Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 1 December 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Wilfrid Spender

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Letter from sir Wilfrid Spender (1876 - 1960) to his wife, Lillian (1880-1968). 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, D1633/1/1/86 https://letters1916.ie/item/4249 English Wilfrid Spender 1915-12-01 Lillian Spender Male 1960 World War I (1914-1918) Politics World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 1 Dec 15 My p r We are I suppose settling in, but I am rather restive, partly lack of uesful work, & a feeling of staleness which pervades the whole division & for which one has to make allowances in other people. Preston is getting trying sometimes & when mistakes are pointed out takes them as personal reflections on him as a senior officer. He is another of Gen P's mistakes, & he has made a good many. Im afraid we shall lose Richardson for good, & shall miss him very much. A course for budding GSO 2s is to start on the 15th to which I have strongly advised him to go, & I don't think he will come back after it. He is too good a chap.. It shows what I had begun to suspect that GSO 2s are getting rather cheap now, tho' he will be one of the best. I don't know who we shall get in his place. Farnham would do but I don't suppose for a moment he will be allowed to take it & I certainly do not see another Major Domo in his place with our GOC. Our chateau has parts of it very old including a ghost, but the part we live in mainly is I think 250 years old. There are signs of stone bullet marks on the towers. Certainly the French have no idea of home & yet this could be made so nice. However I had better reserve this for a general letter. I am not sure on thinking it over whether my suggestion for your War loan scheme is not too difficult, & it might not take on with these independent people, tho' it would be the truest form of charity to make them learn thrift for themselves. The Government could have much on offer of warloan in part payment of Navel & Military pay which would have been attractive if well organised, but I'm afraid they have tied their hands by saying that all future past loans will get the same terms & interest as all future loans that may be required. Before we subscribe I ought to see our pass book, but so much depends on Carnsmerry calls to think we shall soon owe £210. Perhaps the best thing would be to put this amount on deposit in case it is made & to see what else one can do. I have not received any report of the Castlefull meeting but perhaps it has not been circulated yet, or may have been sent in newspaper form as they sometimes do. The rubber shares are giving a return of per cent on their present prices, so apparently the Stock exchange does not expect them to continue these kind of dividends after the war. At the same time it does not pay us to sell out so the only way to look upon the dividends is as being temporarily much above their future average. I wish I wasn't such a dull dog today tho' I'm sitting by an open window, with rather a shabby look out it is true, but an open window in December is a blessing to be thankful for if it does not mean a cold. I find the best way of going to sleep is to hold an imaginery conversation with you, & I do this now every night. Tho it has good results it is rather an empty kind of pleasure. Letters are again getting blocked due to a railway breakdown I believe. At Xmas one will be lucky to see them at all. Best love from a rather dull bw, but still yours WBSpender 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