Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, June - December 1915 - Part 11

(1)
6^th Oct 1915
My dearest Katie,
I hope you will not
be feeling that I for have forgotten
you but to tell you the truth
while in the trenches you
& the wee pets our little ones were ever in my
thoughts to cheer & comfort
me yet here the days
go by so quickly & we
see so much that is new
& strange that when I turn
to write to you I feel very
guilty because you have
been out of my thoughts so

(2)
much. But you must try &

not feel neglected for right
down at the bottom of my heart
my love is there for you just as
warm as ever. We have been
to see St Albans Cathedral
a wonderful old place. I
will not attempt to describe
it to you but I bought a 
guide book which I will
send to you & when I come
home you can ask me all

about it. Then we were
taken to see a real old
English fair at a place
called Baldock. I was
greatly disappointed. It
is said to have ben held

(3)
every year for hundreds of years. But the side
shows at the Country Agricultural show or
in ^the Eastern Market would beat it hollow. I

think it must have degenerated. There was were no
horses or cattle or anything just lolly stalls
& merrygo rounds & shooting galleries etc
& all sort of gambling arrangements such as would
not be allowed ^at home except with permission - much like the Carnival in
the Essendon Park but not nearly so nice ^run of
course as the stall were run by frowsy untidy
women or dirty men instead of nice clean girls 
I have lost all pain in my side. Miss McCallum used
to rub my side with A.B.C linament but that is done
with now.  Unfortunately my strength comes back very

slowly. Today is Wednesday - on Friday Saturday I will have been

a fortnight here. Yet after visiting St Alban's I had to

go to bed for a day. I walked yesterday only once to

Diggeswell House to see Finlayson & the others yet when

I got back I felt so dreadfully tired I had
 

(4)

to go & lie down & went

to bed immediately after

dinner. I seem to have lost

all power of endurance & a

short rest is no good to me

nothing but a nights sleep

seems any good after a mile

walk. I hope to be able to

go up to Uncle Roberts

place at Lowfell on Saturday

I may stay there a week or
(5)

a fortnight. I was delighted 

to hear that my poor boys

have been were relieved from the

firing line almost immediately

after I left & sent to Mudros

I have been much more

contented in my mind since

then. Major Jackson is back

& has take Command of

them. Mrs Buckley has

ben in bed for a couple of

days. She seems a bit run

down. It has meant a 

lot of extra work for her

having all these boys in

the house for months at
 

-6

a time even though she has four or five maids

a chauffeur & ^a gardiner. Did you know Mrs

Mason had come over. They have taken a

flat near London but Mrs M. is going to

take up nursing as soon as she can. Mason

looks splendid but is still lame. I went out

& saw Major McNichol again. He is looking very

bright. He is being sent home in about a fortnight or so

He will however be lame for life I hear. It is very 

sad. Well my dear darling pets I will say goodbye

But dear wifelet I love 'oo dicklus & I want you big heaps
[[?]] [[?]]  dear pretty head on my shoulder & a sweet little
face to kiss & my wee darling bairnies to play beside me &

with me. So it very much to want not your [[?]] but if you

want them drefful much - it seems a big heap million to

be without. Write soon [[?]] girl all your love & tell me

good how you love me

x xx Love to Baaby & Nana xxx Millions of kisses from Dida

Donny

 

 

Digswell Place

Nov 6th

My own dearest Kit,

I have been

neglecting you something dreadfully

scandalous since I

wrote to you I have been

in Edinburgh in

Boston Lincolnshire with cousin

Nellie at a place called

Trevor in ^ North Wales with

some of my mothers

relatives. It has been

a terrible rush round

& I have felt tired at

nights. However I am

feeling splendid & will

probably be going back to

the Dardanelles in

about a fortnight. I

will write you a proper

letter for next mail

 

 

and tell you all about

all the people but x

although everybody

is and was nice as

ever they could be

there was no one could

take the place of my my wife and

sweet and bright ol my

two dear wee bairnies

God Bless & keep you

all my dear ones

I just got back from

Wales ^last night & I am going

down to Weymouth

where all our boys are

camped who are fit to go

back to the front this

morning. The days are

frightfully short here

Bye xxx sweetest love

Kisses for wee pets & yourself

from Dida Donny

 

 

(10

Dene House

Lowfell

19/10/15

My dearest Kate,

Your letter to Uncle

Robert arrived the other day

just after my last letter to you

was posted. Although it was

such a wee one, it was lovely

to know you were all well.

I am getting on well though

too slowly to please me. Although

I do not get so knocked out as

on Hertfordshire (Welwyn) you know)

I am still pretty tired if I walk

any distance. This morning

Uncle & I walked out a couple

of miles to a place called

Wreckenton - a Suburb of Newcastle

& Uncle pointed me out an old

Stone House where his father

& mother & himself lived in

2

when he was still a boy. It

is over 60 years ago. It

is still inhabited & is not

a bad place at all even yet.

We went out on the moors

on Sunday afternoon & saw

all the heather. The bloom

was just passing off but

enough remained to see

that it must be a lovely

sight when all properly out

But the farmers who own this

land now are destroying it as

they keep burning it off so as

to let the grass grow in its place

We had a lovely delightful motor ride

to Durham a very quaint

old town about 20 miles or so

from here I am posting

you a lot of Views of

Durham & Newcastle. The

chief glory of Durham is

 

3

its glorious old cathedral

& Castle. The latter is now

used as a University.

I will be leaving here on Monday

next to spend a few days

with cousin Nellie at Boston then

back to London where I

will ask for a Medical

Board to examine me

& send me back to the boys.

Aunt & the girls here declare

I am not well enough to yet but

I have got most scandalous very

fat again & I must get back

to drill again & turn it into

muscle or I will never be

strong. I have quite regained

my weight again but have

been greatly constipated & suffering

from piles. However the latter is better

than they was were a few days back.

Well darling I think this is

just about all the news. I was

at the theatre with the girls

last night & got home very

late & am pretty sleepy today

but late hours were never much

use to me. I felt very lonely & homesick

for you today my dearest wife & such

a longing for my little pets. I wish

I could just have a glimpse of you all them

at home. I wonder if their photos are coming

to me. Dear sweet darling old lady I

do love you just millions. If I had you

with me now I'd just kiss you all away you

dear old sweetheart darling. God bless

& Keep you always.

I was delighted to see in the paper

that the boys I recommended have

got their "VC"s five of them. Won't

their people be delighted. I got

their telegrams from parties of

my boys in different hospitals

congratulating me on the success

of the regiment.

Well now my own true darling

loving wife may all the blessings & 

comforts of all the world rest on where

you till I am with you again. Kiss

my dear pets & tell them Dida loves

them better than all the world & not to forget

him. Bye darling Kit, millions love & kisses

from Dida Donny.

 

 

1

Dene House

Low Fell

12th Oct 1915

My dearest Katie,

Here I am away

up in the north where

the days are cold & bleak

but the people's hearts are

very warm & kind. Aunty

Mary is the dearest old soul

you ever saw & my cousins

Minnie & Isabel are kindness

itself. Tell Baaby that I

get just as many "pogues"

as I want now. & They want

to take me about everywhere

They say they are very proud

to have a "Colonel" of their

own. I have been to the

Church & to the Theatre