Lord's Used as Wartime Depot — 1915 to 1918

The MCC had been reluctant to abandon cricket entirely but Grace's letter and the steady flow of casualties made continuing impossible.

The committee voted in early 1915 not to hold a season and to make the ground available to the war effort.

After the abandonment of the 1914 season the MCC committee decided not to attempt a 1915 first-class programme. Lord's was placed at the disposal of the War Office. The pavilion served as a club and recreation room for officers passing through London. Parts of the practice ground were dug up for vegetable allotments under the national 'Dig for Victory'-style schemes that pre-dated the more famous WWII version. The Long Room was used for committee meetings and recruiting drives. Schoolboys' matches and a handful of charity games — including services and 'England versus Australia' games using available service personnel — were the only cricket of any standing played there during the war. The ground escaped any direct damage from Zeppelin raids, though London was bombed several times in 1915-17. By the time the war ended in November 1918, the pavilion required a substantial refit before the resumption of first-class cricket in May 1919.

“The famous turf was given over to potatoes.”

The 1919 season opened with Lord's restored. Several wartime adaptations — including parts of the indoor area used for officers' messes — were dismantled.