Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliot to his family, November 1918 - February 1919 - Part 9

[*and the journey would be miserably cold at
this time of year. Nor do I think I will
get as far as Newcastle this time. Probably I 
shall see something more of the South of England & finish
up with Mrs Edwards. Bye again & much love

& wishes from Dida Don.*]

back from Belgium. When the Germans

found that they had to leave France

they sent away everything but had to have

a lot of them in Belgium. Often they 

sold them to the Belgians for a few francs

But on representations being made to the

Belgian Govt by the French all that

can be traced are to be sent back to

France. French Garrisons are being

moved back everywhere along the

Belgian Border so that in this

respect peace conditions are

being restored. The return of the cows &

fowls will enable us to buy butter &

eggs though they will for a long time

be very dear. Eggs can however be bought

at 3d each. Prices in Brussels I believe

are terribly dear. This will prevent me 

going to have a look at it as I would

like to so otherwise & the same is true

as regards Paris for I have never

yet had a look at Paris although

I spent a night there after my return

from Fontainbleau at the Hotel Modern

[*Well dear old Katie that's about all the news I can

give you. I shall probably go across on leave to

England about the end of January. I don't think

I will be able to go up & see Ullapool again it is so far*]

Dourlers

France

8/1/19

My dear Katie,

I received three loving

letters from you dated the 10^th 14^th & 17^th

November last. As you only refer to

the Christening incidentally & as 

your last previous letter was 3^rd Nov

it looks as if there were one or

two missing in between. Mr Tonkin

was very good to come & help you

move. One thing I don't quite understand.

In the letter you say you feel sure

Mr Jenkinson will allow you to stay

on there until I return. I

thought you had taken a lease of the

place for two years. In all these three

letters you seem very tired darling.

It looks as if the labor of moving

even with the help you had

had been too much for you. I was

very interested to hear how the little

pets took the news that the war

was over. Both seem to want their

old Dida home again.

There was a very sharp frost this

morning & the day for a wonder is

struggling to be bright & clear

which is wonderful for this part of

the world. I still get sad letters

from people asking about their dead

boys. One came with your letters from

a girl at Townsville & one from Mrs

Somers. In each case their boys were killed

in our last fight of all. It is a 

blessing that it has all ended. If indeed

it has. I didn't know that Capt

Symonds had married. Today a

notice came that the Defence Dept

was not going to give jobs to any of the

A.I.F. who had not jobs in the Defence

Department before the war. I did

not expect anything else the

way things are shaping. So we will

all have to find work again somewhere

soon.
This is only a Spiniky little letter darling

but your loving letters cheered me

quite a lot. Did I tell you

that Col Denchy has been given the

Belgian Croix de Guerre. Genl

Stewart has the C.M.G. also Genl Tovey
[*& I expect when peace is made he will Sir Edwin
As things have turned out I am rather glad I have
not been placed in his position. Layh has the C.M.G I was
glad to see. I would like to get the Legion 7
Honor when Peace is declared. There is nothing else
left that I would care two pence for now. With heaps
of love & kises for you & the wee pets from your
very own Dida Don*]

Dourlers
France
Monday
12^th Jan '19
My dearest Katie,
I dont think I have
the least scrap of news for you. I have
obtained a big book of Photos taken by our Air
people like the one I sent you last
year. The photos are a splendid
Souvenir but how I shall get it
home, (as it is so bulky that I
fear the Post office will refuse
to take it for my, I am sure I dont
know. It gives Villars Brettonneau
& all the places we fought over so
long. I have the two little pairs of
wooden shoes also in my room awaiting
a chance to post them. I think they
will go all right as they are not very
bulky. Capt Lay & the Belgian Interpreter
M. Rouge went out the night before last
to watch the edge of a wood to try and shoot the
wild pigs that come out to eat the
beet crops of the farmers at times but though
they waited for hours piggy didnt turn
up so we had to go without roast
pork this time. However yesterday

(2)
they took a walk to a small
river about five miles away &
secured half a dozen nice
trout which we had for Breakfast
this morning. I saw that
Genl McNichol had resigned his
job in England but the orders did
not state whether he was returning
to France or going to Australia.
He is a quick wit of chap & not
very popular with his men, but a very
clever man all the same & has
shown wonderful spirit - in working
with his lame leg & all.
I had a letter from Capt Wrigley 60^th Bn
now of the Indian Army. He seems
to be getting along quite all right
now. but does not know quite what
is going to happen to him when
as he expects the Indian Army
like the British is cut down
to normal proportions after
the War. People in England & I
suppose in Australia too are

(3)
doing nothing but cry for reinf  
demobilization quite forgetting that
Peace is not yet made and
that if they get rid of too many
men the war might just light
up again as bad as ever. My
own boys are very good indeed
& there is never a murmur
from them but in some of the other
units when officers don't look after
them like ours there have been almost
mutiny over certain things that
have happened. As usual the
British officers were like a Bag of
Jelly no support to General Hobbs
at all. Then when Genl Hobbs had
dealt with ^them tactfully & got the
men in hand again the British
General over us complained that they
had been let off far too lightly.
On the other hand of course if he
had dealt with them sharply &
had caused a real mutiny then
they would have blamed him for it

Dourlers
France
16/1/19
My dearest Katie,
We are having one real
lovely day the first for six weeks. I heard
one of the boys call it a real
"Aussie" Day just now. We all
seem to have come to the idea
that everything good must
come from or be a symbol of
Australia. Long may that
spirit last.
We arranged a Rifle match
with the Chasseurs Alpine for
today & old Tivey who is now
the Divisional commander got
to hear of it & invited himself
& sent out invitations to the
corps Commander & all sorts of
people to be entertained at our
expense. Thank the Lord again the
war is over. He is getting all
his own men up there on the
Divisional Staff now & the
few of my boys up there are
getting a very bad time of
it indeed & are very fed up.

2
I had a letter from Mrs Buckley yesterday
She is pretty fed up too. After 3½ years
during the whole of which she placed her
house & servants & everything
at the disposal of the Government
absolutely free of cost & got her
friends the Acland's to do the same
she received a curt type written
note without a single word of
thanks simply saying. After
31^st January we shall not
require your house any more.
It must have cost them
thousands of pounds to do what
they did for us all.
I don't think my officers
will ever forget though.
My dearie They tell me lunch is
ready now & as I have to go to see
this Rifle Match immediately after
I must away to it & finish later.
Thursday Evening.
Well we had our match dearie
& won pretty easily. Afterwards
we gave them ^guests Afternoon Tea

(3)
and had a very pleasant time
of it generally
I had a letter back from Hutton
Hoy's about the parcel to be sent
to you. I am sending them 10 pence
difference in the Bill. So you can
look out for the parcel. I hope
you will be pleased with the things
darling.
Heaps of love & about a million
Kisses from your very own
Dida Don.

Dourlers
France
21/1/19
My sweetest Katie love.
I am going over to England
next Monday the 27^th Inst for leave
probably a month as I have not had
leave for a long time last August
& I am not feeling very strong at all.
I am very much tempted when
I once get to England to drop the
whole thing and apply to go back to
Australia. I am just longing to
see you again. At the same time I
am ^[[It?]] enabled you to save money at
home & I can save some here too
although things are awfully expensive
where we are over on leave & it is
nearly as bad here now. I posted the
two little pairs of wooden shoes - one
pair to each of the wee pets. Of course they
will be too small for them to wear but they
will be little curios they may like to have
some day & if not they still do for
kindling some day if we are hard up.
I am enclosing a menu card which I
got at a dinner given by Genl Stewart
a while back. I also enclose a