Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1917 - April 1917 - Part 6

Gee Gee ^Charger is quite well ^again & the picture

of health now. We have put up stables

for them. He's quite sparky ^ now & will be

tippling me off if I'm not careful

when I get on him again.

Now aren't you a cheaty person

you never told me a word about not

being well until you had to go to a

doctor & here I tell you everything

that happens to me down to a cut finger.

But this letters is too much rosty so I'll

have to ask for 'divens darling. I love you

good& wouldn't change a bit of you.

Tell Gagy ^ Dhusach I was simply delighted that

she is clever enough to roll the butter 

for the table now & I'll love here good ^more than ever

for helping mummie & being a comfort

to her. Poor old Mrs McLeod & Mr

Trowbridge. It is sad about them. I 

am so glad the laddie & Gagey Dhunech are so

loving to poor old Nana. They must cheer

her up a lot. She loves them heaps

doesn't she. Your last letter is dated

22nd Dec. It is very tiring to write in bed

dearie so I'll stop now because the bad

writing. I have only a really old smoky candle

PTO                                           

and no matter where I put it

it makes a black shadow of

my hand over the paper so that

I cannot see the lines.

By now dear old pet love

& millions of love & kisses

from Did Do.

P.S. Wasn't that an old gawk tool of a 

chap at Collingwood who

wrote to the Herald. I know

the Collingwood boys were there

& did well. I didn't say they

didn't. I wasn't speaking of

them at all that was all.

France
12/2/17                                                                                             
My darling Katie

I was told

today by one of the big ^chief staff officers

that we will sure all b back in

Australia next Xmas that

Germany will be absolutely

slained out by June or July

at the very latest even if we

don't batter her down before

then. Won't that be something

lovely. I had a letter from Geordie

tonight. He is getting leave in a 

day or two to go to England. I

hope that I will be able to go with

him. That would be fun wouldn't

it. We should probably go to stop

with Mrs Edwards. I like the

photo of you with your hair fixed

up a bit better than the other one.

Oh I should have told you that

yesterday just after I had finished

a letter to Barby ^Belle in which I

enclosed a strip with my new

Ribbons sewn upon it, I dont ^I received

a letter from you &one from Barby ^Belle started

Xmas day. I was delighted to hear

about the wee laddie & Dhunach

& their little boys. I am sorry

to hear poor old Mrs McLeod is gone.

Give Kate my sympathy & kind

regards. Do you know Jean's

address in London.  I had a very

nice letter from an old Doctor

xxxx Eric Gutteridge. He is back

in England now & is a major.

I'm afraid poor old Darcy Duigan

will be sick a good ^long while. He has

rheumatism pretty badly he says

he is in a hospital in France he expects

to go to England shortly. Everything

is frozen as hard as iron. It is lovely

to get about but terribly [[?]] - the pickets 

are bent & broken & sparks fly from

them when you try to break the flinty

surface. The boys are standing it

wonderfully well & we will hate

the mud worse than ever when

the thaw sets in again. I am 

ever so much better dearie. I got out

of bed yesterday the first time

since the 26^th January & I am

up again today & feeling ^fine lovely. I've

got a nice little stove in my

dugout now & it kept ^keeps the icicles

away & dries up the dampness 

something lovely. I don't like going

on leave as it east up all the money

I've been trying to save up to help you

One can do on comparatively little

over on the front line - about £10 a month

or so. We run a mess & so get a bit better

food & comfort than the men & then I pay

my groom & servant each £1 a month

extra. Of course they their own Govt

pay as soldiers as well.

I am so sorry you missed getting a letter

from me at Xmas. We are expecting

heaps of fighting as soon as really fine

weather sets in. Don't quite know

when that will be. Some ^members of the House xxxxx

^of Commons came up & wanted to see over our lines

yesterday. I handed them over to Bob

Salmon an old ^Bullement College schoolmate who is

now on my staff. This young xxxxx ^rascal

(He was only about 6 years old when I was

leaving ^left school) took them up & when they got

about a quarter of a mile from the

front line he got behind them & told

them they would have to stoop down

very low & crawl because as the

communication trench sloped

down hill as the Bosche could see

into it & would shell them if he

saw them. So down they got

on hands & knees & fearfully

crawled the last quarter of a mile

on the frozen mud & ice in

the hollow of the trench while he

walked along comfortably in rear

of them & nearly busting his sides

at the look of them. One old fat fellow

filled the trench completely &

the exertion nearly killed him. Bob 

says he guesses we wont have many

more staff visits up this way

now.

Old Fritz puts up a tolerable scrap

still & we don't get much change

out of him through we always push

him back in the end. But I guess

his Generals & war writers will change

their tune about the Australians. Before

the war their great Authority, Bernhadi

spoke very contempous of us as

"A bare Colonial Militia" who would

be utterly useless on European 

Battlefields.

Now what do you think of this as a

compliment, The Commandant oof

a big Army School here at a

lecture when sone of our officers

were said "Today I saw a Battalion

of Australians marching along the

road & their march perceptive was perfect

"I have nowhere seen in France men

marching better". This was my 55^th Battn

boys going back into the line.

The lecturer noting some of my boys

smirking then smiled & said "but

"so that Australian officers wont

"feel too puffed up about it I'll

"say also that about 6 months ago

"I saw an Australian Battalion

"marching & their march discipline

"was absolutely the worst I've ever seen.

But as we are not down here six months

ago this wasn't my boys. So we still

keep our end up you see Katie love.

Well dearie pet I must stop now

Tell the dear little lady I am delighted

with her for being so helpful to dear mum

making the some batter & for rolling

the butter up for her.

Tell the laddie I am glad he is such a

comfort to his Mum too. Tell them both

they must be very nice to xxxx charlies

too little mates & to dear Lyns wee

pet. Millions of loves & kisses from

your very own Dida Do.

France
17/2/17                                 

My dear Katie,

I have just been

given three weeks leave

to England in the hope that

I will shake off whilst there

this wretched old bronchitis.

I got ever so much better but

then on the 15th it was necessary

for me to work hard in

connection with a big raid

we carried out on the

enemys trenches. It was

a very great success & 

I enclose General Birdwood's

-2-                      

telegram to us about it. I am

quite all right ^now with our little

"Jeremy Courtney" new General

man. He nearly fell on my

neck & wept upon me & is 

going to recommend me for

the French Legion of Honour

over it. Of course it mighn't 

come off for it was a very small

fight but what they were so

delighted about was that we

killed such a lot of the

enemy & got off almost Scot

free - only 2 killed & 5 wounded are

slight cases & one of the killed

was after we were all safe back

in our own lines which