1 27th June, 1916. My dear Hugo, I am very glad indeed to hear that you have started
going upstairs again. I did not worry about you to the extent
that your mother & your wife did, as I was quite sure that you
would get due promotion in time; but I am glad that it has not
been longer delayed. I am inclined to think you had better
stick to your job & leave Irish politics alone till the war
is over. If you had been in this country trying to do what
you could to make our rotten system of recruiting work, you
would not be so impressed with the loyalty of the official
Irish party. Of course one does not like to say publicly
what one thinks. It is no time to indulge in party polemics
however severely ones temper is tried. To us here it appears
that John Redmond made just as many speeches & statements
as he though necessary in order to provide sufficient eye-wash
for the British elector, so that the repeal of the Home Rule
Act should not be his first demand after the war; but hardly
any of his followers did a hand's turn to help recruiting, &
the results of such recruiting meetings as have been held drive
one to the conclusion that while he posed before the British
public as very loyal, he winked the other eye at his followers here. Carson's followers provided a while division of very
good material, though they did not get very much encouragement
and were left with arms & equipments for a long time after they 2 -2-
would have been otherwise ready to go. They have also provided
reserve battalions while the so-called Irish Divisions are
notoriously very short of Irish recruits, and unfortunate fellows
have been sent over from Wiltshire and other places in England
to fill the ranks. Of the Irishmen who are serving in the so-
called Irish Divisions (the 10th & the 16th) a very substantial l
proportion are protestants and unionists; but Redmond & Co
have braged of the doings of these divisions as if they were all
Nationalists. I got from one of the Chaplains the official
census of religions of the 10th Division which gives one a good
rough idea of the political constitution of it. I do not know
actually how matters stand in the 16th Division; but I believe
not far otherwise. At the last recruiting boom it was ascertained
that of the recruits obtained in Ulster just 3% were Nationalists
If we spoke publicly about this we should be help as incorrigible
bigots, & accused of making little of the undoubted and con
spicuous gallantry of Irish Roman Catholic troops; but the other
side are allowed to claim credit for the distinguished conduct
of all Irishmen, as if all Irishmen were Home Rulers, & we
must show no resentment. Over and above all this Redmond's loyalty whatever it is
worth was strictly conditional at the beginning of the war. It
was conditional on the King being made to assent to agree to the
Home Rule Act being put on the Statute Book by a gross breach of
the party truce, and a Ulster Unionists, who, not
withstanding flocked to the colours. Redmond also expected his
advice 3 -3-
advice to be taken in the Government of Ireland. His advice
was taken, & the taking of his advice was the direct cause of
the success such as it was that the Rebellion had. Now having
had a large share in bringing about the Rebellion he says that
result is that he cannot maintain his loyal attitude, or keep
up among his followers a loyal attitude during the rest of the
war unless Home Rule is brought into operation for at least
three-quarters of Ireland at once. The responsible &
irreplaceable Government having said this was necessary the Ulster
Unionist Organization has agreed; but what the result to the
country of this direct encouragement to pro-German Rebellion
will be I do not know. If appears that Sir John Maxwell's powers have already been
greatly curtailed, & that whoever is carrying on the Government
has resorted to the old principle to snub loyalty & vigorous
performance of duty, and reward the opposite. I hear the police
who on the whole behaved very well during the Rebellion are
rapidly becoming disaffected under the effects of this treatment,
& the English soldiers in Dublin are in the worst possible temper
at various things that have happened, beginning with Anquith's visit
to the Barracks where there were wounded rebels & wounded soldiers
and where he ostentatiously made much of the wounded rebels &
did not as much as look at the wounded soldiers. I hope the next
Rebellion, which is not likely to be long delayed will not prove
a serious hindrance to winning the war; otherwise it might not be a 4 -4-
good thing for it to come soon as if the country had to be
reconquered it might lead to the establishment of a
form of Government. Is the 28th Battalion London Regiment, Artists and Rifles
in your army corps? as a supporter of mine at Aughnacloy named
Wright has a son in it - Private 5564 R. A. Wright, for whom he
wants a commission. He is a clerk in the India Office, London
and has been in the Officers Training Corps for some years. I hope Hughie is in a moderately healthy place. Yours Affectionately.