Letter from Olive Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 31 March 1916 Letters 1916-1923 Olive Duffin

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A letter from Olive Duffin to her sister Ruth. In this letter Olive discusses how her sisters Emma (1883-1979) and Dorothy are getting on, specifically travel arrangements and Dorothy’s new job with the admiralty. Olive also mentions a possible job for Marjorie as a female chauffeur. Olive offers to enclose the prospectus for the driving school with her letter.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 was 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/C/36 https://letters1916.ie/item/649 English Olive Duffin 1916-03-31 7 West Cliff, England Ruth Duffin Female World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 7 West Cliff. 31st March, 1916. My dear Ruth, I suppose Emma has got home by now but she must have had an awful journey as the railways are still all blocked as the result of the storm. We did not get the worst of it here, but it was bad enough and I am thankful this morning it is much warmer and looks as if thar weather was really over and there might be a chance of Spring at last. I heard from Dorothy this morning, poor thing she is I am sure in an awful fright but I am so pleased to hear she happened by a bit of luck to hear of the lady wanting a tenant for a room in her flat for it sounds much nicer than a boarding house or hostel and is very cheap, and if the other people turned out decent it would be some company. Of course the hours and the pay are very bad and would really not be worth keeping unless there was some chance of promotion, but it will be a kind of trial trip and experienceand may lead to something else. I've been making all enquiries I can for some time now , asking everyone about work and pay and conditions and it is very discouraging, all the hours are terribly long and pay not capable of being lived upon under present conditions, rooms very hard to find. Hve you any idea of what Marjorie thinks of doing? Or what she would like to do. Do you think she would care to come to London and take this course of training in motor mechanism and driving? I enclose the prospectus. I know she is interested in it and it might just be an occupation for her for a time. I am awfully taken with it and would love to do it , the fees are very low and the whole thing sounds most businesslike. It semms that women chauffeuses are really wanted now and it would be very useful to know. I think it is quite possible that I could arrange with Miss Roberts to leave for a time even if not for altogether, she can always get odd friends to come especially in the summsummer and she likes nothing so much as a variety. May Darbyshire is coming to her on the 15th for a fortnight so I shall be on the loose then. I have alittle money in hand and then there will be the £50 and it might not be a bad investment. Anyhow will you study the enclosed and also sound Marjorie as to what she thinks , it might just be the distraction she needs, but I have heard so little I dont know what her ideas may be. Tell her I have also discovered a First Aid Yeomanry Nursing Corps which sends members abroad in different capacities, paying a small sum for themselves. I am just off now to pick tow at the Depot, a very wearisome job! Do you know what is a good speed at typeing I can do 1800 an hour now but not with great accuracy? Much love to all Yours ever Olive. P.S. Tell Emma I forgot she owed me ten shillings but I think she paid some things I forgot about too. I wish you were having a little change for your holiday. Return papers please. Olive Duffin Letter from Olive Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 31 March 1916Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, January 1916Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, 28 March 1916Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her aunt, Ellie, 12 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, 1 November 1915 Ruth Duffin Letter from Terrence Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 10 December 1915.Letter from Olive Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 31 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 6 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her sister Ruth, 3 November 1915Letter from Dorothy Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 29 November 1915 7 West Cliff, England Letter from Olive Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 31 March 1916