In August 1914 Henry Cubitt, Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, came to Dorking on market day to speak to visiting farmers. From the steps of the Red Lion Hotel he said that he had recruited widely in Dorking and the villages but wanted to reach the outlying agricultural areas where the farmers came from.
He exhorted employers to impress upon young men the need to join up and announced that he had informed all his employees at Denbies that there would not be so much work going in future, and it would be married men who would get first consideration for available work. With such moves common to many employers single men often faced a choice: join up or face unemployment.
Last : August Bank Holiday 1914
