Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1918 - May 1918 - Part 2

"rejoin then all for always. Unhappily
"there will be some vacant places in
"your dear family. I present to you again
"my deepest sympathy.
"I am have been at Merreille (her unclle lives there)
"for three weeks & I have been so busy that I
"have not had time to reply to your last
"letter. Please excuse me.
"At this house everyone is well & I have     
"much pleasure in telling you that my
"brother has been appointed Sergeant of Artillery.
"We are expecting him home on leave at
"the beginning of February."
"Lucy Rooses a has been a refugee at this house
"for about a month. She cannot stop any more at her
"own home. [ This wise friend who lived at Hazebrook which
has been terribly shelled & bombed of late).
"I am going back tomorrow to Steenbecque
"I hope you will visit us soon.
"With Kindest regards
Maximilienne Brunek
Plez "Please give my respects to all your staff.
She writes a nice little letter doesn't she.
It is all very sad for them - they are quite
close to the lines & their village has been shelled &
Any time it may be blown up altogether like
some of the towns I have told you about.
Some time back I sent you a book of Views
of this war got up by Mr Bean. I hope you
got it safely. Frank Fircher I seen by the
orders got over to France & joined his Bn
 

in the line. It will be a pretty beastly first
experience but there is very little shelling
just now. It is too beastly in the mud to do anything
to anybody but just try & Keep warm
& dry. I am enclosing a p. card I got from
Miss Bennet last year also a card I
got from my cousin Miss Coster-Edwards - Miss
Lloyd Edwards niece. This I told you I think
that the two of the Miss Tollenham's married the two
Edwards brothers. I sent you some time back
a View of "Bryn Oerog" where the Lloyd Edwards
live. This is of "Bryn Howell" where the Coster
Edwards live They are both in the Vale of Hangolben
about a mile apart. Violet was there. This
a lovely house. When I was in London Mrs Edwards
brother Vice-Admiral Tottingham invited me to
come & stay with him but I was not well
& did not care to go. Did I tell you, I met him
in London the time I had leave before the war
Very very kind & nice.
I dont think I can tell you anything
more dear old Katie love. God bless & Keep
you safe. Please forgive me the blots. I've got.
a silly old pen that keeps dropping them
& it doesn't hold the ink in that you have to
keep dipping it in & shaking the ink off
it. Millions of love & tishes to you & the dear
wee pets from your very own Dida.
 

France
18/1/18

My dear Katie Love,

I got a whole million lot
letters from you one away back dated 3rd Oct. 17
Then one 6th Nov, before the Measles properly got going. Then one 18th Nov when you were
sitting up after them. Then one of the 22nd Nov
& one on the 23rd Nov when you had just heard
from Fogie Flory that they had got a letter from
me about Geordie. There was also a wee
letter from dear little Dhurach but none have
come yet from Baaby Bellle although the had
written on a page of your letter of the 6th Nov that she
had written one part before that. My dear old sick lady
I am so glad you are safely over those
horrid old measles. I remember how
nasty they were when I had them before the
S.A War. Major Stan De Ravin is being
invalided home dearie & I have asked
him to go & see you. He has a wife & wee
Baby boy now who he has not yet seen to
go to so he is delighted at the opportunity
of seeing them but I will be more lonely
than ever. He had bad luck. He was at
a School for Bayonet fighting & the instructor
was showing them how you could try up
a German & break his leg & did it too
[[?abitically]] & broke De Ravin's knee cap
for him. I believe it cracked like a [[?pertol]]

shot. I am afraid his soldiering is
just about settled. You will know
by now why I didn't cable you about Jacky
boy. I did not hear of it until a fortnight
 

after it had happened. A wonder I
did hear I made inquiries & found that
the Defence Department had already
called you the news & I could add
nothing more to help you - you poor sad
darlings. I have taken a note of Mr Campbell's
address & will try to see him. I did not have
it before. I remember Odgers. I think he was in
the Essendon Rifles at one time & afterwards in the
7th Bn. I am glad they remember me dear pet &

I like to hear of them again. Tell Gagy Dhurach that I was
so pleased that she tried to look her best
for Dida in the photo & the laddie that I was
sorry he was so shy with the man that he wouldn't
look up at all. But tell him I will like
the photo just the same because it is
my wee laddie, but I would like him to look
good in the next one if he will try good for
Dida. The photos haven't come yet. I never
got the p. cards you sent for Mrs Edwards. They
must have got drowned. That way a pity. I
had such a nice letter from her a day or
so ago asking me to come & stop with her on
my next leave. She is very good to me. Katie
you know I met a sort of Uncle in London. Uncle
Jim Scott who is really Uncle Robert; widows
brother. He & his wife were very good to Jack Geordie & I.
Well his daughters husband is in the Army
here. He had been in 3 years & had not got any
promotion. So he asked if I could help him. I
 

did what I could & eventually he got promoted
to 1st Lieut. Then a chance came to have him
made a Capt. (He was in the British Arm & I had
to take a lot of pains about it). Well anyway
be got the job. By a mistake be got a wire
to say saying he was to report to the "Tanks"
Corps. I suppose you know about the Tanks.
Well the fellow got into a terrible state when
he heard of it & wrote the most extraordinary
letter to me wanting me to get him out of it.
As in seemed the to look or it as certain
death. I found out too that he darted off to
General Birdwood about it too. Then the mistake
was found out & I got a very grateful & humble
letter from him - It was simply disgusting
There is little wonder we are not winning
the war when men & officers thus openly give
way to their fears like this. It is simply
scandalous amazing that a man calling himself
an officer should not be ashamed to give
way to terror like that. I only hope
that I should die a dozen times rather
than give way to such fears. He is in the
Army Ferrier Corps & that proper place too. But
one feels so sick of trying to help people
who seem all right. This chap is a most
goodlooking chap & a civil engineer by profession
before the War. I am so glad Lyn is Bucking
up I think they must have cheated her
about the pension though. Geordie was
 

