Letter to Edward Carson, 2 May 1916 Letters 1916-1923

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Letter to Edward Carson (1854-1935). Carson was a prominent Unionist Politician. Originally a practicing solicitor from Dublin, Carson's opposition to the proposed third Home Rule bill made him the figure head of Unionism throughout the island. He was the centerpiece of the speaking tour that culminated in Ulster Day (28 September 1912), when just under half a million signed Ulster's solemn league and covenant pledging to use ‘all means which may be found necessary to defeat the present conspiracy to set up a home rule parliament in Dublin’. Carson inaugurated the Larne gunrunning in 1914 which armed the UVF, many of whom Carson would encourage to join the British Army throughout the First World War.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Carson Papers, D1507/A/16/3 https://letters1916.ie/item/4302 English 1916-05-02 Edward Carson Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Easter Rising Ireland 1916 Politics World War I (1914-1918)

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 II D1507/A/16/311 PAGE 1 OF 4 1916 Dublin Rebellion? from whom 2nd May, 1916. Thank you very much for letter. Last week has beenrather a trying one for everybody up here. The moment weheard of the disturbances in Dublin steps were taken by theU. V. F. authorities to put guards on the armouries to preventany possibility of the Sinn Feiners making a raid and therebycreating disturbance. General Sir George Richardson at onceput himself into communication with Hacket-Pain and placed theservices of the U. V. F. at the disposal of the authorities forany purpose. The U. V. F. Motor Corps got Motor Cars togetherand placed these at the disposal of General Hacket-Pain toenable him to provide a flying motor column. Steps were takento get the U. V. F. Commanders together with a view of imprerssingupon the the necessity or tightening up the U. V. F. so as tomaintain discipline among the rank and file, and prevent anypossibility of any outbreak by way of retaliation. This appliedparticularly to the shipyards where there is a large number ofRoman Catholics employed. As a result of these precautionswhich were taken, General Hacket-Pain was enabled to furnishtroops to Dublin, and practically dilute the City of Police. D1507/A/16/13PAGE 2 OF 412 -2-Belfast, for the past week has, therefore, been in a uniqueposition. The commissioner of Police did not even considerit necessary to close the pubs, and everything went on thesame as usual. The War Office have authorised General Hacket-Pain toenrol 5,000 of the loyal Volunteers (whatever that title maymean). This is being done by the U. V. F. in the ordinary way,and by the Shipyards (most of these men will be U. V. F. men). Iunderstand, in addition, the Nationalists are enrolling men foruse in their own particular district. This, however, is only leading up to the questionwhich is at present before my mind, and that is, what actionthe Government are going to take with regard to arms. I hearto-day that the Government propose issuing a proclamation order-ing all arms to be given up. If this is carried out in ourDistricts, among the U. V. F., the Government will set back thehands of the clock, and Belfast will revert to its old conditionof disorder. Strikes will result, and as regards the BelfastShipyards, the result will be that workmen may cease there formonths, and troops will have to be brought in to police thecity and country Districts. A more stupid or provocativeaction could not possibly be imagined, if what I hear is true,as order at the present time is maintained in Belfast by thecontrol which the men's selected leaders have over them. D1507/A/16/3PAGE 3 OF 413-3-but if the arms are removed, all such control is gone. Atthe present time, the arms, or most of them in Belfast, arein Armouries which are maintained by the U. V. F., and protectedby them. In fact, the arms are there to satisfy the men. Theydon't want to use them, and Hacket-Pain is, as I have saidbefore, bringing a number of the U. V. F. men in as SpecialConstables. Therefore, these men are subject to discipline,and to that extent the Armouries are under the control of theGovernment. Why can they not let them remain so? Let theNationalists by all means have proper Armouries appointed andmaintained by them themselves, open to Government inspection;all other Armouries but these to be confiscated. This wouldget over the whole difficulty and, as I said before, let theU. V. F. and the Nationalist Volunteers respectively be recognisedas Volunteers, subject directly to the War Office, and not toDublin or any political faction. Let there be no sentimentalnonsense about mixing Nationalists with Unionists, which hasalways been a failure. I write to you to put the facts before you so thatyou may use your efforts to avert what I may describe as nothingshort of calamity. If any other General than Hacket-Painhad been in Belfast during the past week, the condition ofaffairs here would have been very different. Let GeneralHacket-Pain remain here in control. I hope you will forgive me writing and bothering you D1507/A/16/3 PAGE 4 OF 4 14-4-about this matter, but it is very urgent, and I thought youshould know about the circumstances as they appear to me. Iwill write you again about other matters; meanwhile, it is aswell that you should have this letter. Lloyd Campbell isbeleagured in Malahide, where he has been since before Easter. In haste,Yours ever, Edward Carson Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 29 May 1916Letter from Sir Dawson Bates to Edward Carson, 2 December 1915Letter from William Robert Young to Edward Carson, 9 July 1916Letter from Alexander McDowell to Edward Carson, 20 July 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenerg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 31 May 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 9 June 1916Letter from Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery to Edward Carson, 9 June 1916Letter from Frederick Hugh Crawford to Edward Carson, 8 March 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Thomas McGregor Greer, 12 July 1916Letter from Sir Edward Carson to Sir Robert Ponsonby Staples, 10 December 1915Letter to Edward Carson, 19 November 1915Letter from William R. Young to Edward Carson, 2 November 1915Letter from J.M. Wilson to Edward Carson, 3 November 1915Letter from Turner Oliver Read to Edward Carson, 12 November 1915Letter from William R. Young to Edward Carson, 12 November 1915Letter from Harold Tennant to Edward Carson, 17 November 1915Letter from Henry Mulholland to Pembroke Wicks, circa November 1915Letter from Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 25 November 1915Letter Wilfrid Spender to Edward Carson, 3 December 1915Letter to Edward Carson, 4 December 1915Letter from Robert Thompson to Edward Carson, 18 December 1915Letter from W.T. Bailey to Edward Carson, 22 December 1915Letter from General Nevil Macready to Edward Carson, 1 May 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 2 May 1916Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916Postcard to Edward Carson, 4 May 1916Letter from D.P. Barton to Edward Carson, 5 May 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Herbert Asquith, 9 May 1916Letter from Herbert Asquith to Edward Carson, 10 May 1916Copy of a letter from John Crozier to Edward Carson, 9 May 1916Letter from J.M. Wilson to Edward Carson, 11 May 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 15 May 1916Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 3 June 1916Letter from G.L. Moore to Edward Carson, 6 June 1916Letter from sir William Robert Robertson to Edward Carson, 7 June 1916Letter from Nevil Macready to Edward Carson, 8 June 1916Letter from Arthur Warren Samuels to Edward Carson, 14 June 1916Letter from Frederick Stringer Wrench to Edward Carson, 15 June 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 15 June 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 17 June 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 17 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 21 June 1916Letter from Ronald McNeill to Edward Carson, 22 June 1916Letter from John Crozier to Edward Carson, 26 June 1916Letter from Charles F. Down to Edward Carson, 28 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 29 June 1916Letter from Archibald Salvidge to Edward Carson, 30 June 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 1 July 1916Letter from Charles Clements to Edward Carson, 3 July 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 5 July 1916Letter from Horace Plunkett to Edward Carson, 5 July 1916Letter from Charles F Down to Edward Carson, 8 June 1916Letter from Herbert Samuel to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from William Martin to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from Travers R. Blackley to Edward Carson, 11 July 1916Letter from Travers R. Blackley to Edward Carson, 13 July 1916Letter from Pembroke Wicks to Edward Carson, 14 July 1916Letter from Somerset Francis Saunderson to Edward Carson, 15 July 1916Letter from Edward Carson to William Martin, 17 July 1916Letter from Herbert Samuel to Edward Carson, 21 July 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 21 July 1916Letter from John Strachey to Edward Carson, 27 July 1916Letter from Alexander McDowell to Edward Carson, 5 October 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from Sharman D Neill to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from John Strachey to Edward Carson, 7 October 1916Letter from Rosalind Hamilton to Edward Carson, 10 October 1916Letter to Edward Carson, 14 October 1916Letter from David Lloyd George to Edward Carson, 14 October 1916Letter from J. Beatty to Edward Carson, 16 October 1916Letter from Edward Carson to Richard Dawson Bates, 21 April 1919