Letters from Harold Edward Elliott to his family January 1916 - June 1916 - Part 8

Hello, Reviewer! Ned here. I added the Photo numbers at the top of each page to make it easier to rearrange those pages that were photographed/scanned out of chronological order. You will notice that some pages have large green "Omit" written across them. I wasn't sure how best to treat them so added them as "marginalia", then crossed through the relevant text. If you prefer I will remove the cross-through from the lines that aren't specifically so marked & leave it on those that someone tried very hard to obscure. 
Cheers! Ned.


[Photo 71]
-5-
old war any more. I had a letter from Geoff M^cCrae
He is in the Isolation Hospital at Shubra near
where little Maj Marjory lives with her mum ^mother
so I wrote to Mrs Milne & told her & she will no
doubt call & see him. He is getting better but
is very weak. If I get to Cairo I must try &
see him. He is practically sure to be sent to
Australia for a 3 months rest
Dont forget to tell me you love me sweetest lovingest
darling & Katie “Impress me”. I’d love to ask that
myself & see your cunning little smile & dimples come when
you reply “Pxxxx! Don” & “trismas” when I ask you when
I love you my Katie pet – just millions & millions & I do so want
to have you in my arms & cuddle & pet you & tell you youre
the dearest sweetest lovingest wiflet & mother in all            [* Omit *]
the world. God bless & Keep you always my
own darling. Millions of love & Kisses for
you & the wee bairnies from Dida Don.
For Postcript see front page
[* 2 DRL|0513 *]
 

[Photo 72 ]
Tel - el - Kebir
24^th March 1916
My dearest Kit,
I am sending by this post
a Picture Book of Anzac for the wee
Laddie. I went up to Cairo last
night with Major Layh & was put
through my initiation as a Mason
cost me six lovely quidlets & more to
come I suppose. You can tell M^r
Land & the people opposite Windsor
Villa I forget their names if you see [* Omit *]
them. While up in Cairo I bought
a few little things for you. There is a tiny
little silver breakfast set of salt Cellar
Pepper Pot & Mustard Pot with Spoons for
the Salt & Mustard & a little tray to put
them on. ^This is for you darling Then there are three little silver
Pen or ash trays & a silver box for Baaby's
Dressing Table with my love Then there is
a Silver Belt for the wee Dhusach Neck
when she grows old enough to wear
one. I hope you will all like them &
give me a tish for them sometime.
Oh Katie do you know I got into
Scandalous bother over that last letter
I wrote to General White. I think
he must have shown it to the
General Birdwood & ^I got a whole
heap of nasty letters about my officers
& my complaints. I sat tight & said
nothing until last Wednesday
when the Prince of Wales came
along to see us. General 
 

[Photo 73]      [out of order – belongs after Photo 75]
[* Omit *]
the 21^st Feb. Isn’t that a lovely late
one just about 4 weeks ago. The socks
came too with dear Katie’s fondest
love for Dida but Nana’s letter & the
other fat letter that Katie says she
posted the Same morning has
somehow missed me. Isn’t that
funny. I also got a letter from
Mrs Edwards ^which I enclose. I sent her two or
three of the Snaps of you & the wee pets
She seems pleased with them.
It is curious about her brother
having fought on this Battlefield
32 years ago as a young man.
Your dear loving letter made me
Very happy Kit & I was feeling
just scandalous ’fended with
everybody now I am quite
happy again you dear sweet old
Comforter. Million of love & Kisses
for you Dear Darling Katie. 
 

[Photo 74]
-2
White came along all right & I
just tackled him & I made him
own up that these men were no
good but finished up by saying I
would have to take them or leave
myself. I have a great good mind
to come straight home to you. I am
sick & tired of the whole thing. They
Know that these men when they get
into action are likely to fairly
mess things up & get the men uselessly
slaughtered but they say we must
take them. Then of course if the 15^th
Brigade makes a failure I'll have
to take the Blame. It is a lovely
prospect isnt it. Bye the way
it was lovely too what General
Walker told me about him recommending
me for Lone Pine & then that
my name had been cut out in
London & others who were not even in
the Fight at all substituted. He was
Very indignant or said he was &
said Never mind your turn will
come. I just expect it will
now when I sorted up General
White & Birdwood. But isn't it just
sickening. Well dear old love lady I dont
think there is much news. The Prince of
Wales who is about 22 I believe looks a
dear wee rosy cheeked boy about 15 or 16
to our ideas. He shook hands with
me & some of my officers & rode around
through the men & I cannot tell whether
he was greatly interested or not. I guess 
 

[Photo 75]
-3-
though he was pretty tired of it
all before he was through. The only
questions he asked me were about
the Boxing Stadium we put up
on the Parade Ground & about
the Football
Well Katie dearie pet - not much
news. I suppose Jack & Bob Smith will
be nearly to France by now if that is
where they have gone as we believe to
be the Case.
I hope you will receive all the
little silver things all right. They
are of pure sil silver the man said.
Very soft - Workmanship is by
Natives. The women here wear
silver bangles on their ankles & they
are of soft silver often as thick as a
lead pencil & they just bend the
metal round the leg when they take
it off & put it on. A Piastre in which
all the reckoning is done in Egypt
is only two pence 2½^d so you need not
be alarmed at the size of the Bill.!
Tell me that you love me dearie
& that you will be glad to see me even
it old Birdwood passes me out
for sorting him up. As I have
done. Pretty good scheme to get
home don't you think to tell them
the truth occasionally. Bye now
darling Pet from Dida Don with
million pogues & loves to you &
the dear wee pets.  [* Omit *]
P.S. I opened this letter again to Say that a
dear wee sweet letter came from you Yesterday
just after I closed it. The wee letter is dated 
[* DRL 3297
(3 vols.) *]
 

