Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 18

festered septic & horrid so I'm a real bushranger
now with a black beard with a patch of
grey on the chin. It seems so queer for me
to have white whiskers - but it is wonderful how
old we are getting to be for were getting on & al
these troubles are the things for turning me grey [[?]]
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darling love of all the world. Isn't [[?]] Dhurack a dear
wee pet to want to [[visit?]] in poor Dear when she was
sick. Tell he I am just delighted with her.
And tell the wee laddie he is a great comfort to
me too. I am so glad other people are pleased
with them. [[Jim?]] Tonkin said his wife thought
they were such darlings that she & Winnie wanted
to take then home with them. Did I tell you
I saw Johnny Avery at Salisbury. He is a
[[??]] but was not looking at all
well I thought. Salisbury plain is a
miserable bleak place at the best of times.
I enclose a letter I had from poor old
Charlie Denehy. He has got the same trouble
as I have from the [[Gas?]] but it is strange
that he was nearly better with his eyes before
the other trouble started. It was just as well
 

wasn't it. Of course he got ever so much
more gas than I & it was only my face &
neck that was affected & he has broken out
all over. Isn't it beastly. Oh about the clipping
from the Times on my D.S.O. It was just the
same as xxx was published in the Australian
papers later on. I have a cutting I kept for
myself which I will enclose in this letter
for you. My ownest [[?]] darling I haven't the
least bit of news for you 'cept that I love you &
your dear loving letters have made me very happy &
cheered me. I am sure I'll be heaps better very
soon. When I came over I had no color at
all & rings under my eyes & not a kick
in me. Now my color is coming back quite
good well & my eyes ^have come back to their normal
level instead of being back in my head [[?]]
& the [[?]] are healing nicely so there's no need
to worry about me. The cheek of you saying
I'd sure to be invalided home. After this [[?]]
& you'd be glad to get me back. I think the
rest ought to carry me through the
winter safely darling so you'll be
cheated after all. I must say I dreaded
it before I got this spell but if I get
a good rest now it ought to carry me
 

well over Xmas & the worst of the winter ought
to be done then. I would hate to go back
Katie & leave my boys before the war is over
so though you may be longing for me you
must [[???]] me back to you before
then. I am often tempted though to ask you
to come over to me. If it had not been for the
wretched old business with Roberts I think
I'd have asked you about it again [[?]] for
the wee pets could now do without you for a while
& if you came by America there does not seem
to be so much danger from submarines now with
the American navy as well as the British in
the watch for them. They only got one large
ship & a few small ones last week.[[?]]
 

P.S. Oh [[?]] about. Reg Avery
He didn't do a bit well at the School
I sent him to. I also gave him a job
in the fighting which he didn't do properly.
I begin to think that there may be
something in what xxxxx
Violet says about him not being
a trier. I hope Baaby gets better
soon & that there is nothing much
wrong. You don't tell me the
trouble. Have heard no more
about [[Proctor?]]. His brother is in
the Signalling [[??]] &
he was going [[??]] & there
I may be able to help him along.
DONATED RECORDS LIST
3297
3rd Series
 

Digwell Place
Welwyn
Herts
22/11/17
My dear old Katie love.
I've just had a whole
bundle of letters all pretty old ones. Two
from you dated - one the 19th August -
& one the 26th August & one the 8th August.
I think these will be all the missing
ones. I also got a wee letter from Baaby [[?]]
& one from the dear wee Laddie boy. I
also had one — the first for months from
M^r Roberts making excuses for his behaviour.
he also said that Mrs Roberts has
lent the firm £800 to [[Qtax?]] off
proceedings ^out of her mothers estate & wanting me to let
him carry on the business until
I can get back. I am sending his
letter to Mr Lowe & will be guided
by him but I feel I cannot trust
Roberts after this. I have never asked
him for a single penny out of the business
since I left so as to help & keep
things going & he has neglected the business
greatly & let things slide. I myself
think it best to wind the whole thing
up so that we may know at once where
we stand as it may go even worse. It is
 

