Sir, – The editorial ("The crowds at the GPO in Easter 1916 Rising", June 27th) erroneously suggests that the list of 1916 veterans published earlier this week by the Military Archives is a "list of all 2,558 involved in the Rising across the country on the rebel side".
It is in fact a list of those recognised as having active service in the Rising on the basis of having been granted a Certificate of Military Service (and an accompanying Military Service Pension) and/or a service medal.
It also recognises those killed in the Rising whose dependants were compensated with army pensions.
It excludes those who did not apply to the State for any pensions or medals, in particular anti-Treaty republicans who refused to recognise the legitimacy of the new State.
It also excludes some who died before the pensions legislation was introduced in the 1920s who either had no dependants or whose dependants did not seek compensation or medals.
The list is as close as we are likely to get to an estimation of the number of rebels involved but it is not definitive. – Mise le meas, DR MARIE COLEMAN School of History and Anthropology, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast.