Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliot to his family, November 1918 - February 1919 - Part 5

we had therefor a much more
enjoyable day. This has been a fine
home & Hindinberg & the Crown Prince
from time to time lived here. It has a
very interesting history which I
will write just for you some
time. There has been much
fighting in past times all
over this country & 140 years
ago or so the Austrians &
French fought a great battle on
the spot & the little Village of Dourliers
was three times taken & lost with
fierce hand to hand fighting. In the end
the French had to retreat. The house
was left pretty well ruined & remained
so for many years I suppose until the
family saved up enough money to put it
to right again. The Germans have not
done much damage to the building itself
but have pinched most of the best of the
furniture & all the crockery etc. Of
the 7 pianos that used to be in the house
including the big grand they have left only
one small cottage piano - I expect it was the one
the kids practiced on. The owner of the place
is Major the Count de Bourbon who is in
the French Army. He is a descendant from one
of the Kings of France and a lady who wasn't wed
to the King but that doesn't count if you are a
King or didnt in the old days. Mrs Edwards'
son J.C. Edwards who has been fighting
in Egy Italy has been given the MC & his
Batman Humphreys who is their butler
has been given the M M. The pair of them captured
50 Austrians in one of the last battles they had
over there. But the other Edwards are very
sad - their son Jack Edwards who was
wounded near [[Lebe]] just at the end of the war
died from Influenza at Boulogne
[*2DRL10513*]
[*which he caught when recovering from his wounds there
Well Katie love all this [[sheet?]] is just about used up & I havent enough news
to start another. Tomorrow is Xmas day & next will be our 'Versary. Bye darling Katie
love from your dida Don 

France
25/12/18
My dear Katie
I was lying awake
last night thinking about things
and it suddenly occurred to me
like a flash what those old cheques
were that you had been enclosing

for Moules.
Mr Begg is looking after the
remnant of the business that is

mine & the Trustees Coy give him
still on my behalf the jobs that
they would give me if I were there.
Moules charge their costs
of course & are to keep half of
them for themselves as they do the
work & are to keep half of it
banked for me until I return.
So my mind which was very
much upset about this matter
is now very greatly relieved.
I was afraid that the winding
up of the business with Robert was
causing a deal of costs & that
Mr Begg was getting them paid by
by the Trustees Coy instead
of asking you for the money
It was very stupid of me not
to see the solution of this
mystery before. Xmas day
has been very quiet here 

We had a little snowfall last
night & today the grounds are
all white. I had a mile or two
walk this morning & felt very
tired when I got home.
I dont think you will find
me walk too fast for you now
dearie. I think I am getting
very old quickly. now which is
very sad indeed as I'll have a lot
to do yet.
This is not much of a letter
dearie - theres not any news to
tell now. Col Denely Col Scanlon
& Major Ferris all came to see
me & to wish me many happy
returns of the day. I got a
whole bundle of Xmas cards
some of which are very interesting
I'll make a bundle of them & post
them out to you. Did I tell you
that Mrs Edwards son had got the
M.C & their Butler Humphries who
was J.C Edwards batman got the M.M for
helping him capture about 50 —
Austrians in Italy. It will make
the other Edwards people more
sad than ever about losing their
son now. because he was more 

from all accounts a very fine boy
& doing splendid work in his
Regiment. The boys on the whole seem
to be enjoying Xmas & have lots of
football & sports to keep them
fit & there is no liquor attainable
& few other temptations here at
present
I am getting Col Mason back
in a day or two. As Col Watson
has left the 38^th Bn there is a
vacancy there for a Col. It will
be a dissappointment to 
Major Ferris who hurried back
from England to take Command
of the Bn so he will be
disappointed at getting no
promotion after all. But it
can't be helped. Well dearie
pet I will sleep easier tonight
because of my thought last
night of those cheques. Bye
now Katie love. Millions of loves
& tishes for you & the wee pets from
your very own Dida Don 

DONATED RECORDS LIST
3297
3rd Series
P.S. 26th Dec
Dearie Katie.
Have just got
a parcel from you
with tea, sugar
pair of socks
chewing gum
paper, envelopes
biscuits. Thanks
about a Million
Oh. Yes there was
some butter
scotch too

[*picture - see original document
Artillerie - Armée Belge. Par A. Bastien.*]
Dourlers
France
26/12/18
Dear Katie love
I received
a cable from you asking what
you were to do & with a very
very sad heart I have sent over
to London & requested them to forward
a cable telling you that it
is now inadvisable to come.
I have been hoping against hope
that you would have started
when you got my ^other cable & would
be here very soon but no doubt
you found that impossible. I
am afraid it will be a long time
before I am able to come back to
you & we will be lucky to meet
for our next Versary Anniversary even
but on the other hand I may be
on the way home before many
weeks. It is quite impossible to
know what will be done PTO

