Letters from Harold Edward Elliott to his family January 1916 - June 1916 - Part 15

-3-
standing upon it & in the middle of the circle
there is a crossed sword & baton. The shoulder
badges are simply the crossed sword & baton. In
addition red gorget patches are worn on the points
of the collar of the tunic which have gold oakleaves
& acorns embroidered on them: The next rank is
Major General & the only difference ^on badges is that a
star is put on the Shoulder next the crossed     
sword & baton everything else is the same. Oh I forgot
to say that if you wear metal either brass or bronze
buttons then also have the little laurel wreath & crossed
swords upon them. Next above a Major General
is a Lieut General & he has a Crown put
alongside the crossed Swords & baton. I have never
seen anyone higher than Lieut General but
there is a  full "General" & finally Field
Marshall. but I dont know the badges for
these ranks. For Full dress I think all
Generals wear a long kind of Frock Coat
buttoned up of course & I think a black cocked
hat with a white cocks feather plume upon it.
So when you go with me to the Govt House Ball some
time you will have to have all your hat feathers
upon you wont you dearest pet for it wouldnt do to
have all the Colors upon Dida. I wish this old war
was over if it keeps on like this I'll have the
wee Dhurach wanting me to take her to Govt House
Ball one of these days when I do get back 

(4)
I am so sorry to be missing all their little children's
ways but may be you will give me another dear wee
pet to look at one of these days. I expect the wee
thing would be apt to be spoilt with the laddie & Dhurach.
so much older. Am I right in thinking that the
wee laddie will be 3 years old this month ^on the 16^th & Dhurach
will be five on 1^st March next. I was delighted to
know about wee Dhurach learning to knit. I'd love to see her
little baby fingers working the needles for "Dida" - Give her a
big heap million kisses from her old Dida & tell her Dida's
so so pleased with his darlings. I hear we are to get
another mail today. I hope your letter will be with it
I haven't had a letter for about a month now &
it was only Baabys letter that came to cheer me up a
bit but it was is full of news of the wee pets that I was
just delighted with it. Major Layh & a few other officers are
going on ahead in a couple of days to make necessary
arrangements for our arrival on the other side of the water
Oh I forgot to tell you dearie. When I ride round 
now I have a mounted orderly carrying a lance
with a little triangular red pennon on the top
end of it. The idea is so that my officers hoa  navy
messengers have only to glance round to spot see the
little red Flag & then come along. ^Major General
McCays Lance has a red pennon with two
points on its tail instead of one like mine. Lieut Gen
Goldley has a fle red flag with a White Cross upon
it & General Munro Has as G.O.C. ^in Chief a little
P T O 

(5)
Union Jack on his lance. Also I in common
with all other Brigadiers wear & my staff
all wear 'a blue armlet on the right arm
General McCay & his staff & other divisional people
also wear a red armlet & General Godley
a Red & White armlet. Now there that is just all
I know about Generals. Love pet xxx xxx love me?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
get xxxx xxxx xxx back   -Later-
Oh dear pet Ive just got your letter
dated the 23^rd April which came along all
right though you seemed to expect it
couldn't somehow. Fancy the wee laddie
learning to knit. The wee rogue must be
pretty smart to learn that at his age. Tell
him Dida is delighted with his brave little man
for helping mum like that. He is just the dearest 
wee laddie in the world. He seems to be nice to all the
people like my dear old Katie & everybody loves her
Thank you darling for your good wishes & turns, as
you see it arrived in good time before my birthday
I hope the mail got to you in time to wish you turns
of yours darling love God bless you & may every birthday
again have bring increasing happiness to you and all
your belongings. I know Mr Wilkinson quite well but I've never
met his wife. It was news to one that Symons has his 
Captaincy. I am very glad ^as though he deserved it.
& I hope he will come along & join us also
Tuff & Mason & all old 7^th Boys. Would 
be  a great Memory to me to have them. I
am sure. I could always depend on
(Go to back of P I)
[*D.R.L. 3297 (3rd S.)*] 

