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 Belgiums 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 3^d 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 [[?Wh?pool]] again it is so far *]

 

 

 

Dourlers

France

8/1/17

My dear Katie,

I received three loving

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

November last. As you only refer to

the Christening incidentally & as 

your last previous letter was 3rd 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 letters 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 then 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 wa

was over. Both seem to want their

old Dida home again.

There was a very sharp frost this

morning & the day for a wander 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 Gererre. Genl

Herart has the C.M.G. also Genl Tovey