Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, January 1918 - May 1918 - Part 5

I am writing to Messrs Berry & Co
thanking them & will write later &
let them know what the decision of
the Committee may be on the subject.
If you are in at the Depot you can
let them know about it. I will write
to Mrs Marshall myself shortly & let
her know all about it. Col 
Stewart is still away on his leave
Neil Freeman is pleased with his
new job - very much. I hope he does
well as I feel sure he will do. I
dont expect I will see Johnny Avery
very soon to tell him about Rosemary
Col Campbell who was O.C. at the hospital
where he is came to see me this morning
He has a job over here now. Tell Violet
that he says there isn't much chance of
Johnny being sent over here from where
he is. He has specialized in certain
work there & is doing so well at it
that he would be wasted elsewhere
It was announced in the London Papers
yesterday that the Russians have finally
made peace with the Germans with no
conditions whatsoever leaving the latter
in full possession of a large part of
their territory. There is therefore nothing
 

 

now to prevent the whole German Army

being used against us. To emphasize this

we were fired on yesterday by British

9.2 heavy Guns - some of those which

we furnished to the Russians for the war.

I hear that the present Russian Govt xxxx

are selling there guns to the Germans. There

is no doubt that those fellows Lenin

& Trotsky are really German Agents
I should say that that scoundrel

Mannin is getting a great deal

of German money out of it. Well

I wonder what the people will do to

him when they find Germany in possession

of a big lump of Australia - for

that is what will sure enough

happen if things go against us here.

I hope they Lynch him some day.

It would be some consolation to us here to

know proper punishment had been

meted out to him in the end.

It is all very sad isn't it. Well

darling sweet love - God bless & keep

you safe through it all. Heaps of

love & kisses for you dear one. & for our

wee pets. Mr Lowe said you were looking well

when he saw you. I hope you are feelin better

& less sad my own darling. Bye dearie

your very own Dida Don.

P.T.O.

 

 P.S.

Did I tell you

that Bob Marshall

has not yet joined 

up.

Oh the amount

of Berry's fund

was £310 oda

 

Belgium

20/2/18

My dear darling Katie,

I have received another

letter of yours dated the 9th Nov 9/11/17. I think

it really is 9/12/17 because you tell me

about the Christmas Party at Weeroona

& all the people who were there. You

mention seeing Odgers at the Hospital.

I remember his name quite well but

I don't think I should know him

if I saw him. I shall be pleased

when the photos of all the little people

come. I hear however that a lot of our

mails have been drowned again

That would be sad indeed if they have

gone. I am glad you like the new little

home darling & hope you will be very happy

there. We are going into the front line trenches

tomorrow but at present there is not

much doing. Our people expect that 

it will be pretty a little time yet before

the Bosche is ready to attack. he is

still bringing men across from Russia

to Attack us. & is not quite

ready yet

 

Belgium

26/2/18

My dearest Katie,

I have just got 3 dear

loving letters from you and two more

from Baaby Belle. Yours are dated 20th Dec 17

30th Dec 17 & 3rd Jan.18. There seems to

be some others to come by the look of

the dates as the latest one I got previously was

13th Dec.17. But it was lovely to get

one as late as the 3rd Jan. It seems

no time ago at all. With the warmer

weather I am feeling much better & cheered

up though at present I have a cold in my

head which is making me feel very sniffy

& horrid. In your letter of the 20th Dec you

say Nana is writing to me but that

has not come I suppose it will arrive later

& tell me all about her pension. You just

mention it. I am very glad poor old

Nana has that at least to comfort

her & keep her from want I had a very

nice little letter from Lyn & she said

that with she & Jacquelyn would

always share what they had with you &

the Bairnies I liked the party snap

shots very much. What fat little imps

 

 

Dindy Judith & Rosemary Jacquelyn look in

the photo. I expected from your

accounts to see a little peaky face

but on Jacquelyn but she has one like

a full moon. I had a letter from Mrs

Marshall. Also Bert Layh wrote to me

& sent a cheque for £200 to donate £50

to each Battalion. it is surplus

people from their Canteen in England.

