Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 7

great hopes of him still. He is such an
earnest hardworking good boy. You can
tell his mother I said he is one in ten
thousand. & she should be very, very proud of him
as I have no doubt she is. I am glad you were
able to visit poor old Trowbridge. Send him
my best regards if you see him again.
You have never mentioned if poor old
Major O'Farrell is alive to your knowledge.
I'd love to watch the dear our wee pet ladi
people at their drawing & writing. They are
good little darlings to be so fond of their work.
Does their teachers think they are getting on
at all well. Tell me all about the wee things
Katie - Does Gagy sort Dhurach scald the laddie or does she
try to do what Dida told her & be patient with
him. I haven't seen Jacky boy but yesterday
I saw an officer of his M. Gun Company & he
told me Jack was quite better. His people
were entraining at a station about 6 miles
away that day but I could not spare the
time to go across there.
In some ways I'll be glad when we are
back into the line some of the boys play
up scandalous at times when their poor 
people of their fruit & break their trees
down getting the Cherries etc off which are
all ripe over here now. It is really to

bad.  & When the Germans have only left a
few orchards here & there & not a house it seems
the last straw when our ^own men complete the ruin 

France
27/7/17
My dearest Katie
Another lovely long
letter from you. It was the one dated
the 20^th May & is the one that according
to the date given ought to have been
drowned. However it must have
got delayed somehow. & was saved.
Anyhow it tells me all about the
Choir that Gaga Dhurach was in the little Concert
& lots of things that I couldn't
understand.
I am in sure trouble Katie. In
Major Wieck's place they have sent
me a Capt Street a decent enough
fellow but he doesn't know his
work. I've told them plainly what
I think on the subject & that it is
a scandal to jeopardise men's
lives by putting "duds" like this
in over them. It may result in
my getting the sack immediately
so you may have me home with
you pretty soon. I wouldn't car
a bit. In any case I fear ^our little
"Jimmy Courtney" General wont back me

any more for he is responsible for
the appointment. But never mind
Katie love. With me such things must
be matters of conscience & I hope you
keep praying hard that I may have
wisdom given me to guide my
way. Mr Rocks little book for today
tells us that sometimes we know not for
what we pray. - which is to say that
sometimes we pray for things which we
cannot be given - because they are not
for good although we may think so.
I am afraid I can see no sign of
the war ending yet darling. Things
are simply shocking in Russia
just now. Long before last Xmas I
wrote & told you how things were
going there & what I feared as the result.
It has pretty will come true thought
not quite as I had though it would
happen.
You could not more long than I
do dearie for my return to you.
In spite of all the bravery shown
by the men there are all the same 

petty spites & jealousies at work
over here as there were at home.
I am thoroughly sick & tired of it
all. I look perfectly fit & well but I seem
to have very little stamina left in me.
After a period of work at all strenuous
particularly if I am worried a lot
as I am now I feel myself as weak
as a child somehow as if I had not
one ounce of push or go left in me &
I am dreading another winter like
last one. I see the Government
are still calling for Volunteers to
take the place of those of the old 1^st Div
who are still going strong. I
sympathise very much with the
men who want to get away. It would
be like Paradise for them to get home again
for a while but the going away ^again
would be harder than ever. It
would be like parting under Sentence
of Death. Its a weary world, Katie,
love & I can see little light.
I have written to poor old Bert Layh
giving him your message about 

his boy. Layh is rather better & has
been given another month away from
the Battn but is to do Home Service so
he must be getting on. Meantime
Col Mason is doing quite well. Col
Marshall has gone to Paris. He
arranged for his wife to meet him
there. Give my kind regards to old
Isaacson. He is a decent ^old bird
& took me to a great Restaurant
in London where he gave me a very
good dinner. He used to be in
Our old Regiment with Jimmy Courtney
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx rsuaded "Jimmy" not to be
xxxxxxxxxx I am sorry to hear about
poor old Finlayson suffering so
much.
And so poor little Gagy Dhurach is not very
musical. She must be her Dida's girl
right enough. Just give her a
cuddle & a Tish for me & tell her
not to mind. Shes still the best little
girl in all the world for Dida 

I am glad the little people are getting
the chance to mix with other nice
Kiddies. It should do away with a
lot of the awkward hush shyness
which I find still a terrible handicap.
We are one up on old Gribble after all if
he had to get a new Tenant. That serves
him, but he might have been pressed for money.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dida. And you wont leave me much
if I give it all up rather than take one
single step that I believe wrong. It does
worry me too though to know that I am
perhaps not thinking enough of you &
the Bairnies & their prospects for of course
we are better off as we are that we could
be if I came home sacked. Best I
think I must put the interests of these 

boys who have done & suffered so much
above everything & try to save them. It
is strange you know that they should speak
so well of me at home. I sort keep them up under
so nothing scared about strict discipline & I often think
they must hate me - certainly now one would ^I think
call me popular with the men - but
afterwards when they are away or something
it seems to strike them perhaps that
all my sorting is for their ultimate
good & safety. x& that their officers get sorted
as a rule worn than they do because
they ought to know so much better.
I don't think Geordie can have received
any letters from you at all. He never mentioned
so far as I recollect - having received any
which he would be certain to do. I have
had Reg Avery sent to a School so as
to have him trained as an officer.
He is a good bit older than I like my
officers as a rule. I thought he was
younger than Johnny but he is really
older. However I have urged him to
study hard & get a good report.
Now I must stop. Bye now love & millions of love
& Kisses for you & the wee pets from you own Dida Don

France
5/8/17
My dearest Katie,
I have just heard
that another mail with letters from
you has gone down & I am very
sad & weary for you accordingly. I think I
told you Major Wieck had gone
& that they had sent me a young
officer quite unsuited for the
job as I consider and I was having
the same old row with the
authorities as I had in Egypt
over the "Duds". I got there I have
made this progress that General
White has given me a definite
promise that if after 3 weeks
trial I am not satisfied
with him then I will not be
forced to go into action with
him. But this was only in
consequence of my asking
to be "sacked" rather than be
compelled to take him on &
there is not much pleasure
in the position for me. The
youngster is a very decent boy

and it is very hard on him
after being appointed to be sacked.
It is harder on my boys though if
even one be sacrificed through his
want of knowledge & so I must
try to see my way. The worry
of it though is just awful & I
am thoroughly sick & tired of
the whole thing & so weary &
worried that I feel half dead
& thoroughly exhausted & worn
out. Someone told me that my
photo is in a page of one of the
London papers "The Daily Mail."
with "An Anzac Hero" or something
of the sort upon it. I have not
seen it but I can assure you
I dont feel in the least Heroic
but just as if I'd carried a
load of about 10 tons up the
biggest & steepest hill in the world
& had just thrown it down -
too weary & worn for words &
no desire & no ambition but
to be clear of it all & get back  

to my dear ones old darling loving
wife, and never go out of her
sight again. I have never had
any real happiness since I left
your dear loving tender arms
I fear I will be so worn out
when you get me back that I
shall be utterly useless & my hair
will be an excellent match to your
own - not that I should mind that if
I were otherwise all right - Tell
Lyn that Geordie is, if he lives till
New Year, certain to get a Military
Cross or D.S.O. I dont think Geordie
knows & I cannot tell him of course
but I know he was given very
high praise & recommended
for Decoration for his work at
Bullecourt & fine work throughout.
The reply from up above was
that his work had been noted &
his name placed in the next list for
decorations. This means the New Year
Honor List. His Colonel & the Coy
I have now a B.M. who was there in