Madam, – Further to your interesting articles on Dr Eduard Hempel and ensuing correspondence, I feel that the latest letter of David Peter Fine (February 28th) is most unjust to Dr Hempel in his role of envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Germany to Ireland from 1937 to the end of the war.
My mother, Mary Duffy, had the privilege of sewing for the Hempel family as their dressmaker during the war years and my recollections of the Hempels, although I was quite young, were of courteous, highly correct people who found themselves representing a regime with which we knew they were unhappy. This was confided to my mother on several occasions by Mrs Hempel.
A poignant situation arose long after the end of the war, when Mrs Hempel arrived at our door carrying a large brown paper parcel.
She opened it to reveal her husband’s diplomatic cloak and said that they had to return to Germany and that she would like my mother to make her a suit from the material so that they could return home with dignity and appropriately dressed.
My mother was able to oblige her and insisted that there was no charge.
Some years later we received a visit from Mrs Hempel who, after a cup of tea insisted on settling her account; and that was our last contact with a family for which we had great admiration and affection. – Yours, etc,