[Photo 76]
Tel - el - Kebir
27^th March
1916
Dearest Katie love.
I gave just received your No 1 &
No 2 letters dated 15^th Feb & 20^th Feb so your ^so the wee
letter that I got the other day must have been No 3
although I did not notice the number on the back
of it. Isn't it funny those little rubbishes ^things calling
Mrs Gowans "Little Katie'. It will be nice for
you and the wee pets to go over to her place
some day. She was of course Katie M^cDonald in
the old days. She had a lot of trouble like
you had after the Bairnies arrived hadn't she. [ * Omit *]
About the photos. I liked the full face ones
without the Cap best. If you have not
already done so send one to Mrs Edwards
& one to Mrs Buckley & one to Mrs Milne
If you cannot spare them you could
get Mr Sears to copy one of the photos
& strike off three for them as I promised
to send them one each.
Mrs Edwards address you will find
on top of her letter to me which I
enclosed with my last letter. Mrs
Buckley's address is Mrs P. Buckley.
Digswell Place, Welwyn, Herts. England
& Mrs Milne's is Villa Pallache"
Shubra Cairo. All have been very good
to me indeed. Do I look as sad 
 

[Photo 77]
(2)
as all that in my photo – Nonsense it is
just imagination I think. I am sad at
times for my boys who are gone & for my
dear wife & wee pets so far from me & I am
As grey ^haired hero as my wifelet but I did not think
sadness was written on me as you say.
I didn't like the one with the Cap much at
all neither did Mrs Buckley. I just wish
you could have your arms round me darling
It would cheer me up right good I am             [* Omit *]
sure especially if you had the wee rogue
of a laddie & dear wee Dhusach to sit one
on each Knee & where would dear Mum
sit. She'd have to take the laddie on her
lap & then sit on Knee Knee. I am glad my boys
speak well of me particularly as I have never
sought to be popular with them but "sort" them
up something scandalous if they do wrong
but they don't mind me a bit because
I try to be fair & just to them all, even the
ones I don't ^cannot like & I try to make all the officers
& Non Coms treat their men in the Same
way & the men appreciate it. Now that
I am a Brigadier you won't hear any more
stories of my swearing. There is no use denying
it. I did swear sometimes & it did good
Katie. I scared some most to death but 
 

[Photo 78 ]
(3)
it made them pay attention to what I
said. I don't like it Katie a bit more than
you do but I do everything calculated to
make my boys do what I want. As a
Brigadier I don't come into personal contact
with the men themselves & I can only influence
them by twisting the tails of the Battn
Commanders. It breaks my heart to see
the things that are allowed to go on by some
of them. I only wish I was Kitchener for a
bit. I'd have a lovely clearing out of
^some officers I Know or a reformation but no
one seems to have the strength or courage
to bundle them out. It is perfectly scandalous
the men who are permitted to take positions
here. It is really no wonder the Germans
win against such methods. The sweater
& Balaclava ^cap didn't come dearie but I
have the Balaclava that Nana Sent
long ago & a woolen Vest the Govt issued to
me so I am all right. Weren't you
a young limmer to sit home writing to Dida
when you might have gone to the Zoo with
the little pets. I am longing to Know
how they ^children liked the Aquarium. I was
interested to hear of Lyn & Geordie. I
wonder will they be near Mrs Lyne's 
 

[Photo 79]
(4)
place. I wonder will Jack ^Geordie arrive here before I
leave. It would be nice to see him again.
Don’t you ever dare to worry again about leaving   [* Omit *]
“Dalriada”. Just you love your own wee               
home our “Nirvana” the place of Rest where
poor old weary Dida will come home to you
and his wee darling pets. Let me Kiss all those
silly wee thoughts away my own darling loved one
I am looking forward to seeing you & it again
soon. How proud you will be showing it to me with
all your treasures & bookshelves & everything
I hope you think it is just the most precious
wee home in all the world & that you have managed
to buy everything you would like to make you
happy & have sold anything at all that you
didn’t like or that didn’t suit the house. Remember
if I find you not just radiant with delight
with everything in it when I come home
I will be sorry you left “Dalriada” but if I do then
that will be the greatest pleasure in the world
to me to Keep you there all your life my
dearest sweetest darling Katie wifelet. I
love you dearest one so much & if I could
give you any pleasure like this wouldn’t I
be an old freak if I didn’t try to give it to
you & make you happy. So my dear dear
old darling wife never never think             [* Omit *]
 

[Photo 80]
(5)
^thoughts like those again or I will believe that you doubt
my love for you & don’t think I want to make you
just the very happiest dear darling wifelet                 [* Omit *]
in all the world. I do want to do that – Katie.
Tell me dearie are you nearly quite quite happy
& contented with your choice of an old man. Tell
me truly dear one how nearly contented are you
& how would you like me to change. Little sweetheart
little loved one God bless & Keep you & make you Happy
always – My dear little Sunshine Lady love
with your sweet little loving face & bright loving smile
& all your dear darling ways that I love so
much. I wish I was near you dearie now this
Very minute & I’d Kneel down & tell you you were my
only dear darling love & the little angel that I try
to please every day & if my boys like me it is
because I do always what ^I feel Katie would like me
to do & be proud of me doing. Tell me can
I do anything more pleasing to you Dearie &
it shall be done if there is any way possible
to do it & Katie will Know I love her & want to
win & hold her dear love always. There is
nothing I value more than your love &
respect my own wee wifelet & that will show
you more than anything that I love you
more than anyone else & respect you all
I ever could respect anyone.. Tell me          [* Omit *]