On 29 August 1914, Charles Wilson, 2nd Baron Nunburnholme had a meeting with Kitchener. Nunburnholme, head of a family of shipowners in Kingston upon Hull, was a former Major in the 2nd Volunteer Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, and held a Distinguished Service Order (DSO) from service with the City Imperial Volunteers during the Second Boer War. In 1914 he was Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire and President of the East Riding Territorial Association (ERTA). At this meeting, Kitchener authorised Nunburnholme and the ERTA to raise a battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment. This was unusual because most of the county Territorial Associations were fully engaged with recruiting and equipping their existing Territorial Force (TF) units and had no time for the New Army units. In contrast, by the end of 1915 Lord Nunburnholme and the ERTA had not only raised 2nd and 3rd Line TF units for the East Riding Regiment, Royal Field Artillery (RFA), Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) and Royal Engineers but a full infantry brigade of 'Hull Pals' with a depot battalion, three RGA heavy batteries (the 11th (1st Hull), 124th (2nd Hull) and 146th (3rd Hull)) and the 31st (Hull) Divisional Ammunition Column, RFA. Lord Nunburnholme asked Major W.H. Carver, a retired Militia officer (3rd Battalion, (King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry), to command the new unit while it was being recruited.