Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, November 1916 - December 1916 - Part 4

2
at home with such deed unpunished
I don't know. I heard tonight but
hope it is not correct that Brig Genl
Glasfurd one of our Australian
Generals was killed. I saw him
just a few days ago on my way
back here. He had these billett
last before us & slept in the bed I
am using. The last, if the report be
true, that he ever occupied. General
Forsyth is going home shortly. He
is in England now. Perhaps you
will see him. His health has given
way a great deal.
I think I spelt the name of the old
Marquis who owns this place wrongly
in my last letter. The real way is
Shevigne. He says you ( I showed
him your photo) & I must come
& stay here after the war & he will
drive us in his car all over the
Battlefields. I told him that the
bed he had given me was the most
comfortable I had had since I
 

left home & he promptly offered to give
me the same one on my return.
He is such a nice old chap. He
seems every lonely with his lady away
& is delighted if I drop in &
have a cup of coffee with him &
listen to him talking. His people are
all soldiers. He showed me a book
about one of the wars the French had
in Algiers in which one of his nephews
was killed. It had this boys picture
in it & an account of his death.
It appears this boy was out scouting
with some of his men & a the niggers
ambushed them & ^ one threw a spear
which went through his body.
As the withdrawal of the blade
would probably result in him bleeding
to death at once he would not
allow his men to take it out but
remained directing the operations
conti for four hours. Then as
help was not coming he directed
his men to retire & leave him to
 

be captured & so make good their
escape But this the men refused
to do for if ^ he were captured the nigs would
torture him horribly. So when he
found the men would not leave
without him he drew his revolver &
shot himself dead. The  French
Govt had his body or skeleton brought
back to France for Burial although
he was only a Captain. The old man's
heir his nephew Count William
was killed at Verdun just the other
day & he has already lost 11 other
relatives killed in the war. So you
can imagine how sad it is for him
to be living all alone thinking of these
things. But he says we will win
yet. There is no doubt that the
French are a great ^ & brave people. It
is wonderful. Practically everybody
is in mourning for some relative
or other & the women do the plowing
& sowing Sometimes they ask us
if our boys will help them to dig
 

the potatoes & sugar beet & other
roots while we are resting & the
boys are always glad to help them.
It is still not as nice as at
the first village we were in on
coming to France But I hear there
is a nice lady in charge of Bert
Layh's Billet. She is a widow poor
lady her husband having been Killed
in the war & is said to be worth
₤100,000. She has a lovely house
so its just as well Mrs Layh
has got Bertie hooked up. She
speaks English. Young Gull he
(is a major now) told her he was
coming back after the war to
hang his hat up there & she said
she's be quite willing. She is quite
gay with them. They got a party
of Australian Nurses who have been
sent to the French hospital near
to come out on Sunday & the lady
gave them all afternoon tea.
 

We"ve got to go back & the silly old
trenches & mud in a couple of days
I don't like it a bit after being so
comfy comfortable here. The worst of being too
comfortable is that the mud & wet &
slush seems all the worse when you
have to face it again. At least one has
a good rest & my cold is the [[?]] of nearly almost quite
gone away
I got my interpreter man some
time ago to send me up from Paris
where she lives some patterns of Silk
now fashionable in Paris & I am now
sending her the money for two pieces of
taffeta Silk one Black & one Blue
for you  & one Black for Bauby Belle also
two scarfs for each of you which
the lady says are 'tres chic" so I
hope you will like then my darling
old pet. No more presents for

a long time now. I'm going to help
my dear old lady to save up
good. Some Villian stole two
my nice woolen Khaki shirts
 

that I brought to England leaving me
with only one & it I had to send into
the nearest French town & buy another
There was a very pretty little muff
that old Bert Layh showed me that
would have been lovely for the dear
little lady & I was much tempted
It was only about 30/- too. I wish I
could buy such a heap of pretty things

 

back. oh did I tell Lyn that my
cousin Charlie got wed  to his
sweetheart while he was home.
greatly to his people's disgust,
because he has no home & nothing
but his pay & that will end of course
with the [[?]]. But he would not
take any notice but just got wed
He is still far from well & is
down at the Base on Salisbury
Plain. Young Russell Goode &
Eric Walker are still away in
hospital. Ronald Dickson is very
 

bad with rheumation too & has give
away I think to England. The Hoctor
thinks be may be rentlack to
Chustratia. I fam rending you some
pictures of the mid. The little carts
with peraltulatos wheels are for carrying
machene guas about por. As you can
emagend life is just too choice in then
condition. It is not as if it were just
about the cany lines as at Broadmeado
for the whole countrynde for mite is
all camps & hoeselie & always
mad ound mid werywhere
I hope to ree Jachy boy as we go
back again but we may not. A
Georbelie are all
far as I know he
right war. I think I should have
heard had they few damaged.
15Nov. There was a remendores Bowlandnent
last night carly thiomorning of
ther as the I ront. I suppose therewas
some new attack on
Now dear old Lady I must stop
I will mavee this litter what
 

it will never go into an enocloplas
all But you will know wateng thought
are always with you & the we darling
pets. Caw thlittle lady read writing
at all yet katie? Poor little lady I
feel gonly that the has to go to school the
is meka shy little sould that se will
feel very niserable for a long time there
There is a kind of astipcial care
about a mile od is pr here. I
fuilt io the
is raid
peaa
as a place
is orce 300 room
old day
belloved out of the chalk & will
hold 3000 people. I las preplare
with checneys opening fnr purposes
of concealment int chimneys
Ihreres bult above ground, i have not
oeer out myself bht Bert dagh to thei
had len out to rec it.
Godtlen
Bys now doili lv
tkep you all.
Heaps of Cverkins fror Wila Dos
 

Fhance
tt
have seen 24/11/16
i Mpr
Ltofanting
flecter

aloft wy moved inta nep
A
yit of te line awhile back & I have been
terrfbry moy or goinging one definces
is not quite to madeh
in the farcay. I
nos but rain is threattng so it will
to pretty bed again noollquar
If we hd a weeks warne preather
we could start an offensive ogo
we are workinv try hand written
Sl
our defences ino a b
state. The will hre is pretty he
a
Loemot
y
Mons
during reliefs onc into the trrch
do not tuffer to much por
6
tile. We lave no heal communiter
tuches yet however of in change
Good &wites
incarryn
Wed
ly
t the pond line we fft constant
shilled in it oher. we have toge
communiedlion terghy diy whoth
will sek
thera the
when
the