A letter from sir Wilfrid Bliss Spender (1876-1960) to his wife, Lady Lillian Spender, née Dean, (1880-1968). In this letter, Spender instructs Lillian on how much she may reveal to a friend about his position and responsibilities in the war office. He tells her of a recent visit by the King to the office, but says that he kept in the background to avoid discussion of his own 'lurid past'.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.