2/
very terrible but I am trying not to worry &
you must try not to do so too. M^r Roberts
suggested that I should not tell you. I
have told him I will not go into detail
with you but I had to tell you something
of it in case anything happened to me.
over here. If as stated Mrs Roberts has
put in £800 of her very own money to help
things along it was very kind of her as
so far as I can see at present she is
unlikely to get any of it back again &
may be left very hard up & there was no
obligation on her to do it at all.
I was delighted with the [[?]] in
yours & the laddie's letters. It was like
a message from home. I hope the strikes are
all over there Katie. It must have been
terrible while it lasted. I got the [[?]]
notice for correction. I don't know why they sent
it out there. I didn't get the one
from the "All Australian Memorial" people
yet. It must have been drowned
or something. I told you about L/Corpl
B.A. Dalzell in one letter I wrote to
you. I will try & get the information again also
 

about Crow but it gets harder each
day as so many are killed each time we
go into action. Things look worse than ever
in Russia & Italy is pretty bad — [[?]] God knows
how it will all end. It is lovely to hear
about the little pets enjoying their walks & picking
wattle & wild flowers. I would like to be with
them sometime darling old love. Your
letters are still asking about Geordie & Jacky
boy. You poor darlings - it is all terribly sad
for you. I am very much better dearie &
will be returning to France next week I
think. I have to go before a Medical Board on
Monday I think I will be passed all right.
We have just had news of another push
down ^at Cambrai near where we were fighting on the Somme
front last year. It has been pretty
successful but the papers here are
going hysterical over it — Such rejoicings
are premature & give a false idea of things
which do no good but I expect the papers
think after the Italian disaster people
will need encouragement.
I hear there is a very fine girl's school
at East St Kilda. Called the East St Kilda Girls
Grammar School
 

It is kept by a Ballarat Lady. Mr Wanless
who came to see me the other day told me
about it. The daughter Marion was there &
is now at the University. She got on splendidly there.
The Poor man is very sad. His only son a friend
of Geordie's - a Ballarat College boy was killed
the same day as Geordie after doing splendid
work. He got the D.S.O. last year. He was
recommended for the V.C. I am glad the little
people escaped from Surrey Hills with all
the horrid diseases going about there.
I heard the other day that poor Mrs Morrison's
eldest son Tom was killed about the
same time as Jacky boy. He was married & had
two bairnies. Poor Hugh will be sad. I
will keep him out of it as much as I can.
It would be terrible for her if this last one fell.
I knew Mr Bonner Mrs Topp's father in law
I am very sorry they have not been given particulars
of Topps death. Col Denehy wrote to her
he told me but perhaps the letter went
down in the Mongolia. It was just about
the time he was killed. I am sorry about
poor Lizzie M^cKenzie. We have much
to be thankful for that we are none of us like her
[*Bye my darling sweet wife. Tell the Laddie I am delighted
with him because he was good & only got smacked once in four days.
but we love him just the same whether he gets into [[?]] or not.
I hope Baaby is better. Millions of loves & kisses for you all from Dida [[On?]]*]
 

No 4 Aux Hospital.
26/11/17
My dearest Katie.
I received on Saturday
(today is Monday) two letters from
you one dated the 29^th Sept &
one the 7^th Oct. In this letter you had
just heard the day before of Geordie's

death from Mr Marshall. A few
days later you would have heard of
Jacky boys perhaps before I myself did.
Well darling you are just the best
& bravest darling in all the
world I think. Such a loving
sweet letter it is. I don't know
whatever in this world I have ever
done to deserve such a wife
as you. Dear little lady there
is a whole heap of the stuff
angels are made of just mixed 
 

2
up with you. You are
a comfort to me darling.— Some
day I do hope I'll be able to
reward you properly little lady.
I enclose a snap shot of the
little cross we put up over
Geordie. We are not allowed
until after the war to put up
any permanent memorial.
There is a big Committee being
formed under the Prince of Wales
who will look after the graves
always.
You need not show it to poor [[Lyn?]]
I think. When we buried him it
was all green grass but when
the picture was taken heavy
rains had fallen & made the
place very wet. The date is
wrong. Actually it happened
early in the morning of the 26^th.
It was bad luck for you that
xxx Belle should get measles. What
a blessing the Babies didn't get
it. I do hope they all escape
it. My poor darling what
troubles you are having out
there with strikes & everything
2 DRL 10513
[*D.R.L. 3297 (3^{rd S})*]