Captain George Berkeley Descriptive List (Ref. PR12)

PR12/

[1p]

6 September 1914

Letter from Patrick Laverty, Solicitor, 21 Chichester Street, Belfast, to Captain George Berkeley, C.O. Belfast Regiment, Irish Volunteers. Reports an incident where two volunteers were drunk and challenged each other to a fight. Their behaviour ‘reflected very badly on our Volunteers and had a most injurious effect on the morale of the men…’.

2pp

6 October 1914

Letter, from M.W. Byrne, ‘Tievemore’, Glenburn Park, Belfast, to Captain George Berkeley. Concerns his son, Leo F. Byrnes’ attempts to get a commission in the British Army. Quotes telegram from Suffield re. qualifications for meeting with Lord Robert.

3pp

13 October 1914

Letter, from Mathew Byrnes, Glenburn Park, Belfast, to Captain George Berkeley. He has received a copy of Berkeley’s letter from Mr. Suffield of London. ‘Can you do anything further in the matt er for us ? Leo is very anxious to do something for our common country at this time of stress…the fact that he has to wear glasses…bars him from enlisting…but does not debar him from holding a commission…’.

2pp

19 October 1914

Letter from M.W. Byrnes, Glenburn Park, Belfast to Captain George Berkeley. Thanks Berkeley for his letter. He would be very glad for him to write to Colonel Moore in reference to his son Leo. Moore, Mr. Redmond and Mr. Devlin are expected in Belfast for an inspection of the Volunteers. Outlines the situation ‘generally’, that Redmond expected the Irish Volunteers would have the same privileges as the Ulster Volunteers ‘viz: Join Kitchiners army en bloc, be under their own officers’ forming battalions of some existing Irish Regiment such as ‘Connaught Rangers, Dublins or Munsters…This I am afraid will not materialise’. Notes that if ‘we were of the same way of thinking as Sir Edward Carson’ the present government would grant anything asked for. In this family ‘both fath er and son are anxious to do their little bit in this war’. Leo is debarred due to his

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