Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, June - December 1915 - Part 12

2
with them. But tell Basby
that I have not found anyone
I like better than her 'cept
Katie Campbell & her bairnies
Perhaps because of their kindness
here I feel this moment the
more homesick & more sad if I
permit myself to think of
my own little home & my
little ones wee sweet pets & my dear wifelet
& dear Baaby & Nana - that I cannot
go & see.
Minnie is to be married
very soon. I like her "man"
very much. His name is
Clarke. He has bought a house
quite close to this one
& Minnie is hunting out
all kinds or real old oak
furniture to put ^in it. She
certainly has received some
beautiful things at different
sales. He seems to have

3
a very good position & both are very much
in love. Minnie is a little rascal xxxx though
& was trying to make him jealous the
other night. I gave her one of my badges & she
took off a brooch he gave her & put the badge in 
its place & when I was sitting by the fire. came
& sat on my knee & put an arm round my
neck. Then when he came in she hopped
off & "pretended to be caught. Isnt she a [[rubbish]]
I hope he boxed her ears when he got her by himself.
In repose her face is very like Violet & rather wary of
coming into a room & walking round but somehow
when she looks clo straight at you this likeness
disappears.
Well Katie darling Uncle is waiting with
his hat on to take this to the post as I must
stop. By heaps of love to you & Baaby &
the wee pets & to Marg
From Dida Donny

1
[[Digwell?]] Place
[[Wellyn?]]
7/11/15
My dearest Kit
Your long & much
welcome letter dated the 19 September

reached me here yesterday. I was
delighted as it was the first letter
from you that I had received since
I left the Regiment. I am going
before a Medical Board tomorrow
& if they think I am well enough

I shall go back to the Boys.
I feel perfectly fit but even yet
I am not quite as strong as I
would like to be. I am not
going to tell them this however
as it will be about a fortnight
before a ship will sail for xxx
Egypt & there will be nearly
another fortnight at the
least before I can possibly
joint up with them. I
had a very pleasant
time with Uncle Roberts

2
people for a fortnight. I went
to Edinburgh while well there
for two days. I then went
down to Boston where I
saw ^cousin Nellie and her husband man &
the twins. They are dear wee
kids & were very loving to me
They asked me to stay longer
& little Helen put her arms
round me & said "I like you".
I enclose a snap shot of them
I "loaned" from Nellie. He is
however much nicer than he looks
there although Nellie keeps
his hair long. I am sure he
would look better if it was
cut short as you have our
wee laddies. I will tell you
all about them though when
I see you. Then I went to
a place in North Wales called
Trevor where I saw two of
Mother's  2nd C people both
Mrs named Edwards being two sisters
who married two brothers

3
Their name was Tottenham & their father was a Captain
in the R. Navy & their brother was Admiral Tottenham
who is now serving in the North Sea under Admiral Jelico
He has just lately been made Admiral & "C.O." so I
suppose he has been doing well in some ways or another
They were all very nice after they had asked me all sorts of
questions in case I should be cheating them. Afterwards
they seemed to be quite pleased with me & I have since
had a letter from Mrs. Lloyd Edwards whilst she stands
by calling me my dear cousin & given me her sons address
at Winchester College where he is studying for the Army. As his
Grandmother Mrs Tottenham was a Miss Jamesion (she died
a couple of years ago) & a daughter of Edward Taylor Parkes Jamesion
who is halfbrother to Mothers Father Thomas Jamesion both
of whom were the children of Thomas Jamesion (the Elder) who
was a Captain in the Royal Navy about 100 year ago and
served on the same ship as Admiral Nelson. So that
mother & Miss Tottenham were first cousins and I
and Miss Edwards & Admiral Tottenham & the rest of
that family ^are 2^nd cousins (there were originally 17 of them) there are 10 still
alive - one in the Indian Civil Service married a "Lady Clementine
Maude" the daughter of Lord Harden, I met this lady & she
also was very nice. Mrs Edwards son & daughter & our wee pets little ones
are therefore 3^rd Cousins. The son I have not met - the
daughter Miss Pattie Edwards was very nice indeed. Also
Miss Gertie Edwards who is the daughter of the other Mrs

