A letter from Sir Wilfrid Bliss Spender (1876-1960) to his wife, Lady Lillian Spender, née Dean, (1880-1968). In this letter, Spender discusses a slur which he has recently suffered, speculating as to the perpetrator's identity and motivation. He warns that the newspapers' optimism on the war's progress is unfounded, that recent victories have been only partial, and that the fighting could well last for another year. He writes that he will be returning to the trenches quite soon. Spender relates a conversation he had with a sapper, Craig, which exemplified Craig's patriotism and dedication to the cause. He warns that if loyal soldiers of Craig's type are swamped by unwilling conscripts, the results will not be good - particularly if all the conscripts are recruited towards the end of the war, and not throughout.Sir Wilfrid Spender was a member of the British Army until 1913 when controversy surrounding his signature of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant resulted in his resignation. Spender was called up for military service in 1914 and from 1915 served in the 36th (Ulster) Division. Throughout the war, Spender wrote a collection of letters to his wife Lady Lillian Spender. The letters date mainly from 1915 to 1918, when Sir Wilfrid was serving in France. The letters concern politics, the Irish question, personal life, and Wilfrid's experience of the Great War. Lady Lillian served in the Ulster Volunteer Nursing Corps during the war, and was an organiser of the Ulster Division Comforts Fund.