Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, November 1915 Letters 1916-1923 Olive Duffin

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 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/4395 English Olive Duffin 1915-11 7 Westcliff, Eastbrough, Sussex, England Maria Duffin Female Personal Relations Country and City Life

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 D2109/9/4/B. 7 West Cliff, Sunday Nov 1915 Dearest Mamma, I begin a letter even thoughthere really seems little to tall this week.Miss Constance Charles is here now which israther a relief, she is a pleasant unexciting woman& it breaks our tete a tete. Mr. & Mrs. Hollins &Eunice are arriving on Wed. Liam Ho for a fewdays & I believe Eunice is to remain with usfor a bit. Yesterday we went to a very fine concertYsaye, Pachmann, & Stralia all together. It wasrather wasted on me I am afraid, but nothing willpersuade Miss Roberts that I am very unmusical.Certainly, even I could recognise it was beautifulmusic. We were at another concert this week whereI was very much bored! Yesterday morning was a perfect, writers' morningwith a hard first & bright sun, & Mrs Daniel rang meup early & took me to Polegale by train & from therea really lovely walk through little villages in theDowns & home to Eastbourne over the Downs. It wasnice to see some more of the country, its reallyis lonely up there in Umber to walk by oneself.Poor Mrs. D. had just heard of the death of a very D2109/9/4/B old & dear friend of hers, Major Riddel, he was killedin the Persian Gulf. She seemed to feel it moredeeply that I thought her capable of feeling anything.She & Winnie are not quite on bad terms but theyare quite apart, & unintimate. Winnie is makingbad friends & getting into bad ways & I tell Mrs.D. she ought to take her away, but she says Winniehas always bad taste in friends and would pickup more wherever she took her! I made friends with Mrs Loughlin who was stayinghere, such a nice woman. I am sorry she is gone.Henry Hollins & I are now great friends & I enjoyhaving him on Sundays, he has just gone off toChurch with Miss Charley & I am having a Sundayat home. I see something of Violet Hollins &Anabel Robertson, & like them both very much & itis so nice to have a young person to talk to inskin. Anabel had a nice brother at home for abit, he was blown right into the air a year ago (he isa gunner) & his back a mass of shrapnel which hasbeen coming out every since. Ralph Hurley, Violets' brotherwho was in hospital at Presen, is home again now,he has arthritis & will probably not be sent abroadagain at present, her fiance is at Salonika. Dorothy says she may arrive on Wed: but isuncertain & will wire from London. Some ch D2109/9/4/B. here for a night or two. She talks of Chicester but Iwill advise her not to go there at present. Hilda isat work again & I see no object in it. I have settled to come over about Xmas time butdont know yet when or for how long, but lookforward to it very much. It has been bitterly cold here, but dry & sunny. I am afraidD. must be perished at Treport. They are getting plenty of recruits here now I beliefve, Iam starting classes for training women to take theirplaces in shops etc. I am sorry that old Mrs. Wals is gone, she wasalways most kind to me. Annie & Harold willmiss her sadly. I am looking forward to seeing Dowling soon & hearinga little more about Leslie & future prospects. Much love toall Your loving Olive. The potatoe bread has come yet, it does not matterbut I supplose its' not lost - en route 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 7 Westcliff, Eastbrough, Sussex, England Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, November 1915Letter from Olive Duffin to Maria Duffin, 1 November 1915