Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, July - October 1916 - Part 9

not to knock yourself up. I had a letter
from Fogie Flory. She talked about taking you
up to Toke Tocumwal. I hope she does. It might
help you along but it would be a
terrible houseful. I hope you are not
being too saving & depressing yourelf of things
you really need darling darling. I need you
most of all & not a broke up little lady but
a dear little fat rosy lady like you wre
when I first knew you. You must take a
try away to Tassy Tasmania or somewhere dearie
to try if you can get a bit better by the change
I remember a boy named Murrell who was
in the [[?]] Rifles. I wonder if he was
the same. He was a very nice boy a Sergt
in the Rifles if I remember correctly. I think
I saw that ^a Lieut Clarke had be wounded
in the fighting in Egypt. I wonder if it was
the Adamson's Clarke. There seems no prospect
of the war being over for long enough [[?]]
old darling. I don't think the ladies will
gain much by coming to England do you
Here Violet has been there for months &
months & I dont think her man has got
leave yet. I have not heard from her this
three weeks or more. I am quite happy

now dearie as far as one can be in this
wretched old war so far away from my
darlings. I have got my way now
with regard to my Commanders & Bob
Smith told me that he was speaking to
a pretty high Staff Officer the other day
a General Mar & he told him they think
me one of the Best Brigadiers they have
now in the A.I.F.  It's not "skiting"
to tell that to you isn't it. But it is
something after nearly getting the
sack isn't it dearie love. I am
still not swearing dearie so you
can be happy too about that you poor
old love. I still see that yarn about
my hat cropping up in the Australian
papers. It varies each time it appears
Do you think it was such a drefful joke
dearie. In Fogie's Florry's letter you she said you
had sent her a cutting for the Creswick
Herald with a letter in it from a man named
Touhey which mentioned me. This chap
Tuohey was one of the old 7th He was
dangerously wounded on the Peninsula
& the bullet could not be removed as it
was under a big artery. He was told he would

have to go home & live very quietly & avoid
all exertion for otherwise the bullet might
cut through the Artery & Kill him. He
sneaked out of the Hospital to avoid
being sent back to Australia. We kept
him for awhile but he suffered so much
pain that he had to go back to Hospital.
He was again told he'd have to go home. He
sneaked away again & this time we gave
him an easy job so he got on all right. In
our big fight he did magnificent work
& secured 25 men who were wounded &
lying out under fire. So we recommended
him & got him a Military Cross. It
ought to have ben a V.C. really. Now we
have given him a commission although
he really has not the education for it but
we are very short of officers & it was a
magnificent work. He looks very pale &
ill sometimes. It would be sad if that old
wound does kill him. But you never
told me about that paper & I am wondering
however you got a Creswick Paper. The
letters are coming along something lovely splendidly
now. Arent you a darling to write so often?
& isnt Baby good to take so many snaps

shots of the wee people. I like the last ones
very much Dhurach does look a dear
wee thing in her shawl & the laddie
such a wee rogue.. I hope some decoration
will arrive out of this last fight so Katie you
can have something to be proud of. Did I
tell you that just before leaving Egypt
the Brigade won the Championship at
a Big Divisional Sports Meeting there.
In addition to the Individual prizes
there was to be a big Cup given for the
Championship. I had just heard
that this Cup is to be presented to me
next Sunday to be given to you to
keep for yourself. It is very nice
of course but I don't feel like accepting
it. If that affiliation scheme with
the 15th Brigade in Australia had come
off I should like the Australian
Brigade to have had it.

^Walker is well. & seems happier than he was
He is with Col Duigan. I am sending
him to a school to fit him for further
promotion. I am sure he will do well
I have sent my Cousin Charlie to
a school also. I wish Jack had been
with me so I could help him along too.
He has is two Units now for 1^st Lieut so
Bob Smith has looked after him all right
He only looks after the horses till a scrap
starts & then he sneaks off up to the
firing line & joins in with them He
is just as cheery & bright as ever &
made us nearly die laughing telling
about the Germans down at the Somme
squeaking for mercy & offering our
boys their purses & money & watches
for their lives. Bye now dear old sweet loving
darling pet. Millions of love & kisses from
your Very own Dida Don P.S judging by Mrs Robert
letter you do a hep heap of skits about your old
man you dear old loving pet. I just specks
you cant help it. Like me & my babies. I like to show
their pictures to everybody. They are just little wonders to
me. They are all mine & your dears love arent they & you are my very little severe wife.

