Manchester would be one of the most important centres in the country for relieving the wounded it was announced.The war office had commandeered the Manchester School of Technology, the Municipal Secondary School for boys and Hulme Hall
The 16,000 members of the East Lancashire Territorials were ready to move.They were due to go first to Ireland but now that was in doubt whilst both the 8th Fusiliers in Salford and the 8th Manchester’s in Ardwick were still awaiting orders at their barracks.
The rush to join the army in Manchester had taken off and in order to cope with the demand the authorities opened a new recruiting office in Dickenson street at the Labour Exchange.
The Manchester Evening News reported on Manchester’s splendid response to Lord Kitchener’s appeal for recruits.Kitchener, realizing that it would be a long war, had called for 100,000 volunteers on the 7th August.
‘ every day since the call to arms, large crowds have besieged the recruitment offices in Victoria street and police have been on duty to regulate the crowds. Examiners have been engaged day and night and long queues of men of various stations in life have waited for hours to be medically inspected -even yesterday though rain fell heavily there was no diminution of the the rush’
It reported that so far 800 men had been passed for service
Early news filtering through from Belgium was of German reverses.It was reported that one division of German cavalry which tried to cross the river Meuse had been repulsed by the Belgians while the French forces were said to be moving East towards Liege with rumour of a great battle expected in the coming days between that city and the Dutch frontier as German forces moved to encircle the French from their left flank.
