In this letter from Celia Duffin (1882-1979) to Maria Duffin, Celia writes about a recent trip to Eastbourne with her cousin Olive, giving news of the people they met. She wonders about her cousin Charley who is at war and whose mother, Mrs. Margaret Duffin, has died recently. She writes that things are very quiet at work - where she is looking after the editor of the Gazette, whom she describes as 'an ugly little man.'This letter is part of a rich correspondence between various members of the Duffin family, a large prosperous group 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. Celia Duffin was a VAD with the 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth which opened in 1914. She was an accomplished poet and published a book of poetry with her sister Ruth among other volumes.