France
16/9/16
Dear little Sunshine Lady,
Not much news for you
today littlest love but I am big heap lonely
for you. There was splendid news from
the Somme yesterday - I hope it continues &
we make a speedy end to these old Boches
He actually seems like getting short
of Artillery Ammunition & seldom
replies to ours now. Even when
there was a raid on last night he
hardly replied at all. We are giving
the men in his line opposite us such
a dogs life with shelling & raids that
he appea is constructing what appears
to be a new line some 70 or 100 yards
to the rear of his present line where he sill
be less under observation & our French
Mortars ^fire The General McCay has asked
me to take a weeks leave in England at
the end of the month & I think I will
go. I may see Violet before she
goes. I have just had a message
from Division "Heartiest Congratulations"
I have just asked Capt Legge to

2
ring up Divisin & ask what
it is all about. He has just told
me it is that the "Order of St Anne"
Some Russian Order has been
conferred upon me by the Czar CZAR
of Russia. I suppose I ought
to feel grateful for the recognition
but I must say that I never
heard of the Order before. Their
big order in Russia is the "Order
of St George". which is like our
V.C. & D.S.O. & C.M.G all combined
but is given in 1st, 2nd & 3rd classes
I dont know much about it
however either. I suppose it is
a scheme to palm off some old
thing upon me & keep the best for
some one else.. I know there Staff
People now & am always inclined
to look a gift horse in the mouth -
I've been there before. But I suppose
it is better than being passed over
completely as in Gallipoli; Well
its no use worrying about it. I have my
dear old lady & my dear sweet bairnies &

3
^I have my Brigade which is good & going better
every day & my wife & my bairnies are the
best & sweetest in all the world & I am still
alive to come back to them you. It will be another
ribbon to wear anyway. But you will think
I am an old grumbly grouchy if I write like
this & I wanted & talk good & lovely to you
Tell Mrs Layh & Mrs Duigan. If she has
not left for England yet & Murs Hewit that
their men are all quite well  happy. I
think Bert will be getting a weeks leave about
the 22^nd. Tell Lyn Eric is well. His
cousin young Harold Barker was over the
other this morning. He was in the old 7^th He
is a Capt now but wants to transfer over
to my Brigade. Isn't is funny because I
on occasion I sorted him up scandalous a good deal.
I think it is because the boys know I

try to be fair & help or [[?]] who do good
work & give the slackers a very rough
passage. I have had no word of Violet
for a long time. It was lovely seeing
Jacky boy for a time. I am very
sad these days sometimes thinking of
poor old Geoff McGuire & all the other

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boys. I wish we could get away from
this spot. It will be always associated
in my mind with their loss like Lone
Pine will be with the losses there.
sadness & xxxxx weariness. I am tired of all this
- every day I must plan & plan out how to Kill
men for ever these old [[yerriks?]] of Germans are
men & have some one waiting for them. We
played a trick on some the other day. We
found they used to crawl out to a big
shell hole about halfway across to our
parapet & hide there until they got a chance
to shoot some out. So two of our boys volunteered
to crawl out their & set a bomb trap for
them. They crawled out & put in a trench

-5-
Mortar Bomb with the Safety Pin as so
placed that the least touch would Bring it
away & set the Bomb fuze at work. The
pin was then planted attached to a short
bit of wire & strethed across the bottom of the
shell hole & fastened to a peg to keep it a bit off
the ground. Of course when the old Borche
came into the hole he3 couldn't help in the
dark but to step on the wire or give it a
bump & that would draw the pin out &
away she would go. The bomb itself was just put
under a little soil & any touch of the wire
even to cut it wold set it off. The next
night sure enough there was a big bang
out there & at daylight there was two
dead Boches there. The following night two
of the boys went out to get their shoulder
straps or other marks of identification
off them as these are Valuable to the Army
Commanders as they know what troops
are in front of them. However when they at
last got out both bodies had disappeared.
& by the marks on the wet ground it appeared
as if another Boche had crawled out
with ropes & tied it to them & the bodies