Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliot to his family, November 1918 - February 1919 - Part 4

he said it was not because

he feared death that he had

written them as it might seem

to me who ^might read them but only

that he didn't want to leave her 

alone. His son had been killed in the

war before that. So there were

sad old times 400 years ago

just like there are now & loving 

sweet old ladies like my Katie

to cheer & comfort their old men.

There is not a bit of news to

tell you. I believe we are to 

go to Germany some time or

other to relieve the Troops

who are there now but it

will be after Xmas some time.

Bye my dear old lady. With

heaps of love & tishes for you &

the wee pets from your Very

own Dida Don.

Dourlers

France

15/12/18

My dearest Katie,

I got just a bundle of

letters from you & one from Baaby. Your

first one is dated 6^th Oct. You had

just heard from Mrs Layh that her

old man had cabled from Alexandria

that he was coming home. By now he will

be well & truly at home again & very

happy no doubt with his lady. In it ^you told me the
dear wee laddie said you were the best
mummy ever he had. The wee
lad is learning things. Soon he will
know that he has the best mummy in
all the world - thats what Poor old
Bob Smith. I hope he^will soon gets
better. It will be rotten bad luck for him
I have a letter from Johnny Avery &
Violet by the same mail. I will
enclose Violet. The both say
mother is well. It was very sad
about poor old Mrs Avery dying 
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for sorting Lyn. And a queer 

old world isn't it Katie & its
dashed little use trying to
get any good at all out
of it. I see that letter also
you mention that Mrs Roberts

had asked you to go & see her but
your later letters dont say whether
you went or not. I am rather
surprised at her asking you to
do so. I have not heard for a long
time from Roddick or Jim or
Begg, & I am in complete ignorance
as to how the business stands at
present. Not that it would help
much if I did know. In one of your the same
later letters you mention having
enclosed several cheques for
Moulis from the Trustees.
You must be very careful
about such things Katie
& be sure you understand them.
It is quite impossible that
Begg is banking them for me &
he should not do so even if it
were possible. You will find
that they are for costs & they
seem to be piling up against
us. It is rather a habit of Moulis
as I found when there to render
costs to Trustees. The Trustees
don't care a bit whether the
costs are a fair thing or not
they just pay them as they come
along. Whereas if the costs were
rendered to the client he might

question some & ask.
that they be reduc Old Kiddle
was always do that. If they
send any more j trot along with
it to Mr Lowe ask him can
he explain th tuation t &
to tell Begg ould prefer it all
the costs are dered by paid
by you & I don't wa the Trustees
charge af ached at a nd because
the Tu is will c it all
up a st me & u ill probably
han pay dow the amount
to y they re to be doing it.
Moules woul t perhaps like
hange you uch direct the
hey know th ustees Coy will not
raise any tion show by the
Bill is oesn't come out
of their p ket bout out of mine
In all money matters you
must to understand them
some day. The next letter is a wee
sperick dated 13^th Oct. In it you
mention about Lyn treating my wound
'as' a joke. Fortunately (or unfortunately)
for me however the man aimed just a tiny
bit to the left otherwise the Bullet

would have gone straight into the
groin & I'd have got a neat little
wooden cross with others of the boys
over here for ever in place of the other
little one I wear. Such subjects are not
for idle jests as I shall tell her if her
letter comes along. I am glad you
gave Lieut Gillies letter to poor old Hugo
You always do the right thing darling
In a former letter I told you I
think about Bob. Marshall. I shall
always admire him for the fact that
he never disclosed who he was to
me until I had picked him out
as a fine boy & given him an
Commission. Then he was wounded
& he wrote & told me who he was.
He has not been back to us yet.
but I expect he will be and soon.
I liked the Photos of the wee
people - Gagy ^Dhurach will soon not be a
"wee" lady any more. It is sad
that I have seen so little of the
dear wee girl pet in her babyhood.
I had a letter from Mr Bull who said
he had seen you & them. He said the
laddie "was very well behaved which
is a great deal these time." He
said Dhurach had a quaint way
of speaking always looking you straight
in the face - 'specs the poor wee pet talks

