Letter from Miss Helen Augusta Crofton to Augustine Birrell, 3 May 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Helen Augusta Crofton

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 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

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A letter from Helen A. Crofton (1843-1917) to Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) . In this letter Crofton is offering her services should postal censorship be established in Dublin. Crofton states that she has sufficient German to censor any letters written in the language and refers to her experience with genealogical work. Birrell served as the chief secretary of Ireland from 1907 to 1916. Birrell was a liberal politician praised for his reforms of the Irish education system. The Easter Rising caught him unawares and, occupied in London, there was little he could do. A later inquiry into the Rising held Birrell chiefly responsible for the events that occurred leading to his resignation on 1 May 1916.

 National Archives of Ireland Chief Secretary's Office Registered Papers, CSO RP/1916/7449 https://letters1916.ie/item/815 English Helen Augusta Crofton 1916-05-03 3 Gardiner's Row, Dublin, Ireland Augustine Birrell Female World War I (1914-1918)

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 I Ack. II Rep. Will you kindly enter a file 'offers of assistance' initialled 6 -V-16I done 9/5 I despd 9/5 3 Gardiner's Row Dublin May 3rd /16 Dear Sir It has struck me that possibly a Postal Censorship may be established in Dublin, as it has been elsewhere, and if so, I should be glad to offer my services in that way, or in any position of trust, organising, — especially in the present crisis — I enclose a letter from the War Office in which you will see that (after having written fully and confidentially to several references) they practically offered me a post in London, provided I knew sufficient German to censor letters written in that language — I had not known that this was necessary, and though I have more than a slight knowledge of German feared to undertake the work and I did not care to go to Liverpool, another thing they suggested. I also enclose confidential copy of the questions asked of my referees. I am literary, and have also done a good deal of genealogical research work — in some of which Sir Arthur Vicars and Mr. G. Burtcheal kindly gave me assistance. Yours faithfully (Miss) Helen A. Cofton A. Birrell Esq. 2 enclosures Returned to Miss Crofton on 28/6/16 see 10778/16 hereon HJL marginal note refers to enclosures with Miss Crofton's letter Helen Augusta Crofton Letter from Miss Helen Augusta Crofton to Augustine Birrell, 3 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 3 Gardiner's Row, Dublin, Ireland Letter from Miss Helen Augusta Crofton to Augustine Birrell, 3 May 1916