for my poor old sister. She will
be 60 on 25 May next â
& I am going off without ever
seeing her again â & leaving
her dependent on the help
of strangers. For years
she had been dependent
on me. She is staying with friends
in America &
..... ..... know where. 2 She was hunted out of
Ireland last Sept. or Augt.
& had to fly to America. I am writing to her, but
I can't tell her anything â
only pretend things & this
grieves me greatly. Don't forget ......... & Huber
& the book. All proceeds (if any ever
come) to go to my sister .... ' ..... This is all for the present R.C.
This is a facsimile copy of a letter written by Sir Roger Casement (1864-1916). The letter was written from Munich and refers mainly to Casement's sister who was soon to turn 60. Casement is grieved at having to leave again without seeing his sister and leaving her dependent on 'strangers'. He notes that she had been 'hunted out of Ireland' the previous year and had to go to America. He is also grieved that he cannot tell her anything of what he is doing.Sir Roger Casement was a humanitarian and Irish Nationalist. Casement believed that an Irish insurrection would be crushed unless it received substantial assistance from Germany. He spent eighteen months in Germany, arriving first as an envoy of Irish-American leaders, attempting to encourage Germany to support Irish separatist aspirations by providing arms. Casement succeeded in securing limited German support but his attempt to form a brigade of Irish soldiers in German prisoner of war camps to fight against Britain was largely unsuccessful. When it became clear that adequate help would not be forthcoming he travelled to Ireland by submarine. Casement landed and was arrested at Banna Strand, County Kerry on Good Friday 1916. He was tried in the Old Bailey for treason and subsequently executed by hanging at Pentonville Prison on 3 August 1916.
How to cite
Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__1264.html)
- Mentioned in
-
- Letter from Roger Casement to Nina Casement, 25 July 1916.
- Letter from Roger Casement to George Gavan Duffy, 30 June 1916
- Letter from Roger Casement to Margaret Gavan Duffy, 14 July 1916
- Letter from Roger Casement to Margaret Gavan Duffy, 2 August 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement to Robert Monteith, 11 January 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement to Robert Monteith, 13 January 1916
- Postcard from Sir Roger Casement to Robert Monteith, 23 February 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 9 April 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 20 December 1915
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 13 March 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 26 March 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 26 March 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 9 April 1916
- Letter from Count Georg von Wedel to Roger Casement, 27 November 1915
- Letter from Louis Hahn to Roger Casement, 19 November 1915
- Letter from T. A. Quinlisk to Roger Casement, 22 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 2 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 5 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 8 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 11 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 21 November 1915
- Telegram from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 26 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 18 March 1916
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 1 February 1916
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 24 March 1916
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 11 November 1915
- Letter from Robert Monteith to Roger Casement, 24 January 1916
- Place
- Munich, Germany
- Mentioned in
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 26 March 1916
- Letter from Sir Roger Casement, 26 March 1916