TCD MS 10247/12/47 folio 26
Septr 10th [1914]
to attract shipping or air-craft should be suppressed as far as possible. Mother said the other day Eagar & Andy McDonnell were having a great ‘gosther’ & both agreed that spies in this country did not have their rights or be properly treated at all, why in any other place they’d all be shot out of hand! – There was a day or two ago a conference in London of French Russians & English representatives who agreed that no one of the Allies should make peace without the consent & consultation with the others. We are very sad about the south of Ireland being so backward as to recruiting no doubt owing to politics & mismanagment. There was a deeply interesting dispatch from Sir J. French telling about the campaign so far. It does seem to have been an awful experience practically a 4 days retreating battle, constantly in the most precarious conditions. It seems to have been touch & go that the whole British force was not annihilated & [?word missing such] splendid leading & fighting that they succeeded in retiring safely. It is a very impressive account considering its extreme baldness.
The other day when Father & Mother were parlaying old Mahon he said that indeed this war was all due to that Sir Edward Carson, what a mischievous fellow he was, it was just he & Larkin & the suffragettes that had brought on this war & it must be true for that was what was “on the paper”.