Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Lillian Spender, 4 December 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Wilfrid Spender

This work was originally published by Maynooth University in Ireland in 2017. In 2026 this data, stored in a relational database was extracted and converted into this TEI/XML document.

 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

This is an open access work licensed under Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0).

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, D1633/1/1/90 https://letters1916.ie/item/4254 English Wilfrid Spender 1915-12-04 Lillian Spender Male 1960 World War I (1914-1918) Politics World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

The data in these XML files was generated based on a data dump from the Magellan database (https://github.com/Maynooth-Center-for-Digital-Humanities/Magellan). Each database record has been converted to a JSON file (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/json). The element section of the JSON file contains the TEI-encoded contents of the letters. The TEI XML has been cleaned and made well-formed using a Python script (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/src).

 pr. Dec 4 My P.R. Rather a sleepy b w as I was up all night detraining part of our old Arty. First train due in at 10 pm did not arrive till 11.15 Last train did not finish till 9.15AM Raining hard & mud ! ! So that the b w fully realises how perfectly heroic the "short legged" p r was in not taking a series of taxies when she was return caught so badly ! I am none the worse & had a good sleep from 10-45 till 12.30 & feel quite fresh especially as I had a very nice bath which Douglas got me — such a dirty b w before, but quite fit for the company of a " respectable" p r now. The p r must keep respectable for the b w's sake & she surely knows that he would like her to take a taxi to avoid getting really tired. Douglas has returned looking well, & happier for his journey & quite appreciative of the welcome at home, but he tells me that he had a very stormy passage & I dread what the p r was like, but so glad she chose Larne under the circumstances. What a welcome the p r would have got could she have taken Douglas' place. Perhaps she could have taken his part rather well & it would even have been an economy in bedding if not in other kit ! This sounds most improper,. But the p r has other work to do at home which Douglas could not do, & the b w is proud to think how well she is doing it. She is also keeping Mater happy & the b w cannot feel jealous of that. My last night's vigil was really very good for me but I was quite annoyed when I heard that the Gen' had "detailed" a G officer for it. It is A work & tho' I should be as glad as RusselRichardson to take a turn for them voluntarily I don't like being ordered to do it when I know that it is merely due to the impression which old heavyweather Singleton has given the Gen' that we in G do little whilst he is overwhelmed. As I came back this morning at 9-45 AM & saw Singleton on his way to the office my tenper fairly rose & the wrong man got it ! Last night Capt Hope the Staff Capt slept in my vacant bed. He was nearly off his head yesterday. He & the new GOC RA have not hit it off, & the latter had got so much on his nerves that he had a complete painful breakdown begging me to save him. I got Colhim quieted & into bed & got Greig to see him & he is now on his way home, as happy as possible. It was the right thing to invalid him, but the differ- ence it made when he heard he was not to go back was the greatest I have ever seen in any one. As regards concertinas etc I suppose the 107 Bde in the trenches should have first call, but it depends on the gifts already made. If one comes to HQ I expect Douglas would like it ! but I cannot ask for any favouritism. There is too much of that ! Please let me know did Sir E actually go to Miss A's wedding or was it merely invited guests & not actual guests. I want to prevent any misunderstand ing of this. I still suspect that K is giving up his old job for some other, but wonder what that will be. One letter went to Belfast yesterday. Best love — nearly— to Mater Your b w Wilfrid BSpender Cleaver was 1 of my supply Committee & also the Ulster Div clothing man & I know him very well 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