Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1917 - April 1917 - Part 13

April 1917

Donated Records list

3297

3rd Series

 

are laddie boy always from his Dida.

You must tell me everything he says about it.

I had it posted by an officer named Cameron

who has gone over to attend the School that

Major Marshall has just come back from.

I sent in this morning a recommendation some

that Major Norman Marshall M.C. (which stands

for Military Cross) he transferred from the 57^th

Bn to the 60^th Bn to Command Vice Lieut Col

H. M L Duigan invalided to Australia

& to be Lieut. Col. That will please his

mother want it through its very sad for poor

old Duigan to have to go home without any

decoration. Mrs Duigan seemed so

disappointed about this too but the 60^th

never had a real Battle all the time

I was had Duigan in Command. I think

through that Genl Tivey didn't give Harry

quite a fair deal Harry did some very

fine work on the Fromelles fight but Tivey

passed him over I believe because Harry 

had asked to come over to me & Tivey

was offended with him. Another Chap named

Beardmore who Genl McCay offered ∧ the to same

 

job viz the C.O. of the 60^th & refused it to

stay with Tivey got the D.S.O. although

he hadn't done anything like the work

Harry had done. But in view of this I am

first delighted to tell you that Beardmore

turned put quite a rotter & old Tivey is

having him sent away but as he had commended

him so highly before they had to square the

Doctor to certify him as unfir owing to an
abcess in the ear. Its just lovelt isn't

it. I saw my old 7^th Boys the other day.

They are farily fed up with thier present

staff & would give their head almost to get

across to this Brigade I am going to try &

get [[Bostin]] over right away. Afterwards

I may sneak them over one at a time

when no one's looking.
 

Bye the way I feel pretty

sure that if a new Divisional General is wanted your

old man will stand a very good show of getting it. My

boys have done is well of late that everyone is most

kind & congratulatory. The pay jumps up to about £1500

a year & even that is less than a Major General in this

British Army gets which is about £2,500. But the Command

is a little over ₤20,000 men. It is a dreadful

responsibility darling & you'd have to just about

pray for me night & day so nothing dreadful would

happen to them though my mistakes. There is no doubt

that a job like that should be highly paid. The first 

thing I will do will be to make up your allotment

to ₤1000 a year.  
 

Don't be counting on

the Major General dearest love because it

mightnt come along & you would be disappointed

but I will be just delighted for your dear sake

Katie love.  I remember Rowe quite well

dearie pet. I had a letter from him lately.

He said then that he was coming away as a

private but  perhaps he was rejected again

What hard luck. I wonder whatever is the matter

with him as he looked the picture of health & 

from what you say he has improved if anything.

I remember Crowley well too. I hope you

asked him why he is not over here. He

said he'd go if they sent him as an officer

not otherwise (& he knew he was trying to 

get a commission apart from which it

would be a sin to put men under a little

brute like that such a bagful of conceit

& such a windbag as he became as soon as

that infernal fool Foxall made him an

officer I never saw at in all my life.

I had a long ride yesterday to see Miss

Edwards son who is a 2^nd Lieut in the

1^st Royal Welsh Fussliers. They are about

 

10 miles from here & I rode across to see him.

I haven't met him yet) hit I found that he

had received a slight wound last Saturday

& gone to hospital. 
I think this is just abbout all the

news. Who is president of the 2^nd Inf.

Brigade Comforts Fund now. I suppose

Mrs Forsyth has gone to South Austalia

& Mrs Jess will no doubt lose interest

since her husband has (most unjustly)

I think been given a job in England

as he didin't want to go. Some say he was

getting on too well & there was a lot of

jealousy that had to do with it. If this is 

so it in a scandalous crime it fellow

named Heane who ∧ I hear is a regular mud

head - ∧ has the Brigade very brave because he has not even

enough brains to know where danger lies -

but useless as a leader = a splendid private

who would win V.C's in the ranks but as a 

leader nowhere. He is from N.S.W. Well

Katie dearest I must stop now. Dear sweet

darling wifelet my nerves are quite right again

as you needn't worry. It was just that silly old shell that

shook me up a little. Millions of love & kisses from

your vey own Dida Don.

*[Kisses for the dear wee people from Dida ]*

 

My dearest Katie 

France

15/4/17

I was 

delighted to get these letters

from you all at once last night

They are this ones I missed before

& are dated 1^st Feb, 11^th Feb &

12^th (a teeny tiny one). As the

ones I got before were the 4^th Feb & 18^th

Feb - this just about fills the gap.

I also got a letter from Baahy Bill & one

from Dhusach Vech. I got also one

from Major Hurst. Poor chap he has

had to have the remainder of the

shoulder joint taken away to

ease the continual pain &

has accordingly given up all hope

of ever rejoining. He has married

his lady love & they are going back

to his job in the Islands where he

 

manager for Lever's the Sunlight

Soap people at a Coconut

Plantation or something of this

sort. Someday perhaps we

shall have a try over there to

see them. The parcel hasn't come 

yet - I do hope your's has come

for you. It would be sad if it

went astray. I hope the wee laddie's

helmet  gets thru safe. My Brigade

has done no fighting since last

I wrote. We had a big alarm

this morning. Fritz made a big

counter attack on the Australians

now holding the front line &

drove ∧them us back for a good distance

& things were very willing. We are

lord some some of our guns ∧ I hear which Fritz

blewup but when we dropped 

 

to what was up & get fairly started

Fritz got it right where the

chicken gets the axe - in the neck

Reinforcements were sent up who

worked their way round in rear

whilst our guns came up & poured

shrapnel into him at a few

hundred yards. Fritz was

driven off the road where he

came up & as he fell back 

got tangled up with his own

wire & couldn't get through

A lot put up a while lay

to murder but he has been

so treacherous with it that

the boys took no notice

I believe then are 1500 to

2000 of dead germans when

he made his last stand & 

 

we have taken 500 or 600

prisoners. I guess he will

think twice before he tries

these tricks on with us

again. Bob Smiths boys were

in this last fight & I expect

Jacky boy was somewhere mixed

up in it. But I have not

heard yet. Yesterday was

a lovely day. I had a long 

lovely ride on old Darkey

are got back both about

tired out. I saw several

dead Fritzs lying about

the paddocks. I noticed an

Australian looking at me

deader very carefully & then

started to take its boots

off. I went over & sorted him