Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, November 1916 - December 1916 - Part 10

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the third night & got young Doig the old
Uni footballer who is now Duigan's, ^Regimental Doctor Man
to come & see me. As the result of the five
hours sleep I had last night I feel as
good as new but I am offended with that
old "Fritz" who woke me up at 1 pm. It was
a silly trick to play upon a body wasn't it.
The old Villain is still at it. As I write I

can hear the scream of the big shell coming
about every four or five minutes & the
"bang". One was quite near from the sound.
but I haven't even troubled to go & see. It is
astounding how careless & callous we gets. It
is impossible to explain. Our dug outs are
made of bent steel plates like the half of a
galvanized iron tank but stouter of course
Up here they are sunk in the earth for
protection but the top is still exposed with
just a little earth thrown over them & of
course are a good protection against splinters
but if the shell lobbed straight on top of them
they would simply crumple up & one never
knows when a hears the whirl of the Big
Shells that one won't lob right through on top ^of 

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of you yet here in every dugout officers
& Non Coms are writing Orders & making
up accounts & in most instances
taking not any more notice of the
bursting shells than one does in Melbourne
of the passing train bells. I often wonder at
the marvellous adaptibility of the human mind
Some people of course cannot stand it at all
& soon break up. Some even go quite "dippy"
& if one kept thinking of the danger & worrying
over it one must go "ratty" but the vast majority
get so case hardened in a little time & there as
so many misses to the hits. If half or a quarter
of the shells fired Killed a man there wood
would soon not be a soul left to fight but
hardly one shell in a thousand of all that are fired
hurts anyone. Lots of times the gunner has rotten
luck. He just missed by the teeniest tiniest little
bit getting a bag. as in the case of the shell that missed
me. So in the end though the fate of the man who is
hit fairly seems dreadful men go about without
taking the least notice - of course they avoid or
are compelled by the officers -(for some are
scandalous astonishingly careless of the lives -) to avoid getting on
hill tops where they can be seen by the Boches & so draw

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fire on everybody including themselves but apart
from that every thing goes on as usual. The roads
are crowded with vehicles of all description
Such strings & strings of Motor lorries etc etc I
have never seen ever in London. It is wonderful
In spite of all our efforts up to date the roads
have been guagmires but now they are actually
paving the roads with wood just as if it were the
Melbourne or London Streets so as to lighten the
awful labor of keeping them clean. Tell that Baaby
she's a drefful skite with her prophecy about the
Silks. & the Interpreter's sister. I'd poke my
tongue out at her if I was there. the cheek of her
reckoning she'd know what I'd do. I am so anxious
to hear about Lyn's little one. Geordie has never said a
word that one is coming & neither have I mentioned it
to him. He may be thinks I don't know. Geordie has had
a bad cold I hear but is better. I haven't seen him since
I last wrote. Their camp is a mile or so away & the
roads are scandalous dreadful & I am pretty busy. Well
dearie sweet pet If I dont finish soon this
letter will be a fat as Baaby's. I think these two
the one I wrote yesterday & the one today will just
about equal the extra fat one I wrote to Baaby but that
took me two days to do & I did one on each day to

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you. I will leave this open ^till tonight, in case
any other news comes along. All the boys with
me you know are well Bert Layh Harry
Duigan Scanlan Denehy - Gullo is rather
poorly got a dreadful cold whilst up in the
Trenches. Bye now darling loving sweetest
old lady. I wish you were coming over to
England. I'd just about die with delight.
Harry Duigan got a fright the other day.
His little boy wrote & said that his youngest
sister who was left with relatives in the country
had been tipped out of a buggy & cut her head
badly. Harry had letters from the relatives of
about the same date who said nothing at all
of the accident - perhaps they did not wish to
have him worried but if so the boy upset things
& Harry got drefful very anxious & got leave to to to the
nearest town & send a cable home for further
particulars - He has not heard yet but I guess
the relatives will sort up the boy for causing all
the trouble. Millions of love & kisses dear for you
& the dear little loving pets from your own old Dida Don 