We have only about 20 or 30 men there

now for all reinforcements so he sent

this money over here to the boys here

The proceeds of Berry's fund comes

out about £70 or £80 each Battalion

so they each have a nice little

nest egg to buy extra vegetables etc

for the men. I am entitled to go

on leave at the end of the month but

I am feeling quite all right & I don't

fancy spending the money. I will

have another £50 all ready for you

at the end of this month but I think

that will just about settle me for 

some time. It seemed a pity not

to be able to send you even your table

 

linen darling, for Xmas, but I must be

very saving now. I left London on 4th Dec

with £10. Since then I have had to draw £15-10

for servants wages & messing expenses but all the rest

has been saved up for you. I have a lovely warm

overcoat so I was able to do without a waterproof

coat for the winter - the one I had got lost

at the Polygon Wood battle somehow but I

had had it 12 months & it was just about settled.

The greatest trouble is clothing. It is terribly dear

& every time pretty well that you go on leave you need

a new suit as it is impossible to keep clean.

However as I did not go out much last time

in England & as I had left my newest

suit that I had bought in March last in

England in my box as a sort of best 

suit I avoided buying a suit either in June 

or October - but leggings & putties get wet

& ugly & a General man has to constantly

renew there things if he has to go to London

& look smart. Most Generals go in for

wearing big boots up to the knee but

there cost £8 each pair now. I fell in

over a pair I bought in Sept 15 when I was

home from Gallipoli. I bought a pair

 

when I came out of Hospital. They only cost £5

then. I put them on & they fitted nicely but as

I was very thin then as soon as I got

a bit fatter & the calves of my legs got normal

I could not get them over the calf. They are

all made for spindly sort of persons &

Jack Geordie could not get them on either. So I

am off long boots since. I always have the

greatest difficulty in getting leggings to

big enough to fit me round the calf

for the same reason. I think I'll have

to join the Scotties & so wear kilts

& stockings. It would be a great saving. When

I was home from Gallipoli I was able to get some

very nice underclothing all wool & it has lasted

splendidly. At times since I have had to buy

more & it has never been anything like as good.

I mostly have the good ones still over here they

get washed & do again the others I mostly bought in

England brought them back & wore them out & then

reverted to the good ones. I did not have to

buy any underclothing this last time except

a pair of pyjamas & as a result of living

in hospital most of the time was able

to go & come on £10-0-0. So that

is how I have been able to save up

 

 

for you dear without in reality depriving

myself of anything. if I don't go on leave

for a couple of months I will have

saved up quite sufficient to replenish

my underclothing & buy me one new suit - I must

also have an extra pair of breeches to go with

my present suit - as the my pants are getting very

thin in the seat & I must have two good

pairs - riding wears the seats of them a deal

It is a joke about my photo being worth

raffling even on a lollie box. I am delighted

with the dear little laddie boy. He

must have a really wonderful nature to be

conscious smitten when he saw his

watering can. Most kiddies would

have been so delighted that even if

they had been thinking of their faults the

right of it would have banished the

other thoughts. If only he were grown

up I coud be quite content to leave

you in his charge. It is a great pleasure

to save up for good little bairnies people like ours.

Tell them they are both a great comfort to

me. Mrs Edwards boy is still in

Italy. In your letter of the 30th Dec youo

 

 

mention poor little Judith having the

measles. I suppose all the houseful of

babies then will develop them now. They

could hardly avoid it. I have not seen

anything of Reg Avery lately except that i

know he had leave to England at

Xmas. I had not heard about Conder

being a Major. He has I know done excellent

work at Langwarrin. In regard to

decorations my luck is right out. The

New Year Honor lists closed on the

22nd Sept. All the other Australian

Divisions had had a very big fight

on the 20th & had done splendidly.

Almost all the Brigade Commanders

got Decorations for that. Our

Division went in & fought for three days

at Polygon Wood 25th, 26th & 27th

Sept. & had a worse time than the

others but they we were too late. for

the New Year Honor list. So the

next Honor list is the Kings Birthday

one in June next. We are putting the

lists in for it now but the W.O. has

issued instructions that no one

who was included in the lists