Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, May 1917 - December 1917 - Part 9

got him to know him well I
feel happier about things than
I did before. I am getting young
Legge back as my Staff Captain
& although he has his faults he
always worked exceedingly well
for me. I think I taught him
a lesson by Sacking sending him ^back to Division that
time.
Well dear old lady - there's not
a scrap of news. Oh I had a letter
from Cousin Nellie. Wee Bairnies
are at School & her laddie is
marvelously clever particularly
at sums. Before he went to School
he used to set himself huge addition
sums a slateful of figures & add
them all up. & get them correct too
& now he is at school the little
sums he gets are quite beneath
his contempt. Certainly the boy
has a wonderful face & I would
not be the least surprised if he
becomes a great man some day.
Being so near the war & with all
the Raids on round about the war 

has made a tremendous impression
upon him. He doesn't think much
of God, he says because he allows the
Germans to go on Killing people.
Then he says that God is responsible
for it all, He sends us our thoughts
& if they are bad thoughts we can't
help them coming & so if we are wicked
it is God who is to blame for
sending us the thoughts.
Poor Kiddie - it is hard enough for

us to try & see the purpose of all
this cruelty & slaughter & what
must it be to him.
Little Helen is much more a
wee baby still. She is always into
mischief always merry bright
& neither troubles her head about
Germans or Bombs or Gods or Devils
but is just glad to be alive. I suppose
it is better to be built that way.
I will send you the letter after I
have answered it. Give the dear
wee people a big love & tish from Dida
& tell them that I am just longing for a
sight of them & that their pictures are a great
comfort to me. Millions of loves & tishes for you from your
Dida Don

France
19/8/18
My dearest Katie
After writing a
letter to you yesterday I was
astonished when a mail arrived
to get a letter from you dated the
2^nd June. According to the accounts
we received this letter went down
in the Moultan. The postmen says
the mails were recovered but there is
not a sign of any wet in either
the letters or the envelope. The mail
bags must have been good ones or
else there is some mystery about it.
Perhaps as you suggest then came
by America & that was the reason
of the delay. Anyhow I was pleased
to get the letters as you may guess
after all this long time. However
one letter I must have missed because
in this one you refer to a Lt Athol
Stuart. This was the first news I
had had of him. In this letter you
speak of meeting his sister who teaches
our wee pets at Sunday School &
that he is a prisoner of war in Germany

I think I told you Mrs Merrylees brother
is there also. Probably they were taken
in the first Battle at Bullecourt
when the "Tanks" got bogged in the Snow
& the British did not come over &
so many of our Boys got cut off
& captured after dreadful
casualties. Bert Layh is still in
England passed "Home Service". I
dont think he will be permanently
incapacitated but he may be some
time laid aside.
In addition to Mrs Colemans son
I have her nephew a very fine boy
Major Neil Freeman. I have sent
him over to a School in England
so that he may be ready to be a Colonel
He is due back shortly.
I quite agree with you about having
had enough war. I think everyone
might be sick & tired of it all
but we must just hang on. The
most disheartening part of it to us
over her is the failure by Mr Hughes
to take any step towards Conscription

Thank you just about a million dearie
for the way you are reducing that old
debt. I hope to send you another £50
about the end of the month & you mustnt
thank me at all. Its Didas debt & he
must try & pay it off. I am delighted
that you have got some nice furniture
dearie that you are really & truly pleased
with it. I hope you will next year
get just the nicest Drawing Room
Suite you can find in any shop
anywhere & give it to yourself for
a birthday present as you wont
let dida buy any more things for 
heap
There
ought to be something like £400 of my
deferred pay accumulated in the
Govts hands. Some people say they will
never pay it all it will be so
much & things will be so bad at the end

