Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family January 1915 - May 1915 - Part 4

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succeeded in getting across in galvanized
iron boats which they had dragged with
terrible labor across the desert but they
were charged & driven back in their boats
by the Punjabis (Indian) troops. Then the
troopships came into action & sank
their boat riddled their trenches &
blew them to bits generally. Then some
of the Punjabis also the Ghurkas (Indian
troops who were on the Turkish side of
the Canal advanced against the flanks
of the turks & they (the Turks) ran
for their lives for about two miles ^to where
they had some sort of entrenched camp
Our men did not pursue them.
are there were some 12,000 of the Turks
in this camp fat  & there were only a
few Companies of the Indians.
During this advance a German officer
in charge of a Machine Gun played a
low down trick. He put up the white
flag & the Indians stood up & walked
towards them. When quite close he opened
fire with the machine gun & killed
the British Officer leading the Indians
who however rushed the gun & killed
the German but he killed & wounded
some twenty or so of our men
 

3
The Turks shelled our trenches
all day Tuesday & did a little
damage to some of our Warships
but most of their shells went plump
into the lake (Timsah) on which
Ismailia stands. Everyone was expecting
a renewed attack next day but they
only continued to shell the place as if to
prepare for a new attack. We arrived about
9 o'clock & everyone said we would be called
into the firing line at daylight for sure as
the Tucks were coming on. The men were
delighted at the idea but morning came ^without a call
& after four three aeroplanes had buzzed
North & South along the Canal &
East over the Turks Camp & came
back we got the news that the
Turks had fallen back 10 miles. We
were told to send 400 men to fill a
lot of little tanks about twice the size
of footwarmers in the trains at home. They
were to be sling on camels & over were 
to go after the Turks. All were intended
again. Then word came that more
of our men were to go into the trenches
ag. The rumours spread that the Turks
were again advancing & again we were
 

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interested. Eventually two Companies
of the 8^th & ½ Coy of the 7^th were sent out
to relieve the N. Zealanders in the Trenches,
but the news came round on the 2nd day that
the Turks were now 30 miles away
& going for their lives. So our spirits
went down absolutely to Zero & we settled
down to drill again. Capt Jackson &
20 of his men escorted some 200 prisoners
up to Cairo one day. Their appearance
inspired our men with a huge contempt
for the Turkish army. They wore the
most nondescript uniforms then
Khakee & some with civilian clothes &
overcoats. any sort of old bandolier.
Some had a tin mug but most had a
water bottle slung over their shoulders.
They were small in stature & half staved
looking in general but here & there was
a burly looking chap. A number were
badly wounded. The Indians I understand
bashed some 500 or 600. Most of whom
were killed when they were running away
after the attack was defeated or by the
shells from the ships. One Nez Newzealander
died in hospital from his wounds &
another is still there. The Indians lost 
 

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including those killed by ^& wounded in the Machine
Gun incident seventy or eighty men
& a few were killed & wounded in the
War ships. Our toll was under 100
casualties. The Turks lost about 600 killed
& about 280 prisoners who surrendered
a number of whom were wounded some badly.
Apparently all the wounded who could
travel at all were taken with them &
as the killed are usually only about 10 per
cent of the total Casualties it is estimated
that the enemy's wounded ran to two or three
thousand. So they got a mighty hot reception.
Their shells made in Germany failed in many
cases to burst at all. In fact Lieut Whitelaw
picked up an enemy loaded 15 pounder shell &
opened it & found that it never had had a
bursting charge in at all. Also clyn of bulletts cartridge
were found which when examined proved to
have wooden bullets. In some cases these had a
very thin coating of nickel & in others not even that
of they are being paid out for joining Germany.
A lot of rifles & ammunition were captured.
The rifles were of different makes the best
apparently were Mausers of the same type
as the Boers had in South Africa. After 8 days
 

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suspense we were sent back here yesterday.
My boys got great praise for their discipline on
train etc far better than the 8^th. I'm told.
But I was acting as Censor for a few days
& I am annoyed to find some of them telling
most scandalous lies about this fight.
Although we were at Cairo while it was
taking place they were writing home telling
it as if they had taken part. One
fellow said. "We have just killed &
wounded 2500 Turks. I must stop
now as I have to go back to the Trenches
& kill a few more" etc etc. One said
he had been 36 hours in the Trenches
without anything to eat & ^in fact their eyes were
nearly bulging out with the feeds of good
Queensland beef & mutton They were getting
Now we are back in Cairo these fellows will
no doubt be writing wonderful accounts
back about the doings but do you take
it all with a grain of salt. The only
Australians who had any part in the
fight were the 3^rd Coy of Australian
Engineers who were building a Pontoon
Bridge at the Ismalia Ferry when the bombardment
commenced although the shells burst
within a few hundred yards of them they were
 

