Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family January 1915 - May 1915 - Part 3

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You cannot see the head of or the Part of
the poor little Spenks beasts when they are
loaded up & the nigger sits right up on top
of the load often & it just staggers along.
Most of the cultivators seem miserably poor
& live in miserable wretched mud brick shanties.
I believe however that land laws are
being passed now to give the benefit of their
labor to the poor people. The Jews & others who
buy their stuff make a combine & will only
buy at their own price & also lend then money
in a bad season & they are so ignorant
they will sign anything.
The nigs however in the town are
pretty smart & they cheat you scandalness
if you dont watch then ^very closely They always ask
about 5 times what a thing is worth
& if you give it to them they try to draw
back & ask more but if you refuse &
tell them to "imshi" that is "get out"
they start to come down & ask you
what you will give.
I see according to the "Argus" that
the officers have mess in Mena House
that was news for us. Mena House has been
turned into a hospital & is full of sick
men. Five of my men have been ordered
 

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We send some men invalided
back to Australia ^invalided today. It is a rather
treacherous climate here. The days except
when it is windy & that is not often at this
time of year are lovely but the nights are
Very cold & some of the men get light & sleep
out & they nearly all get bronchitis or pneumonia
as a result. The underclothing Katie you 
got for me at Foy Gibson's is lovely & just the
thing for the Climate. The Government
underclothing I have given away as
after the first wash it shrank up to
nothing & I couldn't get it on. If I 
am away after much give that Katie 
to buy me another two suits of singlets
& underpants & send then on.  I will need
them. I'm afraid ^your brother Jack may be needed
all right before the war is over. We are
expecting to go out against the Turks
within a month but of course a
great deal depend on what they do
whether they advance towards the canal
or not. I am sending you a couple of
photos which may interest you. We work
pretty hard here just like Broadmeadows
but the sand marching is very tiring &
when we get a windy day the dust is
awful like Broken Hill in fact
PTO
 

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We were out ^practising  shooting the other day & for a 
joke I said to each squad that went up Now
mind this is the last practice you will have
before you see the Turks. Youd better make the
most of it because I'm going to keep the
scores & as the bad shots are no earthly
good to me as soldiers I am going to put
them in the front line every time to
draw the enemy's fire so as to save
the good shots as long as possible.
It was very funny to see how they
took it. It tricked some immensely
but others (I wonder if they were the
bad shots) looked very sheepish &
uneasy.
We go for a long route march
tomorrow Hope I survive it as anyone
who knocks up we are told will have
to go back home as medically unfit 
This is all the news at present
Baaby dear Wont we enjoy the spree
at the Vienna. Hope you wont be so sparing
of the pagues when I see you old lady.
You're pretty free with them on paper
you limmer but & when I come to collect them
they won't pay up. Which of the wee pets do you
love best now Baaby. I think it grows harder
to choose & time goes on. They are both
dear wee pets now 
Heaps of love & poges fm
Dida

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"Shepheards Hotel"

Cairo. Egypt
31/1/15
My own dearest Kit,  
Please don't imagine 
that this is my permanent 
address. As I told you in my last letter
I had a rather bad attack of influenza
which caused me to take couple of days
in Bed. Afterwards on Friday (today is Sunday)
we ^(the Colonels) were all surprised to get a note from the
Brigadier asking us all to take a day off
for a rest which we all promptly did. This
is "the" Hotel of Cairo although there is a
finer one at "The Palace Hotel" at Heliopolis
where the Newzealandars are but which like
"Mena House" has now been taken over as
a hospital so You know how I spent my
holiday. I came in here last night &
had a good old hot bath & went to bed about
nine o'clock & it is now 11.30am on Sunday
& I have just rolled out of the loveliest
sleep you every had in the loveliest can imagine in a most comfortable bed.
Dont you wish you were with me. I have
just opened my window with the best
quadrangle the most lovely shady
walks & path & lawns like the Ballarat
Gardens only not very big of course The whole
space is only about a big as the front of our
old place at Elsinore but you can
 

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get quite a lot of variety even in that space ^[[?]]
It is a most glorious morning as cool & clear &
delightful as anyone could wish for. I do wish you
were here with me. In ordinary times you can hardly
get a bed here at this season for the tourists who
come in millions droves & it costs you £1 a day. Now
only soldiers are stopping here and it is only 10/- a
day. Some of the "Territorial" i.e. the English
Militia Regiments have allowed their officers to
bring their wives out with them here & they are
stopping here.
I was delighted to get your letter telling me
all about the Xmas time & the delight of the
wee  pets  little ones over their presents. It was lovely to hear
of the wee loddie & his "Dear Mum" Didn't I tell you
[*Omit*]he was going to pay you back in love for all your troubles
mummy dear - Aren't you glad you had two wee 
loving barnies  together before this parting. It is very
nice for me to know they are with you & that whatever
may happen they will be with you as a comfort &
a solace. I am afraid they will have changed
out of all recognition by the time I come back
the quite grown up -so you'll just have to give me another
one to watch grow up for myself. There is very little
of news here that you will not know of at your
end - One of my boys a very fine young fellow
Pte  Lufke died the other day Tuesday I think
 

