At a meeting of the Committee of the Masters of Foxhounds Association held at Tattersall’s for the purpose of considering the possibility and advisability of hunting this coming season, there were present the Duke of Beaufort, Lord Leconfield, Mr G. W. Fitzwilliam, Mr J. C. Straker, Mr E. Curre, Mr W. H. Wharton, and the Hon. Secretary, Mr. J. R. Rawlence. The following resolution was passed unanimously:

While recognising the fact that, under the present circumstances, regular hunting will be impossible, the Committee of the Masters of Foxhounds Association consider that it would be most prejudicial to the country in general if it were to lapse altogether. They would therefore recommend that cub hunting should take place, and continue as long as possible, in order to kill as many foxes as possible in the various countries and enter the young hounds, but that hunting should not be looked upon from a sporting point of view until the war is over. Where it is not possible to hunt the full number of days, the committee strongly recommend masters of hounds to take measures to reduce the number of foxes in proportion to the amount of hunting days they think they will be able to manage. They would also urge that people having the interests of hunting at heart should continue to subscribe, as far as their means permit, to the various packs, as otherwise a very serious state of things may arise. The committee ask the general public to recognise that this partial suspension of hunting is in a great measure caused by the fact that the horses of the various hunting establishments have been freely and willingly handed over to the service of the country.

Banbury Guardian, August 1914