2
I am enclosing you Mrs Edwards
letter telling me about her son getting
the Military Cross. I will enclose
also a letter I got from little
Mademoiselle Brunet which
Miss Stewart will no doubt
translate for you. It tells about
them having a dreadful time
with the flue and that her father
is knocked up looking after them
all. She tells about getting her
brothers personal belongings &
the military medal & Croix
de Guerre which he had
won before his death. It is all
very sad for them. He was such a fine
boy & the brother who is left is rather
a useless sort of kid very spoiled
& rather cheeky. It seems a pity that
the nice one was taken. He was her own
brother & the other one is her step mothers
only child & so no doubt got spoiled.
Her girl friend is going to Paris to bring
up [[?]] for the New year Holidays.
That's just about all in that letter. I
am enclosing also a letter from Miss
Marie Riley. She is a sort of 2nd Cousin
& lives in Sydney. I haven't met her
but Geordie met her occasionally. & I
think stayed there once.
I saw her "boy." He is a very fine
fellow indeed & has a good reputation
in his Unit. I am only sorry I did
not meet him before as he would
make a good officer. His brother
was with me also and he was a
fine fellow too but was gassed & was
away a long long while also. He is
better again now. The boy showed me
Masie's photo & she looks such a
jolly bright girl resembling Violet
quite a lot in a way big full forehead &
chin - quite good looking girl. I had another
letter from Miss Little at Frankston who
claimed to be a relative. Her people
came from about the same district in
[*D.R.L. 3297 (3rdS)*]

3
[*Picture - see original document
Lanciers - Armée Belge. Par A. Bastien.*]
England where our people came
from so it is quite possible that
we were related at some
period. Poor Mrs Somers will
be very sad this new year I
suppose. I hear there is a big Austn
Mail in with letters up to 15th Nov
The last we got were the 26th Oct.
It will be lovely to get a big heap of letters
just now. OK Katie, I got another
parcel from you with two little packets
of tea Two tins one flat & one round
full of sugar a lovely pair of khakie wool
socks & I dont know what else. I took
one of the little tins of sugar to the dear
old lady down the town the doctor's
widow where I was before I came here
They are very hard up for sugar & so she
was delighted to get it. I told here she
you had sent it and she said I was
to wish you all the best luck in the world
& that you will soon have me home safe
& well. The French are very good
[*D.R.L. 3297 (3rdS)*]

-4-
kind people. We had an idea from
Books that they were more or
less Brummies but I have come
to the conclusion that they are
in the main straighter & truer
than the English & while in Paris
as in London there are a lot of
fast girls in the country towns they
are splendid girls. They work morning
noon & night & always appear
cheery & bright in spite of all
their sorrows & they are in the
main religious & good with it
not like some of our people. I had
a little letter from Jessie Campbell
They were expecting a visit from [[?]]
Jack any day. Murdo Campbell
had been up to see them He had been
wounded & lost a couple of his
fingers & was just out of hospital.
They liked him. Jessie sent
me over a lovely tin of heather
honey. It just missed Xmas
but will come in find
for the new year
Well darling pet
bye & millions of loves
& kishes for you & the
wee pets from you own Dida
Don.
P.S. The Prince of Wales was to
come here tomorrow to present
some medals to the soldiers
who have not got them yet.
but today it is a terribly
stormy & if it is like this
again tomorrow he wont be likely
to turn up I should think.

5
[*Picture - see original document
Infanterie - Armée Belge. Par A. Bastien.*]
Dourlers
France
28/12/18
My dearest Katie pet
It is another
desperately wild & stormy day.
This morning we had a
visit from the Prince of Wales
Genl Hobbs & Genl Tivey for the purpose
of presenting medals to some
30 of the men who have won them
but had not as yet received them
As it was so wet I arranged
for a number of the officers to
attend & had seats all arranged
in the Big ^Army Hall & got carpets
& things & fixed it so that
it looked very nice. We had
a good fire & a table with the
Australian Flag up on it. The
little Prince is a very
nice little chap & talked to
all the Officers in turn
[*P.S. I enclose a letter
from Col Watson telling about
the despatch of certain [[?]]
to us that [[?]] [[?]] *]
[*D.R.L. 3297 (3rdS)*]