Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 17 September 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Marie Martin

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 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

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Letter from Marie Martin (1892–1975) to her mother Mary Martin. Marie begins that she will write a long letter, as she has a whole day off. She expresses joy at her opportunity to rest and outlines her plan for the day, which include going to town. She writes what has happened where she is, including an evacuation. Mary describes her patients as Ulster men, describing one soldier who believed Ulster was the only place in Ireland one could live in safety, going on to claim the men had great pride in being the Ulster Division. She asks her mother to thank her sister Beatrice (b. 1898) for her letter. She is glad Laurence John 'Jack' is going back to Townside as it will worry her mother less, assuring her that he will work hard as he is young. Marie was a born in Dublin and trained as a nurse at the outbreak of World War I. Two of Marie's brothers joined the British army at this time, one of whom was killed in action. Marie served as a nurse in Malta, Leeds and France, and later set up the Medical Missionaries of Mary.

 Medical Missionaries of Mary Medical Missionaries of Mary, B/F/1/61/1916/09/17 https://letters1916.ie/item/116 English Marie Martin 1916-09-17 Mary Martin Greenbank, Monkstown, Dublin Female World War I (1914-1918)

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 17-9-16 My very dearest Mother I am now going to write you areal long letter telling you all the news I can find, my last letters have been very sketchy & written in a great hurry. Iwill start off by tell you a very good bit of news, Ihave a whole day off & have just enjoyed my breakfast in bed consisting of Toast, bacon & friedTomatoes, I am just delighted at having a rest as I just felt I wanted a day off so am taking it very quietly & staying in bed til 10.30 & then go in to town by the 11.45 train & have a look about town as Ihave not been in for over a month. We have had an enormous evacuation these last two day & the Hospital is practically cleared, my two tents are empty for how long no one knows they are evidently expectinganother big rush, I am so pleased getting this day before we start again although Iwas very sorry loosing all my Gas Poisoning patient, it was so interesting & I was just beginning to under stand & learn all about the effect of the Gas on the heart etc, however it is a great consolation to know they have all gone to England but I doubt they will get anything like the treatment they were getting here as our M. O. has made a special study of it & was just getting to the bottom of it, when all his cases have been sent to Eng: it is a great pity he is not in charge of a big Hospital at home which has nothing but G. Cases —. Well you will be interested to hear my last lot of patients were all Ulsterman — my 1st was a Srg.th out of the Innis Fus: aabsolute terror, who ran Dublin & the South down & called them all traitors etc & that ofcourse Ulster was the only place in Ireland one could live in safety & that it was the only place in Ireland one could get work & live on the pay & as for the Irish Reg: none of them had to go through what the Ulsters had etc, oh there used to be terrible arguments, I only know he was the ruination of the ward, he had a different complaint every morning for the Medical O. the last one a stygh on the eye which finished him & was sent down to C.C. then the next lot that came in were really belonging to the Ulster division, what a nice lot of men & they seemed such a superior class & very proud of being in the Ulster division, they have all been very lucky & got home, having been gassed by our own Gas It has been terrible cold here these last few days, we cannot bear to think of the winter, it is so exposed & the gales from the Sea are terrible. Please thank Bee probably Marie's 17 year old sister Beatrice a 1000 times for her long & cheery letter it did me a lot of good, Iamlonging to see her with her hair up I am sure she looks very attractive tell her my com- plexion is the envy of all the french people here, I do not know what they would think of hers & Violets probably Marie's 19 year old sister , at present the skin is peeling off mine with the sun & cold winds. When Iwrote asking you for a cake, it was just our mess had got to a terrible state, we had had not butter for breakfast & had been having vile stuff & they they had been giving us tinned meat so often & bully beef but things are looking brighter again & we have been having fresh meat & good butter these lastfewday, ofcourse every thing is so dear & hard to get How are all the invalidisIhopepoor Ritchie most likely Marie's 13 year old brother is better & that he will be the last to get it, I am glad to hear Jack is going back to Downside probably the Catholic co-educational boarding school in Somerset England , it will be less ofaworry for you & am sure he will work just as well, it does seem hard having to send him from home so young but am sure he will geton well & the life might t suit him very well if he is strong enough. What is the latest news of Tommy, Iam longing for news ofhim. Well Imust close now & shall write very soon again, I am hoping to hear from you to-night With my very fondest love to every one at home also all the relations. Your most loving & grateful daughter. Marie Marie Martin Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 29 December 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 18 June 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 27 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 21 June 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 17 June 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 23 June 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 2 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 7 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 26 June 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Lewis Martin, 20 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 27 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 17 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 18 Sept 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 19 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 21 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 27 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 4 October 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 13 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 15 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 15 July 1916Letter from Geo. 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Boase to Marie Martin, 10 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 20 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 3 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 8 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 12 October 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 27 December 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 27 November 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 23 [January] 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 15 December 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 4 April 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 12 November 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 8 July 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 6 February 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 9 April 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 18 November 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, [November'] 1915Letter from Marie Martin to her mother, Mary Martin, 13 August 1916 Greenbank, Monkstown, Dublin Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 27 August 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 17 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to Mary Martin, 21 September 1916Letter from Marie Martin to her mother Mary Martin, 6 February 1916