The letters of William Upton Tyrrell ('Willie') to his father William J.H. Tyrrell, mother Elizabeth, sister Minnie and brother Robert are a notable example of wartime correspondence. The letters - nearly 200 in total - are mostly written by William to his family while in active service with the Royal Irish Rifles in France. Willie discusses his life and the lives of other soldiers in the trenches, as well as life at Ballindoolin, the family estate. The family name 'Tyrrell' is sometimes misspelled 'Tyrell' in correspondence to the family. Summary of the present letter: Willie is in the trenches. He describes an encounter with a German soldier at the front lines saying, "he had a rather serious reverse".