Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 February 1916

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 February 1916

1 CHPI/14 (4) B.E.Force
8th R.I.Fusiliers 25/2/'16 Dear Fr Provincial
P.C. A line to let
you know of my safe
arrival in France. After
an uneventful crossing followed
by a 23 hour journey in the
train we reached our destination
at eleven at night, only to find
that we had a twelve mile
march before we reached our
billlets. On the road, one of
the officers suggested that I
should get off on one of the 2 4 (4) very comfortable quarters in a
small convent, the good Sisters
being kindness itself. Unfortunately
we leave tomorrow as it is snowing
heavily and it is intensely cold. I heard yesterday that Fr Wrater
has just met with a nasty accident.
His horse backed into a river,
reared up and fell on him,
cutting his head rather badly,
though nothing serious, but he
might very easily have been
drowned. I am very glad to be out,
though our experience so far has
been very trying & we are evidently
in for a hard time and, as far
as I can judge, I shall have
abundance of work
Asking a remembrance in your
Reverence's holy sacrifice
Believe me
Yours obediently in xT
W.Doyle S.J.

Letter from Irish Jesuit Chaplain, Fr Willie Doyle SJ (1873-1917) to Father Provincial Thomas V. Nolan SJ (1867-1941) informing Nolan of his safe arrival in France. Fr Willie Doyle served as a military chaplain with the 8th Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers, 16th Irish Division. In April 1916 he was recommended for the Military Cross (MC) for helping to dig wounded men out of a collapsed shelter under fire. He moved to the 8th Battalion, Royal Dublin Fusiliers around Christmas, 1916. He was killed during the third battle of Ypres while going to the aid of a wounded man near Frezenberg and his body was never recovered. His name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot memorial, Zonnebeke, Belgium. Fr. Thomas V Nolan was the Provincial of the Irish Province of the Society of Jesus (1912-1922) and was a member of the Distribution Committee which looked after the welfare and distribution of the the Belgian refugees who arrived in Ireland as a consequence of the First World War. During the Easter Rising Nolan was based at St Francis Xavier’s, Upper Gardiner Street and, alongside Rector Fr John Fahy SJ, risked his life in aiding the wounded and supplying local areas with food and milk.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__3873.html)