(6)
them to get your things done when I was
not there. This is all the news my wee
little sweet lady, I hear they are delaying
all our letters now so we cannot tell you
when we are going to France. Also their is
a rumor about that Greece is coming in
against us & that we may be delayed
there after all as there are thousands
of Greeks here in business. They are
the largest part of the Foreign population
mostly all storekeepers groceries etc. & pretend
to be very friendly to us.
Well darling old lady I must say goodbye once
more. Millions of loves & kisses from Dida Don
to you & wee bairnies 

[*P.S. I am sending you some seeds of a beautiful tree which grows
in Ismalia. It has a feathery ferny leaf something like a wattle but
has a beautiful red flower with a lovely scent. The streets are aflame with
it just now. The seeds are borne in a long pod. Perhaps the seeds should
be steeped in hot water before 

being planted.*]
Egypt
15/6/16
Tomorrow at 12 o'clock  
the mail shuts down & no more letters will
be accepted until we get to our journey's
end. Quite when we go from here is not as
yet published but Major Layh has gone
today with a party of officers to get ready
the other end for us. I expect it will be
some time before you get a mail from
us but keep you pecker up my dear
old lady. I would like to see the wee pets little ones
knitting. I can't get over the wee laddie knitting
It seemed surprising enough that Dhurach
should be doing it but the wee laddie -
But I am forgetting it is nearly two years since
I had by darlings on my knee & they soon
grow up.  I judge from what you say that the
laddie is little for his age. Is that so or is it
just his little baby ways that make him
seem younger than he is. He must be a dear
loving little laddie though. I am ^so glad he is nice
to poor old Henry Trowbridge. It will console
him perhaps for his lonlir  loneliness to have the
wee laddie fond of him like that. There is nothing in
the way of news that I can tell you. We marched
to the new camp on Friday last & all my boys
were praised for good marching. Col Wagstaff 

-2-
who is on General McCay Staff told
Major Layh when he saw him yesterday 
for final instructions that it was
marvellous the way the 15^th Brigade
had come on seeing that it had only been
in existence 3 months. I was very
pleased but sad too. If they had only given 
me the men I wanted in the first instance
I would have had the Brigade twice as good
as it is now in the Same time. Tell
Geoff McCrae's people that he is looking
splendid. Since old Colonel Field knocked
& my Geoff has been in Command of the
60^th Battalion & has done marvels in
the short time he has been there. They
are rapidly becoming the best Battalion
of the lot under him. Of course I have
helped him all I know by giving him
good officers to help him.  I don't think
he will get the Battalion as I named Major
Duigan for it but I am glad Geoff had the
chance of showing what he could do as
I have still two of the first Colonels to get rid 
of & I think Geoff will do quite good well
for one & Bert Layh for the other. I have one
Major still to get rid of too. When that is done
I shall be pretty right though there are one or two boys in
the old 7^th eg. Barton & Bowhill Harris whom I would like very 
much to get. Bye darling love Millions of love from
your Dida
[*D.R.L 3297 (3rd S.)*] 

(1)
Egypt
6/6/16
My dear love,
Last night just as I was writing a wee
post card to the laddie a dear very fat letter was handed to
me. It was the one that should have reached me last
week with Baaby's. but got astray somehow. Isnt is
queer how they go astray. It was addressed just exactly
the same as Baabys & yet - it was delayed so much
longer. I haven't got the one addressed 1^st Brigade. I
guess that will be ana to France. Then I suppose some
one there will send it back & we will have left by the
time it reaches here & then it will either come after
us again or got tired & go back home to you. Such a dear
old long letter this was too. I'm glad it found me out
at last. It is very nice to know you are pleased
with your old man Katie darling & that you love him
so much. It makes up for  all the Separation you
dear old sweetheart. If I am any good it is because
I want to always do what will please my dear sunshine
lady. God bless her dear loving heart. I remember the
boy Shaw from Brunswick quite well. Do you
remember me telling you about Lt Greig - Ada
Stewarts friends son - being killed. Well when Greig
volunteered to go out on that attack I told him I
could only give him 12 men. You see it was pretty
certain they would get a bad time & I wanted to send
as few as I could. Well about a million lot of men volunteered
& Greig selected his dozen. Shaw volunteered but 

