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Aberfoyle
New Road
Bookham
Surrey
May. 8.
Dear Mrs.Skeffington,
Because of my nationality
I am almost ashamed to write to you but,
while we hope with all our hearts
that this report about Mr. Skeffington
is not true, I felt I must tell
you of my horror at the present
happenings & extreme sympathy
with you in your trouble both
personal & for Ireland.
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we cannot hear at all what has
happened to most of our friends. Delia
is naturally in a terrible state
of mind & bitterly regrets having
been away from Dublin — personally
I begin to wonder whether those
who have gone over are not
better off than those of us
who remain to see everything
which makes life decent
destroyed. At all events your
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husband & and those others have been
able to make the supreme sacrifice
for a living ideal. & they have
died resisting evil. here we
are welcoming it. With the
exception of a small body
of people — & most of whom
will also be in prison before
very long probably. All this doesn't express in
the least all I would like
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to say to you, but please believe
that our hearts are full of
sympathy & let us know
if there is anything we can
do to help. Yours Very Sincerely Violet Tillard
Letter from Violet Tillard (1874-1922) to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1877-1946)expressing
her sympathy in regards to the death of Hanna's husband, Francis. She writes of his
value in life and the honorable nature of his death, then closes by requesting that
Hanna send for her should she require any assistance.
Violet Tillard was a suffragette, nurse, and pacifist, who worked to help conscientious
objectors during the First World War.
Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, suffragette, nationalist, language teacher, was the founder
of the Irish Women’s Franchise League and a founding member of the Irish Women Workers’
Union. She was the widow of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington who was summarily executed
on 26 April 1916. She was active during the Rising, bringing food to the Volunteers
in the G.P.O. and the College of Surgeons. Four days passed before she found out what
had happened to her husband, Francis (1878-1916), and it wasn't until almost two weeks
later that the full details of his execution emerged.