Letter from 'a loyal subject' to Lord Wimborne, 30 April 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from 'a loyal subject' to Lord Wimborne, 30 April 1916

1 Belfast 30th April 1916 To The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, May it please your excellency to allow me
who for obvious reasons must remain anonymous,
to respectfully bring under your notice the fact
that there are hundreds of R.I.C. pensioners
fit and willing to rehire men serving on light
posts - stores, offices & sundry street duties -
so as to allow the younger men to do
duties elsewhere during the war. Such pensioners are as a rule engaged
in civil employment, as their pensions are
utterly inadequate to keep them, more especially
in these bad times. Should you consider this matter favourably
the employers of these men should be asked to
keep the places of these pensioners open for them,
otherwise they would be slow to volunteer. Each man to get the pay of his former Rank
without reduction of pension. I am your excellency's humble servt.
A loyalist, Anxious to help.

A letter from an anonymous, loyal subject, to Sir Ivor Churchill Guest, the Lord Wimborne (1873-1939). The writer states that there are hundreds of RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) pensioners who would be willing to relieve men serving on light posts so that the younger men may do duties elsewhere during the war. He mentions that such pensioners are usually engaged in civil employment as their pensions are inadequate to keep them.Ivor Churchill Guest, 1st Viscount Wimborne was appointed the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1915. Guest worked closely alongside Sir Matthew Nathan (1862-1939) in the administration of Ireland. Following the suppression of the Rising, Guest, under pressure, was forced to resign as Lord Lieutenant. A later inquiry into the Rising exonerated Guest and held Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) chiefly responsible for the events that occurred. Guest would continue to serve as Lord Lieutenant until 1918.

Ivor Churchill Guest
1916-04-30
World War I (1914-1918) Industry and Public Administration

Open image in new tab

How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0154.html)