of the War. I wonder. That might just
about settle that old debt if they do
pay & if we have paid much more
off in the meantime it will be a little
perhaps to start that little house of our
own with that Katie wants you want so much
I hope those photos weren't drowned
Katie dear. It would be sad indeed.
Jacky boy is not far away from here
but I've not seen him since before he
took ill. The orange tree must be
a very good one to bear so well. Doesn't
the laddie get tempted to use ^juice some
of the nice ripe ones occasionally.
Last Saturday week we had a dinner
of old Ormond Men. I enclose the
program menu with their Signatures
We are having lovely weather here now
but I hear it is still frightful up in
the front trenches - mud everywhere. The
Bosches have been dropping bombs from
Aeroplanes all round here for the
last few nights. The poor women
& the old people here are very scared
when they come over but we ^(soldier people) are all
so hardened to it & fed up that we

never trouble to get out of bed even to
look at them now. I dont think it
is courage at all. It is just being
accustomed to it for all this time.
I had a Church Parade this
morning. Genl Birdwood was
there & gave medals to some
of the boys. He looks very well.
indeed.
Their was a letter from Baaby Belle with
the letter I got from you & same
date. It was only a sperrik little one. She
said she had written a big fat
one but I think that one must
have been drowned as I dont remember
getting it.
Well Darling I must stop now
No more news. Millions of love &
Kisses for you & the wee pets from
Dida Don.

France
26/8/17
Dear little Katie
Here is another Sunday & no
change or move yet for us. This continued
inaction is very tiresome though as it saves
our poor boys one ought not to worry
but one does because we cannot see how
we are helping in the war eating our heads
off out here. The first month or so it
was all right we badly needed a
rest but now with the fourth month
going on without having been near the
line one wonders what the game is
at all. No doubt however our repose
will be ended pretty soon In the
meantime there is nothing at all to tell
you in the way of news. We are going
to have a review on Wednesday next
& General Field Marshall Sir D. Haig is going to see
us again. I am getting pretty tired of
these shows: Genl Plumer & the King &
General Birdwood & Genl Godley have all
looked us over of late. Well never mind
that. 

France
30/8/17
My dearest Katie.
Such a lot of lovely letters
from you darling - two big fat ones ^one dated
the 17^th June & finished on the 18^th & xxxxxx the
other started on the 24^th June & finished
on the 28^th & a wee one started on the 28^th &
finished on the 29^th June.
There is still one missing somewhere
because in each of them you speak
of Grandma being up at Tocumwal
but don't say about her going up.
From a remark in one of Baaby's Belle's
letters I am wondering if there is
a Bairnie arrived for Liz.. too.
I am delighted that the Photos & Helmet
arrived just about your birthday. I was
sad not to be sending anything. this year
to wish on ^Happy returns on that day.
I am very much afraid from what
you say that the photos I posted for
Baaby Belle & Grandma & Violet & Lyn &
a number of others will have all
been drowned in the Mongolia. They
There is just a bare possibility that
they may have caught the mail just
before the Mongolia as Elliott & Fry;
letter dated the 15^th May told me
that all the Photos had been sent
off safely: So I am living in hopes 

of your next letter telling me that
all those have arrived safely. It
would be sad if they are all drowned.
Later I sent one of each of the big ones
out to you for Dhurach & the Laddie
I hope they arrive safely.
But I am very very much afraid
the long letters I wrote to you about our
fight at Bullecourt where Col
Denehy got his D.S.O. & Lt Moss
his V.C. & a lot of other boys M.C's
& A.C.M's & Military Medals
will all have been drowned
there. It is very sad because I
had had typed out a copy of
Col Denehys report with the
name of the place of course taken
out for you to read. It was
most interesting. I sent a copy
of it to Mrs Marshall also about
the same time & it will have
gone too.
Geordie has just come in & he is to get
leave to go to England in a couple of
days & wants to borrow some money. It
is very sad as I wanted to send you
£50 at this month end & if I let him
have £20 (as of course I must do) it will
delay sending it along. However
I hope that when he gets back