4
Edwards & therefore is also a 2^nd Cousin to me
She ^ (Gertie) is rather a "trick" as we would say. They have
beautiful place & are evidently pretty well off as
each of them were sent for a year with their Governesses
to France & Germany to "Finish off" their Education.
She also has a brother about 18 who is studying for the
Army at Sandhurst. So the our Bairnies have heaps of
relations of a sort over here if ever they come along.
I have been asked to all [[this & this?]] places but
don't think I will have time to go. I am sending forwarding
some views of Newcastle also a photo of Mothers
cousin Mrs Tottenham (who was Miss Jamesion) the
mother of the Mrs Edwards (2) & Admiral Tottenham
I am sending you also a sort of geneological tree.
showing our relationships. I have not put on it one
branch of the family which came from the 2^nd marriage
of Thomas Jamesion (the Elder). Please send her cousins
photos on to Mother. I also send a copy of the family
pedigree (or rather one of them) showing descent for
over two hundred years from a Frenchman who
was driven out of France by the persecution of the
Hugenots & settled in Southampton as a wine merchant
They have dozens of old letters one dated 1690
from their old people & portraits & miniatures
[* p.s. You might write here & thank Mrs Buckley &
to Aunt Macy & to Mrs Lloyd Edwards thanking them
& if you have time to spare I am sure she would like that
group of us you sent to Nellie.*]

5
There was some most interesting letters from Thomas
Jamison the Elder & his aunt while he was serving with
Lord Nelson. He seems to have offended them all.
When he married a second time to a young pretty widow
with 5 children. I enclose an extract from a Solicitors
letter who was also a sort of cousin in which this message
is mentioned. I will explain about it all when
I see you dearest. The Telegrams were sent to me
when the boys got their "V.Cs." I don't know why
they should congratulate me except that they all knew
I would be delighted with the Boys success
Give my love to the Baaby & Nana. I am
starting a picture book for the laddie to look at
& some old views of Kew Castle & the little lady
You can put them away for him. He will
like them better some day than she will now
but she is such a queer little wise lady that she will
perhaps be pleased with them now. Tell her Dida
saw all their funny old homes & he will tell her
stories about them when he comes home. I am
enclosing also a bit of heather for Nana. I dont
think I shall have much opportunity of
seeing Miss Saunders relatives this time.
Now my own dearest love God bless & keep you all
with millions loves & kisses from Dida Donny
[* D.R.L 3297 (3rd G.) *]

1
GLOUCESTER HOTEL,
WEYMOUTH
12^th Nov 1915
Dearest Katie,
Here I am again.
I have been passed by the
Medical Board as fit for
service again & directed
to report to the Camp here
I did so & found it so
full of officers that I could
not get room to sleep there
so had to come to this 
hotel. There is a boat
going to Egypt on Sunday
[[next]] the 14th Inst. I
have told the Camp
Adjutant there will

2
be a divil of a row unless
he gets me a place in it.
The camp is full of officers
who don't want to go back
chief amongst whom
is brother [[ ?ck]] Courtney.
Its marvellous how
that fellow goes about
& he somehow managed
to get a [[C.]] B. yet his
own men speak of him
as the "Dug Out" King
saying he never went
outside the door of
it & that his orderly was
going to be recommended
for the V.C. for getting
supplies a [[pickle bottle?]] for him
[[?  ?  ?]] "mockery"

3
He is here doing some job. It was in the paper
that he was wounded. But he never was. His
men say he took good care not to. I believe
he is to go back to Australia some time in
the future when he gets tired of having a holiday
here at government expense.
I have not seen any reward coming my way
yet but I was delighted that the Boys got
their V.C's. I dont do not care if I never get a
single thing as long as my boys get some
of the rewards they are entitled to. I am
content to let my reputation [[?]]
them. And I am delighted that you
are hearing good reports from them of me
because I used to [[?rout]] discipline them [[scandalous]] [[most? severely]]
in Egypt. Punish them more severely than
any other Colonel so that I can be sure
that their respect is genuine & that
is what I value more than any