A letter from sir John Maxwell (1859 – 1929) to sir John French (1852-1925). Maxwell requests that the training of the 59th Division (2nd North Midland) continue as soon as possible. He writes about moving Brigades to Straffan Camp and Glen of Imaal for musketry and firing practice. He asks for Lord French's assistance in moving some of the Artillery of the Division, currently held up in Liverpool. Finally, in a handwritten postscript Maxwell says he is a little perplexed as to what to do with 'this man McNeill' (Eoin MacNeill 1867-1945). He says MacNeill was prominent in the movement but he tried to stop the rebellion happening when it did. He expects the Priests and Politicians will try to save him and notes that he hasn't been tried yet.Sir John Henry Grenfell Maxwell was appointed commander in chief of the British forces in Ireland after the outbreak of the Easter Rising. Before 1916, Maxwell briefly held command of British troops in Egypt, where he successfully organised defences against a Turkish attack in February 1915 and presided over the huge expansion of his command as Egypt became a major British imperial military base. In March 1916, having been superseded as general officer commanding in Egypt, he was recalled home when the Easter Rising broke out. Sir John Denton Pinkstone French, first Earl of Ypres, was a British officer. Upon the outbreak of war, French was appointed Field Marshal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). Although popular with his men, the failure of his offensives, Neuve-Chapelle and Loos, to break the German lines and his criticism of the home government led to his replacement as Field Marshal by sir Douglas Haig (1861-1928) in late 1915. French was appointed Commander in Chief of the Home forces in January 1916.