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not actually under fire. None of the Infantry
regiments went even down to Ismailia except
the 7^th & the 8^th.
Ismailia was laid out by a French Engineer
for the benefit of the Canal Employees. It is laid
out in squares like Melbourne but the
streets are narrower. Every street has a
lovely avenue of shade trees & every house
has is a bower of flowering creepers. There
are apparantly no poor whites about but a
Native Village has sprung up on the
outskirts which is as all such are.
very smelly & poverty stricken. The whole place
was fine white sand when settlement took
place & all the verdance is the result of
irrigation with Nile water brought across
the desert & up & down the Suez Canal in
open Channels. The main Ismailia canal
is big enough for pretty decent ^sailing  boats But
as there is no room to tack about they have to be
towed by a long rope from the bank. When they
are in the Nile or on the Lake or Canal they
are able to sail. The Baltic Gardens
at Ismailia are quiet as large & I think
a bit larger than the town itself. They
are beautiful. It reminded me of
Ballarat to see the lovely lawns &
 

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masses of flowering creepers & the Bougainvillea's
everywhere while the Palm Groves looked
especially in the dark just like tree from 
Valleys in Healesville. It will be lovelier
still in a little while there were beds &
beds of tiger lilies ^lilies of that kind just coming into fud bud
It must be a wonderful sight when they are
all in bloom. They brought us a dozen or
so of the Turkish boats of galvanized tin
to the Customs jetty while we were there
They were riddled with shot & shell of course
but you could see what they were like. The marvel
of it is how they were able to dray them over
the desert. I am sending you a few postcards
of Ismailia. Now my darling having got
all our adventures off my mind I must
turn my attention to your ou dear self.
I have to thank you for your long abissing
letter dated the 13th &16th January. It 
was handy delightful to get things back so quickly.
I am delighted that the little present
I sent got through to you all safely,
& that you liked them so much. Someday
maybe you will give me a kiss for them. I wish
I could buy you a few of the other pretty
things we see daily is the shops here
I saw a gold & jewelled candlestick for the
 

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late Sultan of Turkey's Harem. It is
set with jewels & valued at £800. Also
a Persian Carpet valued at £300 & it
is just really a centre piece but it
looks lovely. You will perhaps be wondering
why I sent you two cushions. Well the
man made one with a pillow for me &
had not declared it. So when we went
to Ismailia I thought that I would
have no use for a pillow any more so
I told him take the stuffing out of it
& post it home to you But he [[removed?]]
may  have to many you can give ^it xxx to
Baaby, I received on my return here
a letter from you dated the 3rd & 5th January.
Also a letter from Geordie with a lot of
snap shots of the wee pets children. They are
beautifully clear photos. The wee laddie
looks a sweet little pet. Little Gagy looks
thin I fancy. You aren't getting much fatter
dearie yourself. Ill have to bring you to Egypt
You should see all of us. I think everybody
in Cairo has gained from 1 stone upwards
You would hardly know McKenna & the Doctor
& some of the others. Dearest old lady I love you
very much if you want to Know & think of you always
 

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I don't recollect a bit about telling Lyn about
my sunshine lady but I don't care a bit dearie
because you are my sunshine lady aren't
you pet & tho the wee bairnies are my little
sunflowers. They do seem to be enjoying
themselves of the "beac" Geordie says
it is funny to hear them talking & call
other now "Bill" can speak. I would
love to hear then myself. Don't think that
your letters have nothing in them I wouldn't
miss a single word my dearest pet.
It is lovely to get them & most of all that
they left you only four little weeks ago &
that you were well & as nearly happy as
you can be without your old man. So
you can see how conceited I have grown. I
know you can't be quite happy without
me. Little loved one you must be very
lonely sometimes. Here I have so many
things to attend to & 1000 men to so it  look
after by so I have a big family & it is only when
I am in my tent at night before I go
to sleep that I have time to feel lonely
& I am mostly too tired to stay
awake long. Today we have a
whole holiday & practically all the
 

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men are going gone into Cairo. I am putting
in the day writing to you. The 2^nd
contingent ^Division (4^th brigade) are here now arrived while
we were in Ismailia & are giving
themselves great airs I believe. Dick
Courtney & his crowd officers in the 4^th Bn are telling their
mess that we have given all Australians
a bad name in Cairo & they expect
their men to behave differently. In
point of fact with the exception
a few bad eggs mainly to the N.S.W.
contingent the men have in the face of
the tremendous temptations placed
before them behaved wonderfully well.
but it is all you can expect from
him a Coastney. He was very angry I
am told at not being selected
to come with the first contingent &
one night when Colonel Wasiliss
& Colonel Hemmens were in the Club
together just before they came away
& met him there he would
hardly speak to them. It seems
a miserable petty spirit & now that
he has got away he taken by the sour
grapes cry of that our men are
no good. You know on the voyage