France
24/12/16
My darling Katie,
Here's our
'Veresary right round again
& no Katie here with me
we have just got away from we have just got away from
the Trenches. The whole Brigade
is out now except for Bert Layh
who arrives today. We were relieved
by Bob Smith's people. He is Acting
Brigadier now his own Brigadier
is sick. but as General Holmes is
being promoted it is quite certain
that Bob will be Brigadier Genl
very soon. He has been made full
Colonel. He is doing very well
indeed. & I expect him to do better.
Tell Baaby Belle it is all very well
to talk you know but real good
men are a bit too scarce to want
them to be perfect in all things
Bob thought xxxx of his own interest first
^no doubt & they have panned out all right
as you see. He is a shrewd
Scot. I did not see Jacky boy

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this time. The mud is so
dreadful to get about in that
one cannot go anywhere. Old
Bob gets on better with the "lads" as
the Boys call them ^than I do. When I
feel a thing is wrong I do not
hesitate to say so straight
out no matter who may be at
the bottom of it & some people
don't like it. Old Bob if he
doesn't like it will work some
scheme to get over the difficulty
first, would not sort the people
concerned. He is shrewder than
I am in many ways but I don't
think all the same he will in the
end do as well as I. I am
I am glad to say ^I am gr gradually
getting more & more reputation
with "The 'eads". When I say
things now they sit up & listen
& occasionally condescend &
take a few hints I had a
long talk with 
General White 

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today. He was very nice
to me. I went over all the position
with him on the map & told
him how I would do things.
But I haven't much news this
time dearie. Lots to do getting a
move on. We are going on further back
from the line to have a real good
rest this time. No letters this week
so I haven't much inspiration. I
have posted a picture paper to the
laddie also a ^Xmas card which Bob
Smith gave me ^which of his Brigade
issued had had printed. I am sending
it on to the laddie as I did not get
another one of the 37^th Bn cards like the one
I got for Dhurack.
Bye now dearie Millions of love &
Kisses. My cold is a long way better
but is not quite better yet.
God bless & keep you all dearie fit
for Dida Don.

France
26/12/16
My dearest Katie,
Heres our 'Versary
& such a bleak cold old day it is
But let me see the 'Versary is
tomorrow isn't it. I guess this
place wouldn't suit dear Belle. There is
hardly enough coal to cook
our meals with so we must
do without fires as best we can
I am living in the house of a
butcher who has his shop next
door & is g doing a great trade
with the boys who enjoy fresh mutton
for a change after ^having Bully beef &
stew in the Trenches for a month
on end
They bought up every Turkey,
Goose, duck or fowl in The Village
that the people would sell. Turkeys
went up to 35/ for a big one
& dozens after it at that. I
have had a number of letters
but none from Katie you. I enclose
one from my cousin Gertie Edwards
It was her mother who sent you 

the letters. Jack is her brother.
He is now in Egypt as A.D.C to
the General out there. I enclose
also Mrs Milne's letter & the Photos
of herself & husband & wee Marjorie
We are still near enough to
hear the Booming of the Guns
along the front line like heavy
thunder but no one takes the
slightest notice. It is pouring
rain too. I go to bed just after
dinner at night because I
cannot keep warm anywhere
else. Major Wieck was far from
well so I gave him a holiday
to England. I arranged for him
to send £50 to you. I hope
they it comes along all right.
You will get them it through the
Government as you did the last
lot. I will try & send you more
later dearie so you can pay
a bit off the Trustees loan in
June. It will start to go down
lovely soon & the interest will

be very much less wont it. I've
very little news this time dearie
'cept to tell you you're a darling
We had a fat turkey for
dinner yesterday & a tinned
plum pudding. Two of the
parcels that Fogy Flory sent
from the Mutual Store
turned up. I sent one to
Col Duigan to give to young
Bray & gave the other to
one of Col. Stewarts men
who had no parents. I will find
his name out presently & let
you know. Young Bray is a
nice little boy. One of the parcels
was quite intact the other had
evidently been smashed but was held
together by the cloth wrapper. I
did not open either of them to
examine the contents but
just sent them on as they
were. The Interpreter's sister
told me or rather told him to
tell me that the silks went