Letter from Wilfred Short, 9 June 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Wilfred Short

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A letter from Wilfred Short (1870-1947) to the Chief Secretary's Office. Short is writing to enclose an anonymous letter addressed to Arthur James Balfour. The enclosed letter claims that the Irish are planning another Rising, and warns that the British should prepare the military and navy. The writer says that millions of Irish American Fenians plan to take over not only Ireland but England.'These traitors will eat the heart out of the Empire'.Wilfred Short was a British civil servant. In 1916 he was serving as private secretary to the statesman Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930), a British Conservative politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from July 1902 to December 1905. The letter is addressed to the Chief Secretary for Ireland. At this time there is no official Chief Secretary for Ireland following the resignation of Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) on 3 May 1916. Birrell's resignation was a consequence of the 1916 Rising for which he accepted responsibility. His successor, Henry Edward Duke (1855-1939), was not officially appointed until 31 July 1916.

 National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers, CSO RP/1916/9864/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/405 English Wilfred Short 1916-06-09 Mr (A.J.) Balfour Male Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Industry and Public Administration

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 9 June 1916 Dear Sir, The enclosed anony- mous communication has been addressed to Mr Balfour. For what it may be worth I send it to you. Yours faithfully Wilfrid Short Dublin 7th June 1916 Sir I wish to let you know that the Irish are rising again on White Monday or so, and your Government would want to take precautions This is why they want Home Rule in order to get the military and ships that guards the coast of Ireland with- drawn until they get in the 3 millions of Irish American Fenians who are coming over to take not only Ireland but England. the way Asquith has acted in letting out the rebels has demonstrated to them that they can kill police etc. with impunity and so they are re-forming and are rising again. You must see that the Liberals are not let wipe out the whole Constitution and it is time they were put out before they trail England in the dust any more. and you should see that a good Conservative General is appointed in Lord Kitchiner's place. England's difficulty is Ireland's opportunity has long been the rebels motto, and this rising in Ireland is made whilst the men are in France, and unless this war is stopped these traitors will eat the heart out of this Empire Wilfred Short Letter from Wilfred Short, 9 June 1916