Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1918 - May 1918 - Part 16

They turned out to be a priceless collection
borrowed from the Paris ^Natural History Museum for the
purpose of a^making a book on butterflies ^upon which the old man was ^enjoyed
writing I had very nice letters from
both the old chap who owned the house & the
Professor of Entomology at the Ministry
at Paris. I have sent the letter to Mrs
Edwards to keep for me. I am delighted that
you & nana & the others are keeping so well.
I am very well indeed myself now but I got
a little bit of gas xxx the other day & I can
hardly speak. I have compresses on my neck
all the time which is doing it the world of good
& I shall soon be all right again. Minus just
the tiny tiniest little bit I got fortunately
but it made me vomit a lot I coughed till I
thought I'd turn inside out.
 

but now nothing remains but the huskiness
Oh Katie I hear there is very nice fine
boy of mine Genl Bruce Anderson in
the Caulfield Hospital. He has a badly
smashed foot. He went up with me to a
port on Broodseinde Ridge & the enemy
shelled us & he was hit. He is a splendid
boy - quite a youngster- He got the M.C at
Bullecourt when Moor got the V.C. I hope
you meet then both Andrew was hit
pretty badly at Bullecourt but got back just
in time ion Polygon Wood & Broodseinde &
was hit ^again & I am afraid ^he will finished with war.
Now to his great disappointment. I never
met a braver or nicer boy. I hove you will
see him & give him my kind regards & good wishes
 

Don't you say another word about that £30
gidlets. I've got another saved up
now [[real good?]] & if they dont let me away
on leave soon I'll send it along. Its when
I go on leave that there is  the horrid [[vagrancy?]]
happens. Your old man is a general ^now &he
cannot go out upon the street unless he is
just the "thing" with all the officers &
soldiers wanting him everywhere - so when
he goes on leave he has to have a new rigout
from to totet the way thoe tailor che
is scanalous- I rppose they reckor a
general particularly an Austialeo
on is fair game. Cyhon before I ca

look wound they lot me a Billd of along
37. But when I get over here I pust wea
rigs
inc
and
3
old thing
no lon
 

Of course the Barbed wire & [[bushes?]]
very hard on the clothes & they
wear out a lot quicker then they ought
to do ordinarily but Its not ^because that they wear
out, but get too shabby for a general wear
to the per Street & places he has to go to.
The Commonwealth promised to give us a new
lay out every 12 months but cranked out
of the Bargain - They finally said will give you
a new lay out but it has to be the ready
made clothes the same as the soldiers
have to wear or well give you £5 a year
instead- so we had to take the £5 & look
pleasant even if it cost us £50 a gear
Still, they pay us pretty well & we cannot
really grumble if they expect in soldiers
recently on the pay. If they had told nothat
from the start ine wouldnt have had an
groind of complaint. If the mean liete
 

tuiggle of the Lalor Gort who wanted to pose
as bng mighty generous wilh otherpeoples
money & then when they found that owingto
great & unprocer nercase n th uea
it the number of new officers they
Arsiguen
were appalted at what they lad let themselves
in for & wriggled out if th as Hugher always ave
that is all no one trusts him. Mou know
thing will beall right so long only as the
mit him after that you are hatle toget left
witthe rem poepialle to that waited Iudos
his batdlite Wannin.
Howere wher, as now all leave i stopped
to monthss months it is just wonderful how
rllr
my little guidlet of 19/ a day mounts up int tse
Sudlet & leave a smples, Frastically every two
months I can lity lare 50 quidlet & not feel it
If I lave leave however every 3 mon
mortly prist 150 guidlet tepr
sis back
£
 

that wakes runevery lard indeed. So you
jrs late your 50 guidlets & be as lapng a
endyou
ever you can with them lecause
my very lovingest thought with then in
our true Harter swreet tore I'll loon
after myself all right. If I only had th9/ ada
I had sent you every other nenny Had it
would noo mounit u again as it lastn
I sent you one fifty grdlt about ganary.
and thes i march I think it in & here
May I ro got another just about ready you
are very tucky in Aushatin. Hearas you thinn
ther are there it is just about the cheaper& place
in th world bluei at present Sypsi a grod
place too. Hughes has promised us 4 1/20/00r
the depered pay at Credit over 12 months is you
Would get gurts a nice little lumg from
that shouldn't you. I think you will be
quite rafe a paying off all you can of the
rusties DeR
1
Well you
dn
 

please let mo know withow mucher
left still to pay off after that. It willke
a wonderful relief t have all that dibt paedaf
& start cleard that at any rate. I would not
like that I should not pay off the money my father
dent me to make a start but I would not mind is
much not payng dift that M Roberts had let me
in for without taulto mine I haren't heard nuer
of theburmers; I pufer not to hurt begg fowe
to make thitest of matter for me & t eerliys
the terrilly repponnibility I have were & jurs
at the best they can without tetting me. I am
out of the foin thank Deaver to Robert
cannot glet me in for anything worre
that he has done but of comre it mean
that inter I am given a soldice
r
0
romenhen I shall be n my heamerce
as regards a pincticeig return Ihave
to rlart all ver again
of course I stall
he prett will know everywhere & the
may help me to get a rtarppretty.
wr
 

Katy, all that yours that ar being
mread about the tonplations th Bos
TH
in man just as a eggpt are
wariily hes slarted b Pro German
Prepeated
this people who ought
Cv
better. Werth Serman who
jirst darted letter be about utator
boys were doingi egypt & itistake
reated
Our boys are not borr gools - there are
just a lad place in Multowine & lydney
in factI think ther is more actual with
o disease in ther places than i wondor
I tellthe mothers all as I horoto toth
papers & told them wher we were in
2
ut - Don't believe lalf you are told
strongly a
outy the wthntal

There yous are yead
 

pair & worry & tmake you hat thewar
be againt conscuption all for the
take of the Ferman who is seared to death
at thebitony huwcked leartly heart
eating
that we are I will leat him with end
freall his lies & Jury & late & bearthnen
tte that you hear is only goting by his pals
& mmpporters exrywhere. There in no thome
daling that I will take leave. I am
convinced that more than ever an I regaired
to look after my boys. Our Victory throther
talking
being
day of which everyore is Wheting arth
really
nnt they donen the war & was a dicad
knowk in the eye for the forth wa sole
me
tce to you old man & no one eloe- I had
ts fight everytod Gitperminion t do
is & when it was done they were all
 

nm
 

breaking ther me
tbget or shart
it; but I alone knew it
creditof
ould be necessful & my mer believed
in me & did it rounderfully welthat
tt necess went for beyord my hopes
penpecled
thought they
I havd toget the lom but
ape ar n th
advance from Baupaume tha
tthe Booch
Wouldnt be met a fool as that himself be
surrounded in the Your- but the darknen
& most of all the amaving Sitnesst speed
my
of the boys advence - once they got gon
they charged at a run for nearly a
mile cheaings yelling like fend
hushing wevehes & maching you
without a hauve hnmetting perce
all whe revirted - nothing could