Irish like Baaby or something.
I do wish I would see them for a bit
Katie love. The next letter is the 20^th
Oct. telling about the false alarm about
Peace & also about the poor wee laddie
being pushed over on his head by some
other boy. What a leinsica rascal that boy
was & what a blessing the wee chap
was not worse hurt damaged than he was
but it must have hurt him
dreadfully at the time. I did feel
sorry for the poor little chap. The Dr.
Weigell you called in is Albert Weigall
the youngest of the three brothers.
He is a very decent chap at
Osmond but I don't think I
have met him since then
at all. Poor little Gagy Dhusach must
have got a fright when she saw
the laddie lying there like
that. I hope you told a Policeman
about the other boy. I wonder if you
will be able to arrange for the little
people to finish the lesson outside
the little Elsternwick school. It
would be nice for them to do that.
I wonder also if you will be able
to continue with Gagys Dhusach's music
lessons at Camberwell dearie
It would be a pity if she had
to drop it now

I had a p.card this mail from
Mrs Clarkson & a letter from Dr. Marshall.
It was very sad about poor Mrs Marshall
having a stroke like that. The last
letter is dated the 24^th Oct. I am
glad you got the cap & flag all right,
& that you liked them. Old Genl
Pan came to see my boys when I
was away in England that time
as I missed seeing him but they
all thought him a very fine old
chap. He xx must be a dear old chap to
go to all that trouble for Lynn. I
wonder she was brave enought to ask
him.  I like the French people
myself far more than the English
& I think all the Boys had the
same opinion. They seem far
kinder hearted & far less stuck
up & snobbish than ^many of the English. The
Scotch too are very good & kind
Old Birdwood would never have
done such a think as that unless
he could get someone with a 
camera to take a mugshot of
him doing it & is got an
advertisement out of it.
I was delighted to hear of my
other little soldier girl Dhusach
tell her I am very proud about
Donay She stuck to her work

when se was sick but it is a little
dangerous to keep going if you get
the Spanish flu. All the Drs here
say you should go to bed at once for
if you get a chill with it on you
it will go hard with you. Wasn't 
it sad about poor Copl Jack
Edwards. I had a very sad
letter from his father. They are
just about heartbroken over it.
General Tivey has been made a
Major General before me owing to
General Monash being transferred
to England. As Mrs T will pretty
nare to be made Lady T. at the
end of the war. Perhaps it is just
as well that I missed getting the
job as if we are hard up after the
war it wont matter so much
It would take something to live up
to the title. But all the same I
am very dissatisfied. No one here
has the slightest confidence in
Tivey as a leader & I think
everyone said when they heard of it
"Thank God - the war is over" They
all know it is because Birdwood
has a spit against me for
standing up to him for my
boys sake. Layh will no

doubt tell you all about that
I dont think he has any too much
use for Birdie either. Baabys
letter explains the confusion
about the name of the street where the
new little house is. I hope you
will like it - dearie. I am unclear
how we will manage about the rent
after I get the Sack from my job
Katie. It was sad about Nana getting
the Bronchitis I hope she has got
rid of it. It is a beastly thing to deal
with if once it gets a hold of you as
I know from my cost. Baaby told me
about your run to the Permezels
and how the lad liked the pet possums
young Permezel had out there.
Well my dear old Katie I must 
stop now. From the talk one leaves
it will be at least May before
Peace can be fixed & it will
be 9 or 12 months after that
before we all get away from here
so I can give you no idea whatever
when I shall be getting away
to you. Millions of love & kisses
for you & the wee pets from
your very own Dida Don

Infanterie - Armée Belge - Par A. Bastien,
Drawing - see original document
Dourliers
France
Xmas Eve
24/12/18
My darling Katie, 
On the 20^th I moved
from the house. I was then living in to the
Chateau which has previously been in the
occupation by the General of the 50^th 
British Division who on that day
moved to Le Quesnoy some distance
away through the Forest of Mormal.
The same day the Prince of
Wales who is spending a month
with the Australian Corps
came to see us. It was a nasty
cold day & he looked pretty cold.
He left us & went along to see a
game of football but found it pretty
cold & uninteresting so he didn't
stay long there either. Yesterday was
apparently appalling day. It blew
until you expected the house would
fall down on you & was bitterly cold
all the time. Today was wonderful
contrast. There was a sharp frost one night
& the day broke bright & sunny
with hardly a breath of wind