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from pneumonia at Mena house & we buried
him next day. It is sad for his people &
he was such a good fellow & as strong as a
giant. He was ill for a couple of weeks but not
bad at all & we were all expecting him back
in Camp. Suddenly he ^his condition changed for the worse &
in a couple of days, he was dead. Some of
the New Zealanders have been sent down
to Ismalia on the Suez canal & the Turks
are said to be advancing from that the
direction of Syria & skirmishes with their
patrols have taken place at a place 15 miles
from Ismailia. The wretched sand here is
ruining our rifles. We have to practice both
with Ball cartridges & dummy ammunition
& this sand gets in & clogs & wears the
parts so that they are rapidly being ruined
General Birdwell who has been appointed
to Chief Command of the Australian & N.Z
Army Corps came out one day last week
& had a yarn to me when I was training our
men. He is a little chap but very pleasant
spoken indeed quite genial & nice in fact.
Quite different to your old man I'm afraid
but I guess he can sort people up if
required also. Ken Walker is still keeping
 

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very well indeed & seems happy Tell Lyn
I will write ^a reply to her note when we have a fight or
something really interesting occurs to tell her
about & thank Gladys very much for her
Xmas card. I had two wee short letters from you
by a mail which had gone to England & came
back ^US mail Plus. Go to back of Page 1 I also got a p card from Baaby at
Shepparton. I hope the rain you have all been
having lately reached as far up as Tokie & that
Rory's troubles from the drought are just about
over. Now dearie old love lady what about a talk
to you yourselft  yourself. Wont you come & sit aside of me my
little sunshine lady & tell me you haven't forgotten me the weest bit &
that you love me dickins. And you will let me kiss you & love you
just all I want to. my dear little old Katie mum Haven't I always told you
that you be the dearest sweetest little mum any barnies could have & that they'd
just worship you Don't you think they I was right? Kit dearie loving sweet
wife mine. This old pen I have wont write decently today but I love
you just the same. Just the same always Katie & so long as your
love comes to me the same my precious love then I don't care for any thing else 
in the world. I'm just your man arent I?. Kit just you very very own
husband & you like to feel my arms tight round you don't you dear
darling love
My own sunshine girlie wife. You will always know that
whatever may happen & though we have not her able to
celebrate our versary as we wished tho five years even
if we include the last six months are just the very
 

Monday Morn.
Back to camp dearie
I spent yesterday afternoon with
the Milnes at Shoobra. I
am enclosing some snapshots of
them they gave me. They are
very nice & Mrs Milne talks
just like Mrs Malcolm & is
very like her in her way 
of telling you about giving
the Nigs a whelp when
they have been cheeky. She was
saying about a nig this morning
She caught him giving her light
weight fish & she crossed over &
had it weighed at another Scale
& told him it was short. He threw
the money down & refused to
give her any at all. I
dont want your dirty 
English money, he said
"What do ye think & that
she said, for what we have
to put up with"
You would have sworn it
was Mrs Malcolm herself
speaking
Well bye dearie pet
Your own
Didda Donny

 

"Mena Camp"
Egypt 24/2/15
My darling Kit.
It is 11.40p.m. I was
just in the middle of a sound sleep when I was
called by the Adjutant to say that the Brigadier
wanted me. So I hustled off down with Major
McNichol in my pyjamas & an overcoat. We
got there all right & were told we were to
march at 10.30 am tomorrow morning to
Ismalia Cairo & there entrain for Ismalia
wk on the big Canal & there where we will
arrive about 10 pm. Nothing but fighting
Kit is to be taken & as we hear that
the Turks are advancing on the Canal
it may mean fighting. There have been
some little skirmishes so far I believe &
the War ships have come down the Canal
to help us but this is only surmise on my
part or rumor as we really know
nothing definite except that we will
march to Cairo tomorrow morning and
entrain i e if the present orders hold.
I will write from there & let you know
as soon as possible how things stand. My
cold is nearly better I am otherwise
quiet fit & well. God bless & keep you my
sweet wife & my two darling bairnies
Yours ever
Dida Donny.
 

1
Mena Camp
Saturday
13/2/15

My dearest wife
Here we are back 
again at Mena Camp after 10 days
absence at the Canal defences. All safe &
sound & not a shot fired by us & by all 
accounts the Turks are still running
in the opposite direction. While we were
at Ismailia there was a very strict
censorship of the mails but now
that it is all over we are permitted to
spread ourselves at large more
or less So do not believe the wonderful
adventures you will no doubt see published
in the Newspapers shortly. Colonel
McCay & his Staff, the 8^th Battalion
under Colonel Bolton & the 7^th Battalion
were called down to the Canal in a
terrible hurry last Wednesday Week
Early on Tuesday morning the Turks
consisting mainly of Syrians under
Turkish & German officers made
attacks on the Canal at three points
but were driven off with considerable
loss by the Indian & ^(a few) Egyptian ^(Chalboy) troops
Guarding the Caral assisted by some
New Zealanders who were hurried
into action to meet them. A few