Letter from Celia Duffin to her aunt, 18 November 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Celia 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.

 Public Record Office of Northern Ireland Duffin Family Papers; D2109/9/4/B https://letters1916.ie/item/4387 English Celia Duffin 1915-11-18 3rd London General Hospital, London, England Female 1979 Medicine Medicine World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

The data in these XML files was generated based on a data dump from the Magellan database (https://github.com/Maynooth-Center-for-Digital-Humanities/Magellan). Each database record has been converted to a JSON file (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/json). The element section of the JSON file contains the TEI-encoded contents of the letters. The TEI XML has been cleaned and made well-formed using a Python script (https://github.com/letters1916static/letters-data/tree/main/src).

 3rd London General Hospital Nov. 18. 1915 Dear Auntie Cha: Thank you ever so much for your kind letter; I am quite alright again and busy at work I am glad to say, my neck got better quite quickly, though it was rather uncomfortable at the time. I think it was this cold frosty weather coming on so suddenly, we have had snow on the ground for two days now. Thank you all ever so much for offering to give me the sports coat, but I have a nice warm woolen one that I wear under my cloak when I am out so I am quite well off that way. It was kind of you to think of it. Thank Auntie B. And Aunt Ellen for the verses they sent, I so seldom see the papers that I miss all the new things that come out. I like Miss Maitlands' especially; it is such a nice idea. All the streets and houses are kept so dark at night it is quite hard to find one's way about. I went to the S. Kensington Museum the other day, just an easy bus ride from here, and got so interested in all the things to see there that I had to rush back in a great hurry. They have exhibits there now showing how food gets infected by different germs and how they attack grains etc, and telling you how to get rid of them. I discovered such a lot of weird animals too that I had never even heard of before. The doctor gave me a tonic to take and one of my patients, such a funny little boy, was so delighted that I ha it was my turn to be dosed too, that he always makes me drink my medicine so that he he can see that I take it properly. It is very exciting news about Dorothy and I am longing to see him. I do hope he is really nice; I am sure he must be. Di sounds so happy. I am still in the same ward, and we have been very full up lately, so many come back deaf or with bad ears from exposure. The doctor is such a clever man, and the head sister so nice to work under, I think the men are well-looked after but one feels one really must do everything one can for them. It was really sad this week, one poor patient who was being sent back to his depot was so depressed that he tried to poison himself. Fortunately the bottle he took, although marked poison, wasn't a very strong lotion and, after making him very sick he got alright and was being moved to the detention ward. I was so sorry for him - he was quite a nice man, and I think being at the front had upset his nerves a great deal. Twenty-five Australian nurses have just arrived to help, nice tall, capable looking women. This place is wonderful the way it grows and grows, it is quite a little town now. Best love to you all, I wish I could fly over and see you all and have a nice chat. Please thank Auntie D. for the Strandtown Chrysanthemums. Your loving Celia 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 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