Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family January 1915 - May 1915 - Part 2

Mena Camp

18/1/15

My dearest Kit;

Owing to the mail closing sooner

than I expected I cannot send you

much of a letter this time. I am sending 

by separate parcel a few articles ^made by the

native jewelers here who are very clever

I saw a lot of gold filagree work as fine as

hair but it was too expensive for your me

old man. It was ^very lovely. I am sending you

also a piece of what is called Tent Work

but is used by Europeans as wall decoration

The piece I sent you would do to hang over a

door. I have seen some with a lot of narrow

pieces round like a dado along the wall.

I hope you will like it. Well dearest

girlie. I received two lovely long letters

from you & one from Dear that had been all

world before this got to me. I think

all your letters now up to the one

had just heard we had landed here.

still all sort of rumors going about 

that the Turks are advancing in Egypt but

I don't know for sure if such is the case. We

had tea last night & spent a very pleasant

evening with two young Scotch people. Mr & Mrs Milne

& went to their St Andrews kirk here with them.

Bye now darling love

millions loves & kisses for you

and

18/1/15

Mrs H.E. Elliott

21 Mitchell Street

Northcote

Victoria

Australia
 

Mena Camp

Egypt

21/1/1415

My own dearest Kit,

I was delighted to receive

your letter dated the 22nd Dec & finished

Xmas Eve. It was lovely delightful to have such recent

news of you after our long wait. just full of

love it was too. Fancy our dear little pets

consoling mum for not getting a letter when

they did. The wee darling pets. It was lovely

to hear of them making such a fuss of Geordie

too. He would like that as I think he is very

fond of the wee ruthishes. I am sorry I did not

send nana your mother a Postcard also but hope the shawl

I sent from here would arrive all safely

about Xmas time. I hear they are not going

to charge duty on parcels sent by the Soldiers

that will be lovely fine for you. My boys are getting

on quite well. The Brigadier Col McCoy

told me he was better pleased with the 7^th

Battn for their work & behavior than with any

other Battalions of his Brigade. That was

good for them wasn't it. I do sort them up was pretty strict with them still

still. Today I waited till they had all 

gone out to drill. Then I went round

to all the tents with an officer to take

notes of all the dirt etc in the tents

mostly its the limner ^some wont wash their

dishes up after them & this brings

P.T.O. flies who xxx disease & so it must be xxxx 

(2)

flies & disease about & now I'm resting

after my labour waiting for them to come

in to lunch & won't I just sort up I will have a few plain words to say

to some of their officers. I don't know what

I'll do to them yet but I'd like to

frizzle some of them on a slow fire. Instead of

watching the men & keeping them up to

it if there is the slightest laxity on

my part they at once relax & I've got

to watch them like a cat watching a

mouse to keep them up to it. I think

the Brigadier is pretty sick of ^some of the

8th Battalions.

I sort up The niggers ^are a pest too. They will

persist in coming selling fruit &

lollies sweets to the men when they are

working. so I ^have to charge ^into them with

my horse & make him tread on their

bare toes ^to get rid of them. They do holler & now when

they see me coming you y would burst

your sides laughing to see them get go for

their lives with great big bags of oranges on

their heads.

The other day we were on Brigade manoeuvres

& the nigs crowded round all the others but

not one came near the 7^th & finally

the Brigadier sent for Colonel Wanliss

(3)

& sorted reprimanded him for allowing the men of

the Battalion to buy fruit while he (the

Brigadier) was talking to them. I have just

about stopped the boys going into Cairo without

permission or being late getting back. I did it

by sending the 12 worst cases into the

Citadel prison for periods varying up to 42 days

detention. They do bait it up make it very severe for them there. I

believe. everything must be done at the double

as we say ie they have to run to every 

job & if they get the least bit sulky even they

go in for a week's bread & water & solitary

confinement. I have two others who dressed

themselves in plain clothes & tried to get to

England awaiting trial for desertion & they

maybe shot severely dealt with. Another is I believe working

in Cairo in Plain clothes. He abs deserves

the shot. But apart from them I hardly

even have any punishing to do now.

All works so smoothly. That is good isn't

it. Don't you think it is worth even the

swear words ^& sorting up that used to horrify you.  Capt

Permezel is out here now. He went to

England with the Reservists & he is now

attached to the 5^th Battalion. His brother

is also to go to the Fifth Battalion.

P.T.O

(4)

I and Major McNicoll went out on [*37/17/7*]

Sunday afternoon last to visit a

Mr & Mrs Milne to a Scotch Couple

here with a little fat bairne just

about as old as the laddie but she talks more.

