Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 December 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Celia Duffin

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Letter from Celia Duffin (1888-1979) to her mother. Maria Duffin (1854-1954) concerning Celia's daily life in the London hospital. Celia discusses her difficulties with her shifts and new accommodation, meeting with her sister Dorothy and the changes to pay expected for VADs working in the London hospital. 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 D2109/9/4/C/17 https://letters1916.ie/item/2629 English Celia Duffin 1915-12-08 3rd London General Hospital, London, England Maria Duffin Female 1979 Medicine Country and City Life

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 Best love If I can't come to you you will have to come and visit me - Ever yours Celia 3rd London General Hospital Dec: 8th 15. Dearest Mamma Many thanks for the glass and the lovely warm gloves, but I wish you had kept them for yourself. I am delighted with them and glad to have a looking glass again as the charwoman in my house broke the remains of mine. I have been put on night-duty again, much to my sorrow. I don't know why, as lots of the nurses haven't been on night at all yet, and I have had all the bother of moving my billetts and changing into another house at 25 Nicosia Rd, where the nurses are doing night work too. Also I have lost the little room I had to myself and now have to share with another girl. Fortunately she is a lady and seems nice, her brother, Capt: Josse is the registrar here and she is a cousin of Edmund Josse's. I was sorry to leave my old ward, especially as I am in an enteric ward now and the surgical work is much nicer. I suppose I shall be on night duty for some little time and will spend Xmas day in bed! My day sister was very nice when I was learning her ward and I think was really sorry I was going. I missed my day off in consequence, which had just been arranged so nicely so that I could spend the day with Dorothy. However I saw her for about an hour before I went to bed. She was looking very well, but her arrangement with Leslie Horsburgh sounds very odd, and I don't think she can be desperately in love with him. Mrs Lecky wrote me such a kind letter asking me to go to the theatre with her and Peggy, but I can go no place now. What is the matter with Edmund ? He seems to have been seedy for such a long while now. I don't know any of the nurses in this house which is a little further away from the hospital, and I think a nicer house, but I don't think very interesting people live in it. My new ward is upstairs in the main building instead of in the huts so is much warmer at night which is an advantage. It is sad about Mr. Finlay's death, Mrs Finlay will feel very lonely now with only Babs at home. It isn't at all possible to take a month's holiday as you suggest, if you go you are not taken on again, I suppose if it were allowed everybody would be rushing off. We are now told that after this we are to get at least £2 monthly allowance as well as our pay, that is the extra money over from our board, keep, etc; This will be very nice indeed as I did not expect it; and the £20 would have been rather hard to do with, paying for one's washing and a good many odd meals out of it. I wonder what Emma is drawing at Alexandria in the way of pay. My new coat and hat are very comfortable and it's a relief not to have to wear that awkward cloak any more. Our men have all got egg cups, but I don't think the war office allows for them, I think friends and the ward sister provide them. It's time to give one of the patients his 3 hourly feed. 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 Celia Duffin Letter from Emma Duffin to her sister Celia Duffin, 29 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 24 January 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, February 1916Letter from Helen Duffin to Celia Duffin, 22 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 15 March 1916Letter from Helen Duffin to Celia Duffin, 16 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 6 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Auntie D, 3 December 1915Letter from Emma Duffin to Celia Duffin, 15 January 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Adam Duffin, 9 December 1915letter from Anna Duffin to Celia Duffin, 3 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 January 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 13 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 A. Duffin to Celia Duffin, 2 March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria DuffinLetter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 10 February 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, April 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother, Thursday November,1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 3 November 1915.Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her sister Ruth, 3 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her aunt, 18 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 26 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her aunt, 1915 3rd London General Hospital, London, England Letter from Celia Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 6 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 8 December 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to Adam Duffin, 9 December 1915From Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 9 April 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her sister Ruth, 3 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her aunt, 18 November 1915