Letter from Emma Duffin to her aunts, 9 January 1916, Letters 1916-1923 Emma Duffin

This work was originally published by Maynooth University in Ireland in 2017. In 2026 this data, stored in a relational database was extracted and converted into this TEI/XML document.

 Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities Vienna, AT 2026

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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. This is a long, chatty letter to her aunts. She writes about the last post getting lost, the weather, and thanks her aunts for a Christmas present. Continues the letter of 14 January after being ill.

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Duffin Papers, D2109/10/1/A/3 https://letters1916.ie/item/2636 English Emma Duffin 1916-01-09 15th General Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt Ireland Female Personal Relations World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 D2109/10/1/A 15th Gen. Hosp. Alexandria Jan 9 —/16. My dearest Aunties I have time to in this whilst waiting for theambulance to take us on duty. Firstly thank you all verymuch for the Xmas present which Mamma says she is sendingfrom you. Our last mail was less and we are anxiouslyawaiting the next, it seems such an age since we got letters,and you never quite get the news you have lost either.One of your mails home was lost too, but as I don't knowwhich it is useless to try & repeat any news there was. It has been bitterly cold here with rain & storms, andwhen it does rain here it does it thoroughly. The amusingpart is how injured we all feel about it, we grumble &from as if we came from a county where there was no rain.I have been in the sick room for 5 days but do not want anysympathy wasted on me as after the first day I did notreally feel at all ill and rather enjoyed the rest. Jan 14. This letter is going to be a bit scrappy I am afraid.The weather is still horrid and I have had an awful fall like a pumkin, I suppose I caught cold in it as I hadnot had , it made me fell rather bad, but and I thoughtI would have to go off duty again, however it finished up by hurtinginside & now I feel quite flourishing over here. We are very at the hospital here at present and I have not got nearly 2 enough to do which is very tiresome for of course they never would dream of giving you extra time off and there we stand, or sit if we have any luck, doing nothing when we might be out enjoying ourselves, I must say I grudge it so I have never had a whole day off since I came out except when I was in the sick room, if they were busy I would not expect one. One of my patients has got a beautiful bedouin knife that he got off a camel they had shot down, the head is all damascene work, and the handle made of the horn of goat, and it has a wonderful bead scarbard, I cover it very much. One of them has a Gurka's knife, an awful looking instrument, which if they once draw they won't sheathe till it has tasted blood. I am going for a drive with Molly Carson this after— noon, if it isn't raining, but the weather is still very shaky. I had a letter from Terry who got the cigarettes I sent him and my letter on Xmas day, which was good luck, for I did not know how long it would take to reach him. I have no news for you. I wish I could drop in and see you all. Please give my love to cousin Minnie and say how glad I was to hear she was better. Best love to you all and best wishes for 1916 from your ever loving niece 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 15th General Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt Letter from Emma Duffin to Maria Duffin, 29 December 2015Letter from Emma Duffin to her aunts, 9 January 1916, Ireland Letter from George A. Lyons to the Honorary Secretary of Sinn Féin, 5 April 1916Letter from Seán Mac Diarmada to Tom Clake, 5 April 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 12 May 1916Letter from Eoin McNeill to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 18 April 1916Letter from R. Barry O'Brien to Bishop Edward Thomas O'Dwyer, 12 February 1916Letter from Mairín Ní Ribhógh to James Ryan, 2 August 1916Letter from ‘One of the Hard Pressed’ to Mr. Samuel, 28 July 1916Letter from Emma Duffin to her aunts, 9 January 1916, Letter from Arthur to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 14 January 1916Letter from Fr. C. F. Maher to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 16 April 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to Bishop E. T. O'Dwyer, 23 October 1916Letter from Michael O'Riordan to the Right Rev. Monsignor Denis Hallinan, 23 October 1916Letter from Peter Mooney to his sister Katie Mooney, 4 February 1916.Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 25 February 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 31 December 1915Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Mai, 22 January 1916Letter from Father Willie Doyle S.J. to Mai, 11 February 1916Letter from MW O'Reilly to 'A Cara', 1 June 1916Letter from Francis M. Shaw to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 1 March 1916Letter from Francis M. Shaw to Fr Provincial Thomas V. Nolan, 10 March 1916Letter from Nora Ring to Susan Daly, March 1923Letter from Douglas Campbell (later Major General Sir Douglas Campbell) to his sister Catherine Agnes Meta Campbell (later Wetherall), 28 October 1917Letter from William Upton Tyrrell to Victoria Mary Tyrrell, 19 November 1919Letter from Mary McDonagh to her daughter-in-law Annie McDonagh, early 1920