If a nig comes to look at her when she

is in her pram she will say "Imshi

Kelp i.e . "Get away, you dog"?) What

do you think of that. The English people

believe that they must keep the nig's under

for they get very cheeky & the women

unless they sort them up. One day

Mrs Milne said she was going along

looking for a shop & passed a little

native shop. She looked in & the owner

said in Arabic very cheekily (not knowing

whether that she knew Arabic) - Is it me

you want? & the man with him creased

with laughter at the joke. Mrs Milne

took two paces on before she made up

her mind what to do then she turned

back & leaning over his counter belted

him in the face with her handbag 
& he ran away for his life.

They are cowardly but very treacherous

& if you sack a servant you want

to be careful that he doesn't put some

arsenic or other poison in the food

[*Go to back

of p2*]

5

The native hawkers come round selling

vegetables & if they think there is no white 

man about they are apt to become very

cheeky & abusive so she bought a

lovely boatsmans rope's end. It is almost

2ft l long of stiff rope with one end

lapped round with [[?]] end to make

a handle & the rope itself has been painted

to make it nice & hard & stiff. When

they start cheeking her she just

reaches this out from behind the

door & lets them have it over the face

& they are quite civil & even let her

have things cheaper than others. How

would you like to live here.

It must I think have a great

effect on Kids brought up here &

tend to make them proud &

domineering in their ways.

As a matter of fact the Greeks

& other shop keepers here say

that they don't like the English

here who are proud & stuck up

& appear to look down on all

other races. The nigs are scared

to death of Kitchener who can

speak their own language & goes

[* that you are all there waiting & watching with your true loving

hearts for your old man & Dida. I may be able to add a little
more news before the mail closes. Ken is still keeping fine

& sends Happy thanks for the handkerchief. darling.*]

[*Go to back of p-1*]

We hear many stories of Lord Kitchener here. When he was

High Commissioner. He used to find out xxx would go about disguised and

about dressed like them ^natives & could can as they

think and set their plans for Rebellion.

Before he came they were very cheeky

particularly the young boys & youths.

Our friend Mrs Vaughan whom I have

spoken to you about told us that they

were scared there would be a rebellion

& they would all be murdered. One

day a little black kid about ten

jumped on the step of a tram car on

which she was riding & deliberately

spat right in her face & the crowd

seemed to enjoy it. But when

Kitchener came the change was

wonderful. Not a whisper of Rebellion

has been heard since.

Well my own dear old darling girl

thank you just a million for all your

long loving letters. I am delighted that

you and the wee pets are so happy at

the little new home. It will be our

"Nirvana" I hope for many happy

years. Dear sweet love. I'm just the

luckiest man in the world to have such

a love as you for a wife & to be the Dida of

those two little sweet pets that you gave me. Thank

you just a million for the gift of them dearie. May the pains

of their birth be forgotten in the blessings they will bring to you

the dearest & sweetest of wives & mothers. All my heart is

yours for ever & ever & I love you little Kate more

[*than all the world. My own true little sunshine girl

God bless & keep you always safe. I wish I could sneak away

home for a Sunday like I used. Carry & hold you & my pets in
my arms once again. But when I come back wont that be just lovely.

My heart just jumped with joy at the thought. It is just lovely to think *]

Mena Camp

13/1/15
Dear Baaby,

Was delighted to receive your

letter of the 28^th November & hear about the

wee people. I couldn't make out what you

meant by the "Gee Donkey" & "Wine Mum"

for quite a while until I remembered

the Bucking Donkey. The wee laddie

would love to be here. There are Donkeys

& mules & great big ugly Camels

by the dozen. Four & little black niggers

& big black niggers & french girls &

greek girls & all kinds of girls &

all full of paint & powder & all

the colors of the rainbow. Tho' the

cheapest place in the world to get

drunk in. There are no licences

for the pubs & beer is hawked

about the street in barrows with

the oysters & there are more varieties

of diseases to be caught than the

plagues of Egypt in the old days.

All the ^common nigs have creepy crawleys

on them & a lot of our men have

them now from giving their clothes to

them to be washed. On the other hand

2

the wealthy nigs & Greeks etc have

most beautiful mansions & gardens

The Nile Valley is a wonderful place

It is just a huge market garden all the

way from here to Alexandria about

120 miles & a long way further by

the river. The Date Palm Groves &

the green fields are a perfect picture

today. You get a lovely view of Cairo

& all the Nile Valley from the hill just

above the Camp on which the Pyramids

stand. Here we are deep in the Sand up

to our ankles but it is dry & healthy

Half a mile over the hill is the edge of

the irrigated valley which looks as beautiful

as paradise from the hill but when you

go down amongst the native Villages in the 

Valley you have to hold your nose for

the stench & everything is damp &

unhealthy but it is wonderfully fertile.

Lucerne beans & all sorts of vegetables

lovely tomatoes lettuce etc. Very cheap but

only a little plot of land they mostly own just

a couple of working bullocks & a buffalo cow

perhaps & camel or a donkey to take the produce

to market & the way they load them up