Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 5 February 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Emma Duffin

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Letter from Emma Duffin (1883-1979) to her mother, Maria (1854-1954) describing how Emma spent the money her mother sent her at Christmas. After describing the celebrations Emma goes on to tell her mother of her acquaintances and activities in Alexandria. Emma also writes about the Northern Irish identity which she cannot seem to escape and notes the impending casualties that are sure to come with the deployment of the 36th (Ulster) Division. This letter is part of a rich correspondence between various members of the Duffin family, a large prosperous family living in Strandtown, Belfast. Several family members served in the war, including Major Terence Duffin, who served as a staff officer with 107 Brigade, and later with Royal Irish Rifles; Major Charles G Duffin MC, Royal Field Artillery; and their sisters Emma, Celia and Dorothy who served as Voluntary Aid Detachments (VADS) in Egypt and France, and with the YMCA.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Duffin Papers, D2109/10/1/B https://letters1916.ie/item/629 English Emma Duffin 1916-02-05 15th General Hospital Alexandra, Egypt Maria Duffin Female World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 reference D2109/10/1/B 15th Gen. Alex. Feb. 5 1916 My dearest Mamma Your Christmas present of the lovely voile blouse arrived yesterday & I enjoyed it all the more because I had quite given it up I thought it was lost in the Persia Thank you ever so much for it dear. You must have lost several of my letters if you did not hear for a month for I write regularly & I mentioned twice about Aline Russell going home. I know, I also wrote a long account of Christmas which you do not seem to have got. You ask me to write you an account of how I spent the money to publish, but the very fact that you want it makes it rather hard to write naturally perhaps you could glean different bits out of my letters & piece it together The cigarettes were greatly appreciated especially since 'Park Drive' are sent by some people from Glengormley. I had some Australians who said they were the best they ever smoked. I I gave £10 of the money to Matron towards a general fund she had to be spent on the hospital at Christmas and every man in hospital was given a present out of that fund. Then we bought all sorts of toys for the men such as whistles, mouth organs, tin hostess, false noses etc. etc. and you should have seen how they laughed & the noise they made, they could not have enjoyed themselves more if they had been small children we bought little tiny artificial Christmas trees for the tea tables and decorated them and decorated the tents with coloured lanterns & flags and had small cakes & sweets and a big chocolate cake with 'A happy Xmas' written on it in white icing. The hospital supplied fruit and plumpudding & turkey for all well enough to eat them and the Red X people gave each man a present so they came off very well and really enjoyed themselves. I did not spend all the money at Christmas time but have spent it on papers, flowers and sweets acid drops are always in great demand & they all Australians love sweets & lollies as the Australians call them. The books & magazines you sent were a boon, and the Irish Times always finds its way to an Irishman, if I have not one in my ward I give it to one of the Sisters who has. One man I found had a little volume of Byron in his locker and he told me he loved poetry so I brought him a little collection of verses which was among the books you sent, & he was delighted. Feb 7th I got a parcel of magazines which I distributed yesterday I also got your cheque and will take the £1 for myself out of it. I wrote to the Aunts to thank them but so many of your letters have got lost lately would you thank them in case they didn't get it, also Aunt Margaret for the lovely white silk shirts she sent me. I got a letter from Ruth & one from Edmund today. I saw in the paper that poor Aline Russells father is dead, poor thing. She can only have got home just about in time. I do feel sorry for her she was devoted to him. The other day I went out to be with a dear old Mrs Crofton who visits at the hospital here. She has such a nice house and garden, so 'homely' the whole atmosphere reminded me of Strandtown. There were violets & little jonquils out in the garden & roses but the latter had been rather spoilt by thunderstorms There was an English Clergyman there for tea, who was comical he was so typical the sort of man you would never meet in Ireland, he talked in a mincing voice and pronounced each syllable separately and quoted Milton 'as Milton says' he posed so, I cannot abide that sort of man! I and a girl from Bally— money called McElderry went out to be with her cousin & a rather nice man called Cusk at the Savoy Hotel here. I am hounded by North of Ireland people & they all seem to take to me whether because I come from there or not, you will find I have a curious collection of acquaintances when I return home. Miss McElderry is typically Irish with a strong Northern accent but awfully decent and good natured & most devoted to me. I shall never forget how good she was to me when I was sea sick. She herself being one of the few persons who remained well & hearty all the time. The night superintend— ent at present is a Sister Quigley who trained in Belfast & who comes from Monaghan. She also takes an interest in me and I pass her on my 'Weekly Whig' which she greatly appreciates. By the way I saw Rea the dentist is dead in the Whig I got today. I enclose a letter for Helen Carrington Smith, could you get her address from the Blizards and forward it. I have lost her letter, I am so glad 'Fairy Led' sold so well she sent me out some copies which I have been giving to my friends here. By the way you never told me what you paid for the picnic basket you ordered for Nell Ryland! At present there are very few patients in hospital so I didn't need the money so much, & I think you had better not bother sending any more cigarettes etc. till I let you know. I dare say we shall be full up again later and need them but at present everything is very uncertain I was sorry to hear that Billy Bradshaw had been killed. Now that the Ulster Div is in action Belfast will suffer a lot This is a stupid letter as now that I am a night bird again I have nothing to write about. Best love dearest, I am glad you had Terry home. Is there any chance of Celia getting leave, why shouldn't the girls get it as well as the men. Ever your own Emma Emma Duffin Letter from Emma Duffin to her sister Celia Duffin, 29 December 1915Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 5 February 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 29 December 2015Letter from Emma Duffin to Celia Duffin, 15 January 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to her aunts, 9 January 1916, Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 5 March 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 27 March 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 22 November 1915 Maria Duffin Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 24 January 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, February 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 5 February 1916Letter from Terence Duffin to Maria Duffin, March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 15 March 1916Letter from Dorothy to Maria Duffin, 25 March 1916Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 30 March 1916Letter from Terrence Duffin to his mother, Maria Duffin, 31 December 1915Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 29 December 2015Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Adam Duffin, 9 December 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, January 1916Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, circa 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 January 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 13 February 1916Letter from Terence Duffin to Maria Duffin, 29 February 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 6 February 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 9 January 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 27 February 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 14 February, 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria DuffinLetter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 19 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria DuffinLetter from Emma Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 5 March 1916Letter from Dorothy to Maria Duffin, 22 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 10 February 1916Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 31 July 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 27 March 1916Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, 28 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, April 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother, 15 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 3 November 1915.From Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 9 April 1915Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 22 November 1915Letter from Terence Duffin to his mother Maria Duffin, 26 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 8 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 26 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Dorothy Duffin to Maria Duffin, 28 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, 1 November 1915 15th General Hospital Alexandra, Egypt Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 5 February 1916