Overend, Letitia Lily Anne Letham (1880–1977), philanthropist and motor enthusiast, was born 15 July 1880 at 11 Herbert Road, Dublin, the elder daughter of Trevor T. L. Overend, a successful solicitor, and Bessie Anna Overend (née Butler), better known as Lily. She had one sister, Naomi (see below). The family moved to Airfield House – with which their name was to become synonymous – in the suburb of Dundrum in 1894. Educated at home by a governess, Letitia enjoyed an easy life and spent her time between lessons playing tennis and golf and socialising.
She is chiefly remembered for her involvement in the St John's Ambulance Brigade and the foundation, with Ella Webb (qv), of the Children's Sunshine Home at Stillorgan, Co. Dublin. Joining the St John's Ambulance Brigade in 1913, she trained in first aid. During the 1916 rising she was one of the first-aiders, under the direction of Sir John Lumsden (qv), who earned the respect of many for their impartial nursing of the wounded on both sides of the conflict. With the rank of chief superintendent, she continued to work with the brigade for the rest of her life and in 1955, at the age of seventy-five, she was awarded its highest honour, becoming dame of justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. During the second world war, she was an active member of the committee of the emergency hospitals’ supplies depot on Merrion Square, administered by the Irish Red Cross Society. In this capacity she helped to purchase wool, shirting, and pyjama material and material for bandages and to organise the making up of these items. The clothing helped many refugees who ended up in Ireland, while medical supplies were sent to Europe, in particular Finland and Turkey.
A generous donation of £5,000 from her uncle Tommy Overend enabled Letitia Overend and Ella Webb in 1923 to purchase the premises for the first Sunshine Home for rehabilitating children suffering from rickets. TCD awarded her an honorary doctorate (1961) in recognition of her public services.
Overend's father had owned one of the first motor cars in the Dundrum area and he passed on his interest in motor cars to both his daughters. In 1927 Overend purchased a blue Rolls Royce 20 Tourer, of which she said in an article in the Daily Mirror in 1973 that it ‘has been the perfect companion’. Shortly after the purchase of the car, she took a four-week maintenance course at the Rolls Royce factory at Derby, England, in order to be able to maintain and repair the car herself; she became well able to strip and clean the engine, change the oil, and fit new spark plugs. Known as ‘Miss Rolls Royce’ or ‘Tot’, she was a familiar sight motoring around Dublin, and the Gardaí are reported to have turned a blind eye to her tendency to park anywhere. Both sisters were members of vintage car clubs including the Irish Veteran and Vintage Car Club (IVVCC) and the Leinster Motor Club, and they travelled around Ireland to motor rallies. In 1973 they were awarded honorary life membership of the IVVCC for their long-standing contribution to vintage car motoring. Finbarr Corry dedicated his book The automobile treasury of Ireland to the memory of Letitia whom he referred to as ‘the doyen of Irish motoring, automobilist extraordinary’. She was also a member of the RDS.
Aware that she came from a privileged background, Letitia Overend maintained a lifelong interest in helping others and was fondly remembered for her kindness. An independent character, she was inclined to be bossy and the Rolls Royce mechanic who took over the maintenance of her car in later years, Vincent Hallinan, referred to her as the sergeant-major. She travelled widely in Europe and was especially fond of Denmark and Norway. Together with her sister she undertook many cruises to India, America, and Australia, and in the 1950s they visited friends in New Zealand who had previously worked for the family at Airfield. She died 3 October 1977 , aged ninety-seven.
Her sister, Naomi Letham Overend (1900–93), survived her. Born 19 August 1900 at Airfield House, Naomi was twenty years younger than Letitia; like her sister, she was encouraged by their parents to live an independent life, though the two remained close despite the difference in their ages. At first educated at home by a governess, Naomi then went to Alexandra College, Dublin. She had a gentle nature and at the age of eight, she organised a fete in aid of the Children's League of Pity, the junior division of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. She shared an interest with her sister in motor cars: her mother presented her with a 1936 Austin Tickford, which was well known around Dundrum and Dublin. Naomi took an active interest in the herd of Jersey cattle reared at Airfield, which she maintained until her death. The cattle were regular winners at the annual spring show held by the RDS and they were famously named after characters in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Keeping the 40-acre family estate intact was of the utmost importance to both women and they set up the Dromartin Trust in the 1970s to this end. Naomi died at Airfield 24 October 1993, aged ninety-three. Neither Letitia nor Naomi married. The Dromartin or ‘Airfield’ Trust continued to promote environmental and arts education through a variety of programmes at Airfield House and gardens, Dundrum, Co. Dublin. In recognition of the contribution of the Overend sisters to the Dundrum area, in 2006 Dún Laoghaire Rathdown Co. Council renamed Wyckham Way as Overend Way.