-2-
was not selected but the young Villain went
out just the same & in the hustle of course Greig
didn't count his party & the he wasn't noticed
at all. Well of course he was wounded & then 
I found out about him. All of the men who went
out & were not killed I made Corporals or
Sergeants because they did so very bravely, but
I was offended with Shaw for going out when he was
not picked & would not promote him at the
time but afterwards when he got better from
his wound & came back I made him a Corporal
& then he got sick or wounded again & was sent
home. So if you do see him you will know
all about him. He is a brave laddie & I know
he won't mind me having ^reprimanded sorted him up. Of course he
deserved ^reward more than perhaps the others but it had to be
done. One cannot have even the best of the men pleasing
themselves even in a matter of this kind but now it is
all over I can admire his Spirit. Give my
love to old Dick Coster next time ^he x rings up
Mr Henderson's letter & papers have not reached
me yet. So he will be quite right in his saying that . I will
would be Brig General before his letter reached me 

-3-
Here it is June now & I suppose you are feeling
dicklus pleased that you have some of that old
debt paid off. I am afraid it is a heavy burden
upon you darling & you have been pinching yourself
to get it paid off. you poor darling love. I am sorry
to hear of all the troubles the Hendersons are having
It is strange how some people are tried. Kenneth
came & saw me the other day he is well. What
a work you had about that silly old photo of
the Essendon Boys. I am sorry I asked you about
it now. I had no idea Capo Stephens was out
of town when I first wrote to you about it. Thank
you dear old darling for all your trouble
Mr Goldsworthy could quite easily find out
my Birthday dearie. All he would have
to do is to look up a book called the Commonwealth
Forces List at the Orderly Room. That has all
particulars of age & length of Service Medals etc
relating to all officers in the Commonwealth
or Dwyer could easily get that for him.
I knew a family of Dwyers at North Melbourne
Two of them came away. One was killed on
Gallipoli another is here in a Pioneer
Regiment just camped close by. A third is
with the 5^th Battalion I believe. There was a whole lot
swarm of boys 7 or 8 in the family & the one
you met may be one of them.  I never cared
much for any of them & the one here now is 

-4-
detested by everyone. He never went over to the
Peninsula at all but got a job in Egypt & now he holds
forth to his men as to what we did in Gallipoli.
I think Bob Smith could only have been in
London on Leave. I know some of those who went
to France have had a week's leave or so in England &
I am certain none of this Regiment Battalions went there but
all landed at Marseilles. So I think you will find
that unless Jack was also able to get leave be has been 
in France all through Who was Rene Avery
engaged to & what was the row about. Do you know.
I was very interested to hear that Lyn was expecting
a Diamond. I expect Geordie wont want to leave now
till it is over. The laddie cannot be such a wee baby
after all if he is only 7 lbs  lighter than Dhurach & she
more than 12 months older than he is. He must be a sturdy
wee chap if he isn't tall. What a drefful skite you are
Katie about getting fat. I thought I'd be getting a ticket
showing you were 10 stone at least & here you are only
7 st 7 lb.. Well if that doesn't beat everything. But you
poor old darling you must have been a wreck if you were
a stone lighter last year. I don't think I realised how
thin you must have been. Do you remember when you were
in Tassy you were just 7 st 7lb at your best & yet you
weren't quite the size of a house when you came back. So you
just keep on getting fat & round & rosy & don't dream of
stopping. yet. I have got as fat as when I was in Egypt
last year. People tell me I look ever so much