Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 2

at the 1^st Anzac School. He has a 
lovely good job & in no danger while he
stays there. I think Genl Birdwood
who is a kindly old chap wanted as
much as anything to keep the boy out
of the fighting as much as possible for
the sake of the mother as he knows
he is the son of poor old Col Linton who
died at Mudros after being torpedoed
on the Southland. Tell Mrs Marshall
her boy is doing well but was very drefful
sad at being kept out of the last
scrap. Simpson was quite a good boy.
Tony Thompson whom Frank Fisher
introduced you to in Melbourne joined
up the other day. He is all right.
Poor old Peter Allan has gone away.
The killing yesterday was too
awful for him & he broke
down completely. He was too old
to face it again. I remember
Frank M^c Nabb. I think he ought
to be over here fighting you know

I will find out about young Weir for
the good lady & write to her. I wish I
could have seen that group of babies
indeed. It would be just lovely.
Remember me to Lyn. Geordie is
well but they are in a pretty hot
part of the line & one cannot tell
from day to day. I think you are
right to keep the bairnies together at
school. Col Stewart & Denehy are
quite well so far. Tell Mrs Roberts
that Capt Laing who got a Military
Cross the other day is with me. He is
a son of a friend of Mr Roberts
Mr Laing of the Royal Bank.
He is a very fine boy & will do very
well. Don't think there is any more
to tell you darling 'cept I love you
dicklus. No news of Jacky boy.
Bye darling sweetest lovliest pet
Goodbye & God bless & keep you
always for ever & ever. Millions of kisses
for the wee pets from Dida Don

France
16/5/17
Dearest sweetest love,
Havent a scrap of news
more to tell you. A change has set in & it
is once more cold with drizzling
rain. It is pretty certain that the old
Bosche is clearing right out of the
part that we had such a fight over
& going back behind his next
fortified line. I enclose a copy
of Col Denehy report on the
fight. Wasn't that boy Snow
plucky. Genl Birdwood called to
see me yesterday. He saw Snow
in Hospital. His face is frightfully
disfigured part being blown away, but
that only makes his pluck &
determination the more splendid
I am going to send his name in 

for the V.C.
Millions of love & kisses from
your very own Dida Don

France

30/5/17
Dear Katie,
I've just had a note from

Col Marshall which quite clears

up Sergt Anderson's fate. The

man Private Mayhew was badly

wounded at the same fight &

has only just joined up again.

This was how we did not know

previously what had happened to

Sergt Anderson. A number of cases

will thus from time to time be

cleared up, but again in many

cases nothing can be learnt at

all. We recently cleared up young

Lieut Gray's fate in a similar way, a

man came back who was just alongside

of Gray when a machine gun openered on

them both. Gray fell dead riddled with

Bullets & Rafferty the man with him received

7 bullets through his body yet remembered

seeing Gray lying besides him with blood running

from mouth nose & ears. After lying for many hours Rafferty

started to crawl in & was eventually found by our

searchers & carried away to hospital but was then of course

not badly hurt to give us information about Gray.

We are still resting. Had a lovely ride yesterday.

Amongst the nurses Col. Denehy had over to his Tennis

match was the Matron. She was the night sister who

looked after me so well when I was wounded

& lying in Heliopolis Hospital. She was most

 

drefful got very good to us. I had forgotten her face

altogether but she knew me at once - I did

feel a great fool about it. My only excuse

was that for a good part of the time I had

a pretty high temperature & wasn't

feeling of much account.

However I've been able to pay her back a

bit. I sent some of the boys over & made

the nurses a tennis court close to their 

hospital & sent out a cart & collected a

lot of German brass shell cases. Have

you polished up the ones I sent home yet. They

burnish something lovely beautifully & make good

vases. The nurses here like them because

they haven't any vases & there are heaps

& heaps of lilac & peonies & daffodil

& tulips & other flowers growing in the

burned villages around. I enclose

a letter I got from Eva Tonkin

Have had no news of Bert Layh lately.

He must have been worse that he let me know

He has been sent to Doulers where there is a

special Hospital for Gas patients. Col Mason

is still running the Battalion.

