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 at 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 all

day. Since the Advance the Bosche has

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 Scratch so they tell me but thrly

chap scooted  he went off to hospital with

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

will cable you about poor Jacky boy then

if they have not already cabled the news 

out. I had a cable of sympathy from

Harry Duigan about poor Geordie. It was

decent of him to go to the cost of a cable

Darling Katie iIt 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 Jack's 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

 

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 received 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 not

returned from Hospital & that you

are all looking forward to seeing

the Baby whom you said was like

Judith.  Wasn't it a long time 

in arriving Katie? I will answer 

your letters properly as soon as I

have time.  Tell Baaby Belle I got two letters
[* of hers
I also got a 
wee one  from
dear wee
Dhusach I
will [[?]]
answer them
all in a day or
two. Mrs
Edwards son
got through the
first battle
all right but
they were
fighting hard

again yesterday
& I hear lost

a good many. I 
cannot learn
how the boy is.
Poor old Denehy
& his Adjt Lt
Ryan had to go
to Hospital
today. This
horrible gas got
into his eyes
pretty badly so
that he had to
have his eyes
rightly bandaged
I got a little on
my finger & touched
my cheek with it &
it raised blisters like 
a mustard poltice
would. It is very 
sore & beastly but*]

[*unless it gets right into the lungs 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 & comfort you always 
for Dida - 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

poor 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 Elsternwick. In London

also they handed me two parcels

from you one with the diary

& tea & this note paper a pudding

& 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 blistered by the new mustard 

gas the Bosches 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

Denehy 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 Layh 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 you

further news of him then.  I saw 

Norman Marshall, Larry Stewart

Mason & Neil Freeman just before I

left. They were all delighted

of course with their new decorations

Norman Marshall is (D. S O. M. C)

now. If he gets a C.M.G 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 loving sweet

old lady I must stop now

With millions of love to Kisses

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 these Italians are playing up
just like the Russians. For the
Russians there was every possible

excuse but for these Macaronis
there was never any such thing
they had never had such hard
fighting but simply bolted off.
The weather is chilly but
very pleasant. The woods with all
their Autumn tints are very lovely.
Stanley De Ravin one of my old 7^th boys
is here. He was at a School & damaged
his knee pretty badly whilst Bayonet

fighting - As soon as she heard

of it Mrs Buckley had him brought

here. He was here before when wounded

He is a very good boy. He went to see

you I think while he was back in

Australia. Now he has a wife & a wee

laddie of his own that he had never seen. Well

darling loving Katie pet I've no news left.I love

you just about a million.

God bless & keep you

all. Your  very own

Dida Don.

11^th Nov 1917
My darling Katie,

I received your

letter dated the 16^th Sept

last night on my return here.

The Dr down at Digswell Place

strongly advised me to report

sick at Horseferry Road or

at least apply for an extension

of leave. I did not want

to do this as I thought I

would be all right in a few

days at most. There is nothing

really the matter with me

except that I am about

tired to death. There was

the tremendous strain in me

through all the 3 days battle

& then Jacks Geordies death &then

the worry about Mr Roberts & lastly

poor old Jacky boys death. It 

all got me down a bit in the

end but I was confident I would

get clear of it all - Yes also there

was that beastly Mustard Gas.