Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 16

Belgium

28/10/17

My dear Katie love,

It is with a sad heart

that I write to you again my poor darling

wife. We are just out of the line today 

& I went across to see poor Jacky 

boy & they told me he was Killed on 

the 9^th Oct. It was a pity he had 

not told the Captain that he was

related to me.  Some of the junior 

officers knew but his Captain didn't.

It appears that in the Advance

on the 9^th Oct. as they told me Jack,

as the others were all worn out, was

taken from the transport & sent up

with a couple of machine guns to help 

the infantry. Poor chap - he was delighted 

at the Chance & as he drew his rations

he said - Come on "Quartermaster" rations

for a fair "dinkum" soldier tonight. 

He did not like being in the transport

lines all the time.

So he went up & in the fight advance

a German Sniper shot him dead

the bullet went in just under his left eye

& he fell back dead instantaneously. That 

was one blessing at least, poor old chap.

They had to bury his body where he

fell as the country is now so

awful that it nearly kills the 

men bringing down the wounded 

& so the poor dead must be buried

in the fields where they fall. I will

try later on to find exactly where the

grave is. It is at present practically

impossible to go anywhere near [[?]]

day [[?]] the Advance the (Brothers?)

brought up hundreds of guns from

the Russian front & if you show the

least sign of life anywhere along that

reg ridge by day you get hundreds

of shells fired at you.  I've been up & I

know.  The poor boy with me had his foot

all smashed up but your old man 

got off.  It is certainly wonderful

how nothing touches me.  [[Tivey?]] was hit

the other day but it was really only 

a [[?]] so they tell me but [[?]]

chap sorted helmet  off to hospital [[?]] 

I am to go on leave in a couple of days & I

will call you about poor Jacky boy then

if they have not already cabled the news 

out. I had a cable of sympathy from

Harry [[Ducgan?]] about poor Geordie. It was

decent of him to go to the cost of a cable

Darling Katie it must be dreadful I 

know for you at home hearing first of

Geordie & then of Jack & me still out

here.  It is wonderful but perhaps your

prayers keep me safe my own pet.

Give my love to poor nana & tell her 

that I and the laddie will try to make

up for poor Jacks loss.

Nana should see the defence

people about Jacks money.  She is

also entitled to a pension from the

Government of something between one &

two pounds a week. She must claim that.

If there is any difficulty Mr

Ruddick could fix it up for her

It would not be difficult.  It 

should be fixed as soon as possible as 

if anything should happen to me it

[*of his

I also got a

wee one from

Aeuy  Wee

Dhurasch. I 

will [[?]] [[?]]

answer them

all in a day or

two. Mrs

Edwards son

got through this

fortunately

all right but

they were

fighting hard

again yesterday

& I hear lost 

a good many. I

cannot learn 

how the boy is.

Poor old Henchy

[[?]] Lt

Ryan had to go

to Hospital

today. This

horrible gunshot

into his eyes

pretty badly so

that he had to 

have his eyes 

bridge bandaged.

I got a blister on

my finger & touched

my cheek with it

it scarred [[?]] like

a [[?]]

would.  It is very 

sore & [[?]] but*]

certainly would be a little help to you both

while nana lives with you & you may need 

it all you poor darling. I don't think Belle

would be entitled to anything unless 

Jack was making her an allowance which

he was not of course doing.  Just yesterday 

I secured three loving letters from you

one dated the 27^th August, the others the

2^nd & 5^th September. These latter came

wonderfully quickly - I suppose by the new

American Route. There are some other

about the 20^th & 22^nd Aug that seem to have

gone astray. I can only guess at their dates

of course but I know there is some missing

as in none of them do you tell about 

the arrival of Violets baby although in 

the last one you mention that she has now

returned from Hospital & that you

are all looking forward to seeing

the Baby whom you said was like

[[?]] [[dad?]].  Wasn't it a long time 

in arriving Katie? I will answer 

your letters properly as soon as I

have time.  Tell Bunally Bill I got his letter

[*unless it gets right into the lump it does not hurt

you seriously.  Some men have horrible blisters on them as big as hen's

eggs.  Bye darling sweet wife & God bless. Keep [[?comforting]] always 
for Dear - Just all my love dearest*]

Digswell Place

Welwyn

4/11/17

My dear Katie,

I came here two days

ago on leave from France as I

was just about knocked out.

Just before I left I heard of

'your Jacky boy having been killed

on the 9^th Oct. As soon as I

got to London I went & found

out if this news had been already

Cabled to Australia & they

told me this had been done so

I did not cable yet. I got your 

Cable some days ago about the

house in the [[?]]. In London

also they handed me two pounds

from you one with the diary

& tea & this was spent on [[?]]

& other little things & another

similar one. I dont know 

why they had been keeping them

in London so long. My face

which I think I told you was 

all bloodied by the new mustard 

gas the Borches have been sending

over has nearly healed again

but it gets very itchy & irritated at

times so that I am greatly tempted

to push it & break the skin again

which is very tender.  Poor old

[[Denchy?]] had to be taken away. he

had got some of it in his eyes

& was quite blind temporarily.

There is every hope that his

eyes will not be permanently

damaged however & that he 

will soon be back with us.

The heart is a little bit

affected too but I believe

not serious. Bert Fayt is still

unfit for action France but

still able to take men thro training

Battalion. I hope to get down

to see them there very soon

now..  I will be able to give your 

father news of home then.  I saw 

Norman Marshall, Larry [[?]]

[[?]] & Neil Freeman just before I

left. They were all delighted

of course with their new decorations

Norman Marshall is (D. SO. M. C)

now. If he gets a C.M.S or anything 

higher he'll be a regular alphabet

I think this is all the news just

now dearie pet - 'cept that I

love you.  All the people here are

very kind - they want to keep

me in bed all the time though
I must say it is very cosy

& comfy to be in bed & read these

[[short?]] days.

Well darling forever sweet

old lady I must sleep now

Well millions of love to Kim

from your very own Dida Don

Digswell Place

Welwyn

7/11/17

My darling Katie,

I have been in bed most

of the time since I first got here. I was 

just tired to death & my face

was very sore with the silly old 

gas blisters. They are now 

nearly healed up but the scars

are very ugly & they are very 

itchy & irritable at times so 

that you can hardly help

rubbing them. Every body is 

very kind &the place is just

lovely. I am delighted to be

able to tell you that Col [[Denehy?]]

is better. He has been allowed

out of the Hospital now though

his eyes are very bloodshot

& given a fortnights leave. Ryan

his Adjutant was not so fortunate

& is still is Plymouth Hospital

but he also will never be 

right again. Just before I 

left France I got one teeny tiny

letter from you dated the 4^th Sept.

It is a dear loving letter though Katie

I hope you have another nice little

house dearie.  I suppose poor nana

& Lyn & Grandma & everyone over there 

are just about brokenhearted with

the news from this end. It is terrible

the way their [[?]] are playing up
just like the Russians. For the
Russians there was every possible

excuse but for their [[Mac?]]
there was never any such thing
they had never had such hard
fighting but [[?]] bolted off.
The weather is is chilly but
very pleasant. The [[?]] [[?]]
their Autumn [[?]] are very lovely.
Stanley De R[[?]] one of my old 7^th boys
is here. He was cut a School & damaged
his knee pretty badly whilst Bayonett

fighting -