Wilfrid Spender

Who was Wilfrid Spender?

Sir Wilfrid Bliss Spender, KCB, DSO, MC was an army officer, colonial administrator and civil servant - being responsible for laying the foundations for the civil service of Northern Ireland. He served as Secretary to the Northern Ireland Cabinet, 1921-1925, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, 1925-1944. He was knighted in 1929. His wife, Lady Spender, was a member of the Ulster Volunteer Force Nursing Corps and worked in the Ulster Division Comforts Fund during World War I. Later in life he became a noted diarist.