Hello and thank-you for visiting our Website, I hope that you find it interesting. Whilst it is principally aimed at family members, near or distant, all are more than welcome.

I appreciate that a detailed history of someone else's family may not have you trembling with anticipation but there is hopefully enough of more general interest to make your visit worthwhile.

 

First a word of explanation for those not familiar with the family. In June 1949 Joe Duffin and Marguerite Cameron were married in Boat-of-Garten, Inverness-shire. The Camerons had lived in the Speyside area for generations. Joe's Mother was a Purser, a family from the area of  Bedfordshire to the west of Bedford city, around Turvey, Pavenham and other villages. Joe's Father, another Joseph, was of Irish descent.

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Simply put this website is the story of these two families, the Camerons, Pursers & latterly the Duffins. The two families, one in Northern Scotland, the other In London, had no knowledge of each other until Joe met Marguerite in 1944.  At that time  Naval Cadet Joe,  was posted to Rosyth Dockyard near Edinburgh and trainee teacher Marguerite was seconded to some God-awful school near Leith Docks.

 

Hard as it may be to believe now,  at the time Edinburgh had  thriving night-life and many dance halls, all crammed with off duty servicemen from USA, Canada, Poland and even some home grown Scots. As these were around 90% male many of who would have sadly shortened lives, a certain "atmosphere" developed.

 

One can only assume that eye met eye across a steamy dance floor.