Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 27 November 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Wilfrid Spender

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Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender (1876 - 1960) to family. Spender was a member of the British Army until 1913 when controversy surrounding his signature of the Ulster Solemn League and Covenant resulted in his resignation. Spender was called up for military service in 1914 and from 1915 served in the 36th (Ulster) Division. Throughout the war, Spender wrote a collection of letters to his wife Lady Lillian Spender. The letters date mainly from 1915 to 1918, when Sir Wilfrid was serving in France. The letters concern politics, the Irish question, personal life, and Wilfrid's experience of the Great War.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Letters from Sir Wilfrid Spender to Lady Spender, D1633/1/1/80B https://letters1916.ie/item/4243 English Wilfrid Spender 1915-11-27 Male 1960 World War I (1914-1918) Politics World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 Please return to Lil. Mater Rex Mabs Edm Nov. 27.' My dear folks, A very nice budget from you arrived nearly midnight yesterday with an account of your tea party, & breakfast party with the squirrels & also a very nice letter from Mater. I was afraid that she would feel Will's promotion as rather a blow, but as regards our respective positions & responsibilities out there is no doubt mine is far the higher appoint- ment as well as more pay. Respecting the future however things will be different, but I think England & not India will be our probable home, or still more probably Ireland where my army rank will not count in my the position which you & I have won. I am so glad you are with Mater to make things clear to her, & that she can see for herself by the way your work is appreciated by the "first statesman of our times" that our past work has not been altogether wasted. We are all getting busy for the move of our division, which has already begun but I must not tell you the destination. Have I missed a letter from you? I thought you were seeing the proposed flat on Tuesday, but I have not had a line either of its description or of itsthe results, & I'm sure Mater would be full of her criticisms of it ! We have a very wintry day but the roads are hard, & make good going for the troops marching & that is important. You will be glad to hear that another Division has reported on our men in the trenches that they appear absolutely fearless, most anxious to learn everything, & the reasons of everything in an intelligent way which compares more than favourably with any troops including the old army. The General is now getting quite anxious to get back the 107thBde. If he had known this perhaps he would not have been so severe on them before their departure. Yes I am sorry for Crozier. He is a good chap & there is no comparison between him & the boys who are now commanding some of these Infantry battalions, but it all comes back to the slackness of some of the COs in obeying the orders we gave them in the old days to which so litlle attention was paid by some. All the same any man who deserted the Division a year ago is either promoted high above those who stayed on, or has been killed or wounded. There was a photo in the sketch yesterday of the King's review of the Ulster division with this inscription, "Review by H M of the Royal Ulster Volunteers which cheered Redmond in the trenches". Can you imagine a more wicked deliberate misrepresentation, & to think that no permission could be obtained for these photos to be printed until now when they could be used for this lying purpose. Really I think the war will go on till we get a pure Government instead of a mixture such as we now have. I think peace or a successwith some of the present Ministers to claim it as their success would be almost worse in the end than another year's war. I am not at all sure that Jessie is not spoiling Lily. Certainly by all accounts from the letter she & Mater are doing their best to do so, & I think that when I come back I shall have to be very strict. I hope Douglas called in & gave a good account of me & of himself & that he will be able to return with a happy feeling that his wife is better. I am sending instructions to his house today but if he should not get them please tell him to report at the "new place", which he will know, & to get the entraining officer to wire if he questions this. My groom is not quite the same as an indoor orderly, but managed to give me a nice hot bath last night. Rex apparently thinks he may be ordered out at any time & I hope to be able from my lordly cháteau to supply him with any kit which he may lack & to make things a little more comfortable for him in his dugout. I shall have no time for a letter these next 3 days so do not expect one for some little time. I must say how grateful I am to Mater & Jessie for their kind care of Lily, but that this would be the case goes without saying. I am sorry Edward has had so much trouble with his men. He takes such a personal interest in each one of them that he gives himself far more work than the ordinary officer. I'm afraid some of them do not deserve his care. Everyone from home writes most optimistically of Affairs. They did so last year, & surely it is obvious that the Germans are allowing a pessimisticf note to appear mainly to prevent our being pushed into compulsory service by our fears. Russellthe late milyattaché at Berlin says the British public always have been taken in by the Germans in the past & will continue to be so in spite of the openness of their snares. Another cause I fear is to be found in some of our Generals who like Ian Hamilton when questions are being asked as to their reported failures become most optimistic. Two of my political friends say the war will be over before April. Best of love to all my dear folks. I wish Edmund was not getting the additional work of the old trust accounts. I will I hope be able to make it up to him some day by taking on additional responsibilities. I hope Lily is giving satisfaction with her portion. Has the Margate house been let yet ? Wilfrid BSpender. Wilfrid Spender Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 2 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 7 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 11 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender. 13 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 2 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender, 18 August 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, circa June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 11 June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 15 June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 17 June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 27 June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 27 June 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 3 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 6 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to Lady Lillian Spender, 28 July 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 6 August 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 19 August 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 23 August 1916Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 13 December 1915Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 15 December 1915Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 15 December 1915Letter from Sir Wilfrid Spender to his wife Lady Lillian Spender, 16 December 1915Letter from Captain Wilfrid Spender to Colonel James Craig, 4 July 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 4 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 5 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 8 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to his family, 8 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 9 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 10 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 10 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 11 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 12 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 14 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 14 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 15 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 16 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 17 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 17 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 19 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 20 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 21 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 22 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 22 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 26 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 27 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 27 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 28 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 27 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 29 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 30 November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 1 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 2 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 3 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 3 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 4 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 5 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 7 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 8 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 10 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 13 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 12 December 1915Note from Wilfrid Spender, circa December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 1 April 1916Note from Wilfrid Spender, circa April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 2 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 3 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 4 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 5 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 6 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 7 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 8 April 1916Note from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, circa April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to family, 9 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 9 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 10 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 11 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 12 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 13 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 13 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 14 April 1916Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 25 November 1915Letter Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 3 December 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Alberta Percival, 25 March 1922Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Ernest Clark, 28 March 1922Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Henry Wilson, 28 March 1922Letter from Wilfrid Spender to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 20 June 1922Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Henry Wilson, 22 March 1922