Oh, the Sheets one one Shirt & one undershirt

of silk turned up yesterday - They had

two tickets with them. One had "With

best wishes from the maker R J. Coleman, Boundary

Road Surrey Hills Melbourne" & the other "Best

wishes from the packer "M. Duncan"." Wasnt

that queer that Mrs Coleman had made it & that

must have been before you knew Mrs Coleman

By the way Major Freeman who is Col Denehy's
2DRL/0513

[* 2nd in Command says his Aunt lives next door to you at Surrey

Hills. Is that Mrs Coleman? Heaps & millions of kisses. I hear old Fay

McClure is at a Hospital at Boulogne & is a "Dud" Remnock. Hugh Murrow went for the ride

with me yesterday. He is a fine fellow. Bye now & millions of love & kisses from Dida Don. *]

 

France

7/6/17

Dear old Katie love, 

I've just rembered remembered

"many happy returns"

[Lines taped over - see original]

Lady that ever you were & you love me
[Line taped over - see original]
 And my dear little pet things are growing up

better & lovlier every day. I am big heap

content with you all.

I enclose a letter from Reg Avery about

Wilfred & one from Genl White

which may please you. I'd written

to him sorting him up for not

looking after good boys of mine

including Young Linton. This

boy has done exceptionally well

as an Instructor & General

Gellibrand asked that he be

made a Major & given to his

Brigade I was perfectly willing

 

 

and anxious that the boy should have

the chance which he made for

himself but simply because he

is so good & has been gaining

so much credit for our Divisional

School that our little Spunky

General refused to let him go

so I wrote to Genl White

about it & other things & this

is his answer. I never give up

trying to get my own way just

same as Katie used to sort

me for. It always does me

harm too but I cannot sit down

& see things done like this without

a protest. I was sorting him too about

perfectly sound officers being given

jobs in schools whilst poor Scurry

with one eye & part of his hand gone

had to go out into the field again (not

that the young blighter objects. I know 

if he gets to the School it wont be long

before he is worrying me to get back

 

 

amongst the shells again but he is

too good to risk him having his

other eye knocked out as 

well. Young Heron is just the

same. I got him a job in the

Training Battn & now every

week I get a letter from him

demanding to be taken back

to the firing line. And yet

there are heaps & heaps of fellows

perfectly sound loafing over there

in England with no intention

of coming back. I am sorry to

say that I think Russell Goode

is one. He has taken a job at the

base as pay officer for which no doubt

his Savings Bank experience

fits him but it will certainly

not lead to his fighting any more

& as he is a big strong chap I don't

see why he should take it on with

so many poor maimed fellows about

that would be glad of the chance of

 

 

a good job until the end of the war. Old

Genl McCay is stirring all up some of those

loafers out with a good stout

stick though & everyone is rejoicing

If he does this alone he will have

deserved the gratitude of all

Australians for it is a lot of these

Blighters who get us a bad name

quite often. I've noticed too that

it so frequently the British emigrant

who has only been a few years in

Australia himself who is frequently

the most objectionable type of all

He skites most about Australia &

has less true discipline than

the Australian pure & simple. Of course

dozens & dozens & hundreds are quite good

in every way but when you do find

an objectionable skite if you come to

inquire into him it often proves to

be the case that he is not a "dickum"

Australian at all but just an adopted

"Pommy". And I do sort them if

 

 

I catch them at it as you may guess.

When they play up I punish them

for their offence & give them one more

for "Australia" just to go on with for

disgracing us when they so claim to.

It seems like an age since we had

any letters. The weather is keeping

wonderfully fine here infact yesterday

& today were real Australian

Summer back scortching days.

We are still resting. Yesterday I

went out in a car to a place some

20 miles away, witnessed some

practice manoeuvres with Tanks.

which were very interesting.

The country still looks green

& lovely & the little woods invite you

to go & lie under the Shade all the

day with a book.

Bye now Katie love & millions of

love & kisses from your very own

Dida Don.

P.S. Mrs Merryleess brother a Schoolmate of mine is missing

& her son Lt Merrylees was dangerously wounded but is better

a little now.