Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1917 - April 1917 - Part 1

France    

4/1/17

Dear old Katie,       
I've been thinking    
such a lot about you these past
few days. We have been on the move back
from the front lines to the quieter areas
in rear for our lent. I got a
New Year present as I suppose
you saw in the papers - it is sure

to have been published at home - the
decoration of the C.M.G. You will 
be glad to have seen also that I got
a D.S.O. for both Bert Layh &
Camf. Stewart. I was always
keen to get a D.S.O. myself & I
thought I was sure of it after Lone
Pine & would have been to only for
the mess up some of them made of it on
the Staff. It is a beautiful little medal
(White enamel with a golden centre). I don't
suppose either Col Layh or Col Stewart
would themselves have  asked for

or might claimed that their Battalion

did anything like the work my old
7^th did or so much work themselves as
 

2
I did yet I am delighted that I
have secured them this decoration
which is very highly prized in the Army.
This is a lot of cheating I think sometimes
to get it but my boys deserve
it fully. Both have been through
from the very beginning as you
know. A lot of the other officers got
decorations. In my Brigade Major
Cameron Capt Scurry, Capt Wrigley
Lt Fairfax, Lt Edgar & Chaplain
(Father) Gilbert & one other (I forgot his name)
all got Military Crosses which
is next best to the D.S.O. I am particularly
please about young Wrigley. He was Adjt
to poor old Geoff McCrae & got a tell
terrible wound in the thigh cutting the
nerve. I got Mrs Edwards & my
division to take him up with
her for awhile & he is now all
right. Scurry also has recovered
wonderfully. He has lost his right fore
finger but although he had a hole right
through his eye the doctors managed
 

land. I was in a decent sized French
room the other day. I rode there from Rest
Billets. I looked round to see if I could
get anything for the dear little people
but could not see anything very nice
The shops mostly have small windows &
you cannot see the stock like you can in
Melbourne or London & other English Towns
without going in.
 

France

8/1/17

My dearest Kit.     
Theres not a scrap  
of news to tell you this time. So I
sending you a couple of clippings from
the "Sketch" that may amuse you & Baaby Belle
I don't think I am going to get on
at all with our new General man
I am drefful very sorry that old Genl
McCay was gone. This new one
seems a bit of a "Jimmy Courtney"
all right. He is from Western Australia
He has put a red flag on the front
of his motor car so the men can't
say that they didn't know he was
in the car & whenever they see the
red flag car pass they've got to
salute it.
He is splashing round making
a terribly fuss. He was an artillery
man before & has never had
anything to do with Infantry
people at all. That is the usual
Blunder of the powers that be. If
 

he was a man like McCay he would
soon learn but as he is a "Courtney"
type I'm afraid he won't neglect. It is funny
too how character comes out in a
man too. He is just like "Courtney"
in Type too small & miserable
looking in face as in body.
I had a nice letter from Mrs
Edwards today sending me a Plum
Pudding & a pair of stockings &
a little Book of poetry to read
They were posted before & Xmas but
only got here today.
Some of the little verses are very nice
Here is one called

-"Bide a Wee - It runs
"Though the times be dark & dreary,
"Though the way be long,
"Keep your spirits bright & cheery-
"Bide a wee, and dinna weary!"
"Is a heartoone song.

And there then is another little
 verse called –––––––

"The Little Poem of Life"
" I ; -
" Thou ; -

" We ; -

" They: -
"Small words but mighty
" In their Span

" We bound the life & hopes of man
"For, first, his thought of his own self are full;
"Until another comes his heart to rule.
" For them, life's best is centered round their love
"Till younger lives come all their love to prove.

Just you & me the Bairnies isnt it.
We have got orders that we are to go back
gradually to the front line very soon
So our period of rest will soon be over
Perhaps I'll see Jacky boy going back
this time as I believe we are to take
our old places & let them come out
for a rest again
Bye now dearest sweetest darling Kit

Millions of love & Kisses to you & the Bairnies

from Dida Don & "Dinna Weary"  PTO
 

P. S. I've sent Major Marshall over
to England to go to a School to learn
to be a Lieut Col.
He is a very good boy & has had

a wonderful career. He joined as
a private at Broadmeadows got
a Military Cross at Gallipoli
& will be a Colonel soon I think
His mother will be pleased with
him I expect.
In my last letter I forgot
to enclose the photo of Cousin
Nellie's babies I will put it
in this one
 

France

10/1/17

My dearest old Katie    
Your letter of the 
19^th Nov duly to hand but I seem to
have missed one of your letters somehow
as I don't remember you telling me
anything about Miss Coopers trouble
or Mr Trowbridges friend Fred Weller
Also as I haven't had a cable I assume
that you must have been too late for the
agent to get the Elsternwick house
& are still at Northcote. I had a
letter from Mr Lowe dated much later
than yours viz the 26^th Nov so possibly there
are other letters from you in the mail
which have not yet been delivered it
is often that way here. It takes them
about a week sometimes when there
is a very big mail to get them all
sorted out. Geordie was over today
He is getting very anxious about
not having received a cable from
Lyn. No comforts from our own
Depot have yet arrived for us but
 

- 2 -
we get part of the General Comforts
all right from Mr Budden. The
packets of Mildura Raisins & dates
are very nice. I shall certainly
write to old John Mr? Gelpin when the pyjamas
arrive..I am glad to see Md Bob Smith
got ^ his the D.S.O. all right. Now that he
has a Brigade he is sure to get the C.M.G.
as well if he goes through & perhaps
a Trench Decoration as well.
Things are looking very bad over
Romania way. I  wonder to those fools
in Australia yet realize how far
Germany is off being beaten & that
dreadful fighting we have before us
here next year when having dug a a

line along the Romanian Hills she holds

them with a few men & swings back
all the rest of the force with Old Hindenburg
whom his men ^now believe invincible 

for the last effort to crush us
to the ground. All the fighting
so far will be as nothing to what
 

will happen here next Spring &
perhaps as early as the beginning of 
March. Everyone is very anxious
because it seems that Germany
is pretty sure to try & burst through
Switzerland as she did through
Belgium & France by her treaties
with Switzerland has not been able to
put any fortifications along that
Swiss border at all. What will
happen if old Hindenburg bursts through
there goodness only knows. England is
sending over many thousands more troops
& what is Australia doing - letting our
ranks dwindle down to nothing.
Though we have been nearly a month
out of the line reinforcements are

coming in so slowly that our ranks
are rarely half full & the poor fellows
go back therefore to do two mens
work. I wish I had a few of those
Antic Conscriptionists here to share

their heartbreaking work. I send you