Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 19

Conflict:
First World War, 1914–18
Subject:
  • Documents and letters
Status:
Open to contributions
Accession number:
AWM2018.19.76
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Page 1 / 10

CE 5 Dec 191 fet Rate my dener. Here I am bere just about nt Ion still guiteall right egou wwill go up tepe a Board at London tomorrow & get rent tack to France as nomas povible tday is a very for buyglst to Meaenlay it imbetal telo mor just a lettl with The weather is heaps milder at the same rea the last Crapr you. ben ✓ time just has bee + here Rota & are the 2 Fr Florely.
I kn this wit. I dont hove very Iese nea 9bu ey comple nock illmonth ti in the heri wll r ful I am ry car 2 no tha 6 prett ad just ple rank futt poor teds te & hoo sti Wthemoun I hopit invalided him. get then all right oi time rcende bas whould he back got t all sever bitty A X oor old nea r ✓ e iill t t 10
you poor old dell i ladty I hope you are wtill mither I am bravely at all omr trtless dy Wathers keng M malian I had a very kind litter from Mrs Nawhald aout teor you have hime you can Buckley at write to mrs for lotskn the address thank hi. & boys after your of The always has 556 here & an must cost Awhalin Mum1 then thousand reall I dn't hom haw they can afford it & I think they are giltng prettyannious As they would never expect that the was would be going o yo years like thabut laving butthey home at the I suppose they well but the Arsponl fthe not like t vay anyther dupee must be terrife. The mst is morg thtoys lake it all as a wall todnt write after the have lift I think the fuly it a good o course L& of other an very gratfu deal at sme I then invert mother wisto thanve he 2doelagspet Bredear old mather of Heap Storet Kilon D Must 2ORL/OS
Belguin 10/12/17 My dearest Natie am back again in the silly old war I left London or Wednesday last (today is Monday) about pr. Col Mason was with me. It wasa nce fine day when we left but it got very cold on the yea. On arrivate were met by a motor can & got tackhere after a very cold drive about upon This part of the line in the quetest Iever was in. We have comfortable dag outo + there is landly any shelling at allever up in tho plon. line. Senl McNichol came to see me today. He looks wonderfully ft &weee He is acting Hiarsional Commander whilst sevl Monash is away on leave "He is a uoderfully mast chay though he int well likey I get or witt him very well
myself. We are going tobe relieved son I hear & go out for a rest, fren with wih a quiet Sector the men in the bont glintan much disconfort and hald wokk to putnng with. The constant patrolting in the dark is very trymg. The other night it was utet dark & peeging cold. but or patiel a poor fellow stipped on a bell hole romn over. The ice bore him tilt he gothis full weight or it & then let him through & he was drenched. He was renttack to Bustation Headknarters a once but the cold was wentern that his clockes were poyn st wefore they got him undrewesh Hhe nearl poge todeath. The breather is however underfully mild & that port was enceptioned. Most days are guits bright though the run was not much prive
for warmth o it rets alout falf part three in the afternoon & never gets anyher near ourhead. I did nt notice this lastyear at all as day afterday & month after math wentby about this time without ns ever seeng the mr for clouds, but this year it is kery noticiably. Svrything is ready for th voting on ths Conscripttion Refererdim tomorrow. Our men - the one ire have now have not the surity the old ones ta goutpropared Dr9 pne to believe that will voteno the hope that theywrill be sent home to purtialio by the Tudos crowd as Mr Huglhes rays he will not curry of the Gor in the faceof a no vote. It is ocardalous that it should ever be made apait watter. one can hardly conceive of peoplijuggling with later such a naner as this. Everything point & the Brocke makenga
terrific effort to break a way through or this prosit before long tust as he ded on the Slatten pront & I hear b is bringingorc thousands & thousand of his twops from tte Kernin Flder n that he has succeeded as I feared is humbrigging thon sools oer there. Well Kutiodearie is no good grumbling - we must take it as a judgment upon us of ircan beater io the end. I am veryneary old lady west it was all over & I could come back to you again. I wonder how my dear little pets are tonight. Here it is nearly I was again & so long that I hare not been them, my dear darling Ratio I send you all my love & a milion miltion kims for you t those dact darlings. Fol llers & kly you al rafe. I have nother 50 gedlet curediydai & will rind then along t you newt lines reeths pay mar. By dear meet lady you bego
My dearert Katee France We have been 19/12/1 on tho more again & are nows behind the line in a very rafe place. It is very cold. Twvo days ago we had a very heavy knowfull & yesterday & teday it is peezing hard. I had occasin to go round the villages through which the tropps are scattered yesterday. In places where the rood are incutting in the hills tho cutting had drifted full of now io that was imporillt get through it sive her to seramky up on the hige banks. The prost had made the mon as drys porrdery as devect rand & it this is clouds before the wind & itng your fice guitas myd would Whin a bank or hidge intercepted it it would pute up fut think just like rand & other places were meptation.
bure of the mor Foday thomind has died down but it is stil pazighard & the ground is like iron. The horses don't like it a bit as the purface of the road become like glars t the poor things an seared to dealt they will full unlike us thes have no hands tout out to rave them if they ils gall theyalways get turt if they fall & they walk so gingerly across the had spoto Oh Kltre. What do you think just As we were coming out of tholine Genl Birdnood came to in me + offered me 6 months leave togo home & re I neppose of a go reposted to him as Gyeal your & was a wriffol temptation dulin but I could not take it for he could not promiss that when I caml tapt I would git the same brigade again nor would he promise to give it to Col Hewart he had done either of these things I think would no have been abl reoist the
temptation at all but the man they have in mid to snccesd me is a certain Col Watson whom a don't think much of at all. I would not feel at alt happy in bunding over the Brigade to him. Alove ful wure that with this rest now will h all right for some time They oen t think I am pretty much knocked u but I put it thaught to Generall Hotts yesterday end he noticed that the work of the Bryndewas falling off in anyiny? and be sai he had not. Of course with Seordior Jackdiat & loving all those ofpices o mer or Polygon wood & the annity of the fight there all coming togetted As they did it almost brokeme up completely but n must mox giveway to nich things mistone andro I am willing round guite as well as couldenpec

3rd Dec 1912

My dearest Katie pet

Well i am here

still. But i am just about

 

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