised that these were professional men in well paid employment and therefore asked that the employers should consider the offer of a minimum of 50% salary to be paid to the families of these men whilst they were serving.

The employers agreed to form a committee and drafted a message to be sent to all staff in their employ urging them all to attend a meeting, which Lord Derby had notified them of, on the evening of the 28th.