Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 12

then all & dear Uncle Geordie
and all his brave boys came 
on & on so bravely amongst all
the dreadful shells & when
quite up near Dida the Germans
hit poor Uncle Geordie with
a shell & he died & has gone away
to Heaven & we will not see him
any more untill we die too.
& go to Heaven & dear little
Jacquelyn will never see her
very own Dida at all. So the dear
wee laddie & Gagy must love her
very very much & be very good
& loving to them because their Dida
died to save Dida & his soldiers
from the Germans & after Geordie
died his soldiers came on
so bravely & then Didas own
soldiers got up & they chased
those nasty old Germans
back for a long way through
the Bush that is called Woods
here & they caught & killed
such a lot of them & those that weren't 

killed cried & begged for mercy
& kissed Dida's soldiers hands
because they didn't kill them &
have been sent away to jail
again.
We have had a wonderful
battle & a wonderful Victory. My
boys have simply covered
themselves with glory. I hope
to write you a full account
of it soon but not just now. The
Germans knew we were going to
attack us soon so they thought
to disarrange our plans by
attacking us & after a fearful
bombardment attacked at dawn
of the 25^th & then came on in
thousands. My boys of the 38^th
were in the front line & despite
dreadful casualties (but even
then not equal to the 7^th in Lone
Pine) stood firm but the British
Battalion a Middlesex Battn
could not stand & they broke
& ran about ½ a mile until the 

Argyle & Sutherland Highlander
in support checked them.
Them in their turn advanced
a little but could make little
impression on the enemy who
pressed up with machine guns into
the gap. I called up Norman Marshall
& ordered him to advance with
his boys. Despite dreadful
casualties they passed through
the enemy's shells to where
Neil Freeman Mrs Coleman's
nephew was cooly & bravely
holding up the attack of the
Germans. In front of his Boys
aided by our famous 15^th Trench
Mortar Battery the attackers
had no hope whatever & were
compelled to go to earth & dig
shelter about 400 yards out.
A few indeed straggled through
the fire of the mortars & one bold
& determined man was shot.
dead 15 paces from our line
but they were easily dealt with 

but where they got into the Middlesex
trenches & turned along & started
bombing us there was great terrible
especially when they brought
up about a dozen Machine
guns & set them up there to
sweep our line but Freeman
with the help of the Trench
Mortars forced them back a
little from his flank & with
his supporting Coys formed
a defensive flank inclined
in the direction of the Argyles.
When Norman Marshalls men
came up the first Coy had to
go straight on & reinforce our
dwindling front line but the
remainder pressed on & prolonged
our flank to the right again.
But this still left a gap. I
sent called up Cam Stewart
& ordered him to push on
& prolong the line still further
& join up with the Argyles.
He went right up in advance 

of his men to Neil Freeman &
got the situation off. He was
thus ready at once when his
troops came up to throw them
in to the right places. They also
suffered dreadfully. Capt Aram
Capt Dickenson Lt Joynt & other
another were killed & 7 others
wounded out of the 18 officers who
went up but the Boys Regt in
Aram's Company had not a single
officer left but was led into action
by Sergt Flemming who already has
distinguished himself repeatedly.
The line was then at last in the
fading light made good as far as we
were concerned but beyond the
Argyles a life & death struggle
was still being waged & continued
for many hours
At 6 oclock I got orders to
take up the 39^th who had not
been engaged as yet & place them
in rear of the old 58^th position
to attack at dawn & I was 

told another two fresh Battalions
would be sent up to help us.
As we had fired away most of
our ammunition & it would 
require to be replenished if we
were to advance & guides to take
the new Battn up in the dark
& the enemys barrage more than ever
you can believe that I felt appalled
at the task but as our General
Insisted. I determined to try it -
& in spite of every difficult get up
both the troops & all the needed stores.
In this I was wonderfully helped
by Cam Stewart who in the midst
of all the dangers was simply
wonderful. Norman Marshall too
undertook the job of guiding the new
troops to their forming up positions &
laid white tapes everywhere in
the ground to guide them. The British
on our right were to advance at
the same time
At dawn our barrage fire came
down like a pillar of smoke
& fire - before then or as one man 

put it like a Gippsland
fire in a north wind day.
Behind it our panting cursing
men dashed to the charge
the Germans who escaped the
Barrage fire tried to resist
but were slain with bullet
or bayonet. Concrete blockhouses
were rushed & their defenders
slain & again the line went
on. Suddenly the mist lifted
& it was seen that the British
had not come on at all that
instead there was a quickly
opening gap nearly a mile
deep. I had arranged for
Marshall & Stewart to thin out
their line & fill this gap but in
the hurry I had not sufficiently
impressed this on all the men
particularly of the new Battns
They saw the enemy forming
to attack them from this flank
& swung round to meet this
Many officers fell dead or

wounded & the advance came
to a stand still. I sent up

previous order to proceed

& told the C.O.s of the two rear

Bn that I would supercede

them unless they got in at once

One on the left obeyed & gained the

line of trench given us as our

objective but the right hand one

had lost its trench. From a

slight eminence on our right front

in the ground the British should

have taken there was the remains

of a farmhouse strongly fortified

& this swept an appalling fire

across our front Nine officers

were killed trying to get ahead

here then all effort died away.

Then a Battalion of Welsh were

sent round to one & they formed

up at right angles to our advance

& moved due south to sweep off

the enemy who obstructed the British

Advance. The progress was slow

but at length moving round &

 

prolonged & protected our line

Had the British Advanced now

behind them all would have been

well but all communications

had failed & no one knew the

position so they did not come

on again. The Major Commanding
the Welsh fell dead near Norman

Marshall Many officers felt the 

enemys barrage increased &

forming behind the hill the enemy

advanced over the crest in masses

This was too much for the Welshmen

who started to run back. One

of my boys a private named

Brockfield ran over to them

He ordered them back to their

places & raised his rifle

threatened to blow out the brains

of any man who retired just then.

So he got them back to their places

Our Artillery decended on

the enemy like a pall & swept

him out of existance & once more

their was a lull. I sent orders

 

to Norman Marshall to

disregard all else & focus

on & take the farm regardless

of cost. In the gathering darkness

he formed up the remainder of

his gallant boys & led a charge

with them himself leading.

They swept over the place &

Killed or captured the garrison

& into the wood beyond where

fighting continued for another

night. As there was no remnants

of a farm discernable in  the dark

he was uncertain that he had

taken the farm I meant. I got

out of patience & went up

myself to see how things were

getting then after dawn.

I never saw such a scene

of confusion men of all

regiments messed up

all over the place dead of

all regiments lay aside the

enemy everywhere but I saw