a Captain & I should lave though the
pension for the widow would be more than
38/ - a week. I am so glad you like the little
house Katie darling & that the soil is so nice for the
wee pets & good for Baaby's Belle's Vegetables. I am sorry
that poor Mr Trowbridge & Miss McLeodd are
so ill. I have that at least to be thankful for
that I get better quickly when I get a chance. I
am keeping wonderfully well just now. I am
sorry to hear of L/Corpl Greig's death. I did not know
him but his brother in the 7th was a splendid boy
oh The pity of loving such fine fellows for ever & the
wasters & loafers surviving & voting against us.
This was the first news I had had of Mrs
Wade's misfortune. You must have told me about
it in a drowned letter. I did not know either
that the Lang's had gone over to the West. I am very
sorry. He was a good fellow & Miss sang too was nice.
I respect she must have felt-pretty bad about
the things the German's do. Frank Fischer is in
France now. I will be glad to get some good
envelopes. Those we get here are just spuniky rubbish
things. Col Mason has not been at all well.
The cold wet weather was affected his old
wound & causes him great pain at
times. I feel sure he will knock up if he
has to go & live in the mud of the Trenches
again so I am trying to get him a job
at Command or Officers school as soon
as possible. He is eminently suited for it&
 

may be he will be able to do us good service
there instead of knocking up. Norman
Marshall got back from leave looking
Very blooming. All the other Colonels are well
Yesterday we had a sports meeting. It poured
with rain all day & we got very wet but the
Boys enjoyed themselves. The 57th Bn's Col
Bennet, just about won everything & we
gave him a nice little Silver cup as
a Trophy. I thought I had told you
about the box that Geordie was to send home
for me. One of my boys a young of officer started
to get a bit queer in the head. We attached him
to Brigade H. Q's to give him every care & whilst there he amused
himself carving the little Box & put it together.
& presented it to me. Afterwards as he
was getting worse we had to send him away &
he has now been sent back to Australia. He was
a good boy but the strain was too much for him.
He did not want to go away at all poor chap. I My
later letters would explain to you about that £50.I
could not send it just at the end of August as Geordie
borrowed £20 of it [[?]] chap for his leave. I feel so
sorry now that I almost grudged lending it to him
& disappointing Katie you - but I am so glad now that I
did. It would have been terrible if I had
refused to lend it & be lad be killed afterwards
He paid it nearly all back & I was able
to send it the £50 away all right in October.
Then I sent another £50 away at New Year
 

You need not worry about me being hard up here. It
soon grows again if I don't spend - It is clothes
more than anything. They are simply scandalous dreadfully
dear & they do wear out- but I haven't had to buy any
for quite a good long time now & that helps a lot.
I am glad you know I tell you everything & would
not tell you anything that I did not mean. We are
too much pals for that aren't we. I think my Katie, cheats
more than I do- I don't think she tells me how often she feels
weary, ill & doesn't want me to worry about her & I tell her
every time I am off color. You are such a dear old loving
thing Kit. - my little sunshine lady. It is lovely to find
little Dhurach such a good patient wee lady - just a
she sunshine lady too. I wish now I had cabled to
you about Jacky Boy although it would have been late
It might have been some little comfort to you. General
Hobbs who is just back from London where the King made
him a Knight- came to see me. He spoke very
nicely of Geordie whom he had met & said he
was very glad Geordie had been given his Military
Cross & I gave him Lyn's address as we wished
to write to her. I told him I thought it
would help her. He had just had a very sad
letter from poor Mrs Hearne the widow of Col(Dr)
Hearne who was killed a little latter later than
Geordie. She wrote to him asking about it. She
said, poor lady, that she was writing as she
was sure there had been a mistake, as she was
quite positive her husband was still alive.
But all the same there is no question that he is
dead & buried just by Geordie & poor Dr Buller as well
 

and they both stood by & watched us bury poor
Geordie & didn't know they would be buried under the
Very sod upon which they stood. It is all very sad.
I am sorry the wee lad does not bear the sufferings pain
so well as Gagy Dhurach - but he will grow more hardy as
time goes on. And so the laddie wants to be
a farmer. I think he is perhaps right & it is
the best life after all. You do produce something
of sun to the world & you are free & independent
& not at people's beck & call. He is a dear wee
chap. He will perhaps be like Jacky boy in his love &
care of horses & cattle & things - Like his man. I
must have missed a letter still as I do not know
what Jacky boy sent you for a Christmas Box at all
Tell the dear wee little people I am always thinking of
them & wanting to be home with them again.
We will have to go back into the line again son
and relieve the others They must have had a
bad time of it over up there. I doubt if it will
be much better when we get there. Certainly
I agree with you that about half the people in
Australia must be stark raving mad. Do
they see in the papers the things that are being
done in Belgium to the poor wretched people
there every day that they hope to get the
Germans into Australia; It is certainly
amazing. It is simply awful the way the people
then are bullied & shot for the least thing - starved
& beaten & made to work against then own people
in making trenches & posts men & women alike & the German
 

soldiers are allowed to do anything they
like to the Belgian women - If they dare to
have a locked door they may be shot. It is
pretty hard to keep on being proud of one's
country when that is the sort of thing
that happens & you find the majority
dont care one single scrap about it.
Selfishness could hardly go further & The
worst is that if Germany wins as she
may do we may have just the same sort
of thing done to our people in Australia
at the end.
Well if the judgment- falls upon them
no one can deny they have brought it upon
themselves.
You must just keep on praying that
we will win in the end. God be with
& keep you always my true brave
dear ones
Millions of love & knows from your
very own. Dida