Letter from Edmund Loftus Wickham to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Edmund Loftus Wickham

This work was originally published by Maynooth University in Ireland in 2017. In 2026 this data, stored in a relational database was extracted and converted into this TEI/XML document.

 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

This is an open access work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0).

A letter from Mr Edmund Loftus Wickham (b. 1889) to the Chief Secretary of Ireland Augustine Birrell (1850-1933). Wickham writes to request a cadetship in the RIC, a position that Wickham had failed to achieve previously. Wickham lists his qualifications and referees in this application for a job in the police force.Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) served as the Chief Secretary of Ireland from 1907 to 1916. Birrell was a liberal politician praised for his reforms of the Irish educational system. The Easter Rising caught him unawares, occupied in London, there was little he could do. A later inquiry into the Rising held Birrell chiefly responsible for the events that occurred. Birrell offered his resignation on May 1.

 National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers, CSO RP/1916/7533/2 https://letters1916.ie/item/151 English Edmund Loftus Wickham 1916-05-01 Lifford Cottage, County Limerick, Ireland Augustine Birrell Queens Gate, London, England Male Country and City Life Industry and Public Administration

The data in these XML files was generated based on a data dump from the Magellan database (https://github.com/Maynooth-Center-for-Digital-Humanities/Magellan). Each database record has been converted to a JSON file (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/json). The element section of the JSON file contains the TEI-encoded contents of the letters. The TEI XML has been cleaned and made well-formed using a Python script (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/src).

 J.G. Will you answer this please 4/5 LIFFORD COTTAGE, LIMERICK. May 1916 Sir, I was an unsuccessful candidate at the R.I.C Cadets Examination held in Nov. 1914, failing to get through in one subject only, (History) by 4 marks. I did well in all the other subjects especially in those really vital to the duties and responsibilities of a Police officer. I am, by personal contact, a competent judge of the average Irishman's character, and have a good knowledge of most of the Southern counties of Ireland, being associated with them more or less, through my business as assistant Land Agent (for past 7 or 8 years) to Mr. Ernest Brown J.P., of Clarboy, O'Brien's Bridge, Co. Clare, who has offices at 5 Glentworth St., Limerick. I am desirous, if possible, now of assisting the government in the present deplorable circumstances, & will be glad, therefore, if You could see your way to appoint me to a Cadetship in the R.I.C. I have the qualifications, & a good experience already, & would I am sure make a competent Police Officer. I would for reference refer you to the following gentlemen, Mr Ernest Brown J.P., address as before stated, Mr. Thos. D Atkinson D.L., of Glenwilliam Castle, Ballingarry, Co. Limerick, & the Rev R.H Temple m.a. ( Presbyterian Minister) 80 George St, Limerick. If the papers in connection with my nomination are referred to letters from the latter two gentlemen will be found. My father is retired Telegraph Superintendent G.P.O, here and two of my uncles ( Arthur & William Wickham) are retired army officers, while my only brother William is in the Army (royal Fusiliers, Public Schools Corps). I am, Sir, Your obedient Servant, Edmund L. Wickham To Rt. Hon. A. Birrell QC MS.,, Chief Secretary of Ireland Irish Office Queens Gate London Edmund Loftus Wickham Letter from Edmund Loftus Wickham to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916 Augustine Birrell Letter from Brother Vincent O'Kelly to the Chief Secretary, 3 April 1916Letter from Patrick Joseph Brady to Augustine Birrell, 27 Mar 1916Letter from Thomas Gerrard to Augustine Birrell, 29 March 1916Letter from James P. Farrell et al. to Augustine Birrell, 7 April 1916A letter from Francis E. Meehan to Augustine Birrell, 3 April 1916Letter from James Patrick Farrell to Augustine Birrell, 27 March 1916Letter from Edmund Loftus Wickham to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916Letter from Margaret May Loughren to Augustine Birrell, 26 March 1916Letter from Hugh O'Brien Moran to Augustine Birrell, 4 May 1916Letter from Lord Hugh Gough to Augustine Birrell, 28 April 1916Letter from Joseph Dowdall to Augustine Birrell, 18 April 1916Letter from William Field to Augustine Birrell, 14 April 1916Letter from J. G. Swift MacNeill to Augustine Birrell, 17 April 1916Letter from William Johnson to the chief secretary, 14 April 1916Letter from Miss Helen Augusta Crofton to Augustine Birrell, 3 May 1916Letter from A. J. Loughborough Ball to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916Letter from Mr MJ Murphy to Mr Augustine Birrell, chief secretary for Ireland, 10 November 1916Letter from James Neazor to Augustine Birrell, 6 January 1916Letter from William O'Brien to Augustine Birrell, 26 February 1916Letter from Scott Alexander to Augustine Birrell, 3 March 1916Letter from John Clear to Augustine Birrell, 23 February 1916Letter from Thomas O'Donnell to Augustine Birrell, 9 April 1916Letter from P. Burrowes Shiel to Augustine Birrell, Chief Secretary for Ireland, 27 March 1916.Letter from William Field to Augustine Birrell, 29 March 1916Letter from Alfred Bryne to Augustine Birrell, 30 March 1916Letter from Edward W. Mooney to Augustine Birrell, 4 April 1916Letter from Augustine Birrell to Edward W. Mooney, 5 April 1916Letter from Thomas Henry Grattan Esmonde to Augustine Birrell, 7 April 1916Letter from William Howell Davies to Augustine Birrell, 10 April 1916Letter from Jonathan Pim to Augustine Birrell, 29 March 1916Letter from Sir Bertram Windle to Augustine Birrell, 30 March 1916.Letter from Cecil Harmsworth to Augustine Birrell, 31 March 1916Letter from Jeannie Horner to Augustine Birrell, 4 April 1916Letter from William Seddall to Augustine Birrell, 14 April 1916Letter from Thomas Francis Smyth to Augustine Birrell, 27 March 1916Letter from A. Ross to Augustine Birrell, 30 April 1916Letter from Richard Creighton to Augustine Birrell, 25 April 1916Letter from Joseph Michael Stanley, 29 March 1916Letter from W. A. Tait to the Chief Secretary for Ireland, 13 April 1916Letter from A. Stanford to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916Letter from Edmund Blayney Clarke to Augustine Birrell, 29 May 1916Letter from Edmund Blayney Clarke to Augustine Birrell, 23 May 1916Letter from William O'Brien to Augustine Birrell, 26 February 1916Letter from Henry T. Gallagher to Augustine Birrell, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, 29 March 1916 Queens Gate, London, England Letter from Edmund Loftus Wickham to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916 Lifford Cottage, County Limerick, Ireland Letter from Edmund Loftus Wickham to Augustine Birrell, 1 May 1916