Letter from Dorothy Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 29 November 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Dorothy 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 D2109/9/4/B https://letters1916.ie/item/4394 English Dorothy Duffin 1915-11-29 Ruth Duffin Female World War I (1914-1918) World War I (1914-1918) Personal Relations

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 Monday 29th Nov 1915 No. 16 General Hospital A.P.O.S. 13 Dearest Ruth, This is a hopeless Day & we are sitting by the boiler in the Hut Kitchen trying to keep warm. Leslie Hurbough has got a bad cold and has shut himself up in the Lab to nurse it. His note to me this morning on the subject will amuse you - he is the most pedantic young man! I have played a bit of golf with him lately. I shall have a lot to tell you when I get back. Miss Bell has not yet said when she means to return but whether she comes back or not I or she intend to stay later than the begining of next week. Olive says Miss Roberts will have me any time. I am glad she thinks she'll get home for Christmas. I wish Celia could do the same. I had a letter from Emma yesterday dated Nov. 11th. She sounded very cheery & content & was seeing a good deal of Molly Carson. Her account of poor Butamal was pathetic. I wish the poor boy could get home for a bit. I feel I must see Hilda before I get home but I don't care for going to Cien- cester now - it is all so very sad. Mr Swanwick so desolate. I am dying to hear how you are getting on in your new abode & do hope you will be happy but I do wish there was another life for your, but I'm so glad you are at home and not far away in a strange place. We have had plenty of men in the Hut lately owing to the awful cold weather. We have had another week of theatricals which were very successful. The local talent is quite wonderful- most successful Pierrotes & "Box & Cox" quite professional. Capi Shutte as Ms Bouncer was really funny! It is hard to realise one is only about 40-50 miles from the firing line. I heard the guns clearly on the golf course the other day just as the sun went down - it made me think of all those who would never see it again. There we were playing golf as if nothing was wrong. I hope A.J. got home all right. I would love to see him again. Major Smith spent a week-end here, he is not very far off it seems The hospitals here are very empty & mostly sick cases. Probably there will be little fighting again till Spring. Mr Horsburgh was lecturing in Dorking the other day, where Ms LeConas, D. Smith's sister lives, & was asking her about Leslie's friend at Treport. I saw her here when we first came out. He knows the Caldwells in the Isle of Wight. She, I think, is Ms Platt-Higgins niece. I think I have grown very fat out here so you may expect to see me increased in size! I hear Matrone is determined to Or something of this vain. It is nice work but I have had enough of it and will not be sorry to leave. Miss Shercock wrote me a nice letter saying Helen was appointed in my place. I hope she'll be happy poor dear, but it is Quasprells coping & building but a good job in it's way of course & now money means so much. I feel ashamed of the little French I have learnt here but being at the Camp all day one really hears very little of it. Honor MacCormac is away at present at a Rest Home as she got a bad foot. She has given me such a pretty Brittany bowe but I don't know how I am going to pack it safely. No more now, it is possible I may leave here at the end of this week but possibly may stay till next Monday or Tuesday. With Love. Dorothy Dorothy Duffin Letter from Dorothy to Maria Duffin, 25 March 1916Letter from Dorothy (Dussie) Duffin to Auntie B, 27 March 1916Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 30 March 1916Letter from Dorothy to Maria Duffin, 22 March 1916Letter from Dorothy Duffin to her mother, Maria Duffin, 31 July 1916Letter from Terence Duffin to his sister, Dorothy Duffin, 12 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 Dorothy Duffin to Ruth Duffin, 29 November 1915Letter from Dorothy Duffin to Maria Duffin, 28 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