Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Olive 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 is a letter from Olive Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin (1854-1954). 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/B/8 https://letters1916.ie/item/4166 English Olive Duffin 1915-11 7 West Cliff, Eastbourne, England Maria Duffin Dunowen, Belfast, Ireland Female Personal Relations Personal Relations

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 D2109/9/4/B 7. West CliffEastbourne Nov. 1915 Dearest Mamma, It is awfully good of you to write soregularly every week when you have so many towrite to now, home letters are such a pleasure to get. Mr & Mrs. H.Hollins & Emmi have just left thismorning. Poor things they are very sad, althoughthere are so many other children, this boy was evidentlyof enormous pride & pleasure to them. They are verynice people & very good & generous to all their be—longings. It was rather upsetting as this was thefirst meeting with Miss Roberts since Humphrey'sdeath. Mr Hollins was so good sitting talking to herfor hours though I am sure it was a torture to himas he is a very reserved quiet man & she is allinquisitiveness & that kind of curious enjoyment ofemotion that some people have. Poor Mrs. Hollins isjust a mass of nerves & jumps, never at peace &devoting herself entirely to the children's education &health, an awfully good little woman, but verytrying to live with. I left them alone yesterday& went for a long walk on the Downs. It waswarm enough to sit in the sun for a bit & very D2109/9/4/B lovely & peaceful up there, poor Miss R gives one thefeelings that Cousin Flo used to, that one must getaway for a rest. You must feel very funny at home with only Helen& she out all morning. I am so glad Ruth is estab—lished near. It is a great thing to feel that Terrywont just be doing monotonous work in the trenches,that must require a great deal of endurance. Letme know the news of him as he won't have time towrite to me. I suppose one address's him HeadquartersStaff 107th Brigade? You told me 107th I always put307th before. Thank you so much for sending the parcel of clothes.I forgot to look what the postage was & I owe you forEmma's too. I suppose we wont hear from her forsome time yet. There is a Col. Archdale I meet at the Dormets he hada nephew called Lome in the Ulster Div. & had beento the review by the King & thought they lookedfine troops & said they were well provided withartillery. Sam & Charlie are lucky so far, one feels as if somethingwere bound to happen to one of them sometimes.I've been doing a little making of bandages at the D2109/9/4/B Red X. place here where they make all sorts of equip—ment for the hospitals. told D. I would try tohelp her to raise money for heating the canteen if shethought of attempting it. & send me a letter givingan account of the necessity & list of people she wasasking. I have been reading a wonderful bookcalled The Soul of the War by Phillip Gibbs, it is verywell written & one feels it is all true & not exaggeratedbut just what he has seen personally in France & Belgiumsome of it is awful. It is a wonderful record ofendurance & cheerfulness. I hope I may get home for Xmas, but it is no me talkingof that yet, no me making plans these days! I've been awfully bothered with a funny kind of hay feverthe last few weeks, which comes on badly every morning& makes my nose & eyes ache but I suppose it will gowith the cold weather. I am so glad Edmund hasgot company with him. I hope he will really bebetter. Much love to Helen & Papa. Ever your loving Olive. 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 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 Dunowen, Belfast, Ireland Letter from Helen Duffin to Celia Duffin, 22 December 1915Letter from Terence Duffin to Maria Duffin, March 1916Letter from Celia Duffin to Maria Duffin, 15 March 1916Letter from Helen Duffin to Celia Duffin, 16 March 1916Letter from Dorothy to Maria Duffin, 25 March 1916Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 30 March 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 13 February 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 9 January 1916Letter from Maria Duffin to Celia Duffin, 27 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 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 her mother, Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Emma Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 22 November 1915Letter from Terence Duffin to his father Adam Duffin, 10 November 1915Letter from Terence Duffin to his mother Maria Duffin, 26 November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Adam Duffin to his daughter Dorothy Duffin, 7 November 1915Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, 8 November 1915Letter from Celia Duffin to her mother Maria Duffin, November 1915 7 West Cliff, Eastbourne, England Letter 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 Maria Duffin, November 1915