A chara, - In his feature about the British Government's files on Terence MacSwiney (The Irish Times, December 8th), Joe Carroll refers to a petition to King George V "from a nephew of Major John Redmond, who had been killed during the recent war".
Major John Redmond was not a casualty of the first World War. His brother William (Willie) died of wounds received at the battle of Messines (Mesen) in 1917. He was one of the 25 Irish barristers who died while serving in Allied forces during the war.
During my research on those barristers for my forthcoming book, I learnt that William Redmond, a nationalist MP, had enrolled as a law student member at the Middle Temple, an Inn of Court in London. He was later called to the Irish Bar but apparently not to the English Bar.
Nevertheless, as a former student his name should have been listed on the roll of honour and memorial for the first World War at the Temple Church, London, but was omitted in error.
Following my correspondence with Middle Temple's archivist, I am pleased to report that William Redmond's name has now been added to the memorial at Temple Church. - Is mise,
ANTHONY P QUINN,
Law Library,
Dublin 7.