1 2 April My p r a very bright day outside, but a good deal
of worry in . R I believe is being trans-
ferred to London at an early date & I believe
the London man is coming here. Not
very hopeful, & he probably knows less of
the war than I do now. Really it is
a thin farce, but no doubt it is part of
the day's work. Yet when I see those
who are getting of on — men I know — it
makes one a lttle disheartened. However
Ulster — with a — — thrown in ! ! ! — is worth it
jolly well. Boylan Smith has just bet £10
to £1 with me that Carson won't be premier in 2 the year. I should like to get his subscription
to your fund ! When the new man comes & is settled in I shall
really try to get away on leave, but it is
extremely unlikely I shall get it, tho'
there does not seem the same mad haste
as about things that there was lately. This is what I
wrote about, & it is a great relief
to find that sounder counsels prevail now
that we have a real good C in C. I was a little disappointed in Carson's
speech. It appears to me that Bonar
Law, that man of supremely honest
Convictions has persuaded him to hold his 3 hand , & tho' I know he is absolutely loyal
I do not think his judgement is as sound as
Carson's. The loathing for Squiffy out here is
intense; to men in action an inactive man
is like water to fire, it makes it hiss &
often puts it out if brought into touch with it . I think I could find a good simile
to the Irish situation in the anatomy
of a man:— the entrails the Sinn feiners
who suck in all they can & squeeze; the heart the sentimental Home rulers,
& their joint conspiracy to leave the head
with its balance (bank & judicial). I'm afraid the Division that took
over from us were too much rushed, but
luckily the Huns did not take advantage of 4 it, though thoug it is bad for young troops
sometimes. The man who is coming is a youngster
a protégé of the ACArmy Commander. I
could get it altered if I wished by going
to R who is a time-server & telling him
of my intimacy with Sir E, but I'm
hanged if I put forward a finger — much
less a dirty finger — in the matter. No letter today & no papers, but
I don't mind so much on Sundays. Yes the b w does want his p r
extra bad ever your b w W.BSpender