1
Amisfield, Haddington 24/1/16. Dear Mr Fair, I am in receipt of your letter
of 21st inst. for which I thank you. If your brother can do anything
for me I shall be greatly obliged. There is no doubt that the Army
at the present time must require a great number
of trained men to take Commissions. I have
now had almost a years training and bear a
good character in the Regiment so that there
should be no bar to my obtaining a Commission
if nominated by an O.C. of some other line. Yours faithfully, Robt.T.Atwell C.E.Fair G.L.T.D. Athlone
Letter from Robert Atwell to James R. Fair thanking him for his letter of 21 January.
He thanks Fair for offering to have his brother help with the matter of his commission
as an officer in the army. He writes that he has had about a year of training and
bears 'a good character in the Regiment'. This correspondence is in relation to Atwell
seeking a commission in the 4th Connaught Rangers, Sir Henry's Batallion. It is from
a collection of miscellaneous letters, relating to the Bellew family. Sir Henry Christopher
Grattan-Bellew, 3rd Baronet (1860-1942) was the third baronet of Mount Bellew in County
Galway. He held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, 4th Battalion Connaught Rangers. His
son, sir Charles Christopher (1887-1948) held the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, King's
Royal Rifle Corps. He was decorated with the award of the Military Cross (M.C.) in
1918