Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliot to his family, November 1918 - February 1919 - Part 11

I long to be back home again
with you all. It is very silly of
course but I have been through
a lot of things dearie & am not
what I was once. I am hopeful
that this rest will build me up
a bit so that I can be quite
fit when I reach home eventually
It has been raining very
heavily & all the hills are white
around us & the grass & trees
are covered. I have little of
interest to tell you dearie because
as I say I can take no interest
is things about me. Perhaps I
may be able to write better in my
sent letter. You see we have
had no letters from Australia
since Xmas for some reason
& so no wonder in a way that we
feel lonely & miserable. If only we
had something of real interest
to do one would feel better
Goodbye dear Katie & God bless &
keep you & the wee people always
Love & Kisses Im your very own
Dida Don 

Bryn Oerog
Trevor
Via Ruabon
North Wales
9/2/19
My dearest Katie,
I have very little
news at all. I am feeling
a little less depressed today.
A ^There is a hard frost on top of the
snow but very bright morning.
Mrs Edwards son was invalided
& arrived at Liverpool Hospital
on Friday so Patty & Mrs Edwards
went by yesterday to see him.
He is pretty well again now & was
allowed take him out to
afternoon tea but must remain
under observation for a time
at least.
I shall leave here on Wednesday
next & go down into the South
of England. It wont be so cold
there probably
It will be a great relief
when I am started on my way
home again dearie. I am pretty
tired of being away now. I guess
you will have me always after this
With many Kisses & love from
your very own Dida Don 

Moreton Hampstead
Sunday 16/2/19
My darling Katie,
I have as yet received no
mails at all since ever so long ago
6 weeks I think. But I hear one at
least has arrived in London & on
my return there next Thursday
I expect to get a whole bundle
of news from you. The news of the Influenza
epidemic in Melbourne which I have
read in the papers here is very serious &
I am naturally very anxious about
you all
On Saturday next I go before the
King at Buckingham Palace to
receive the C.B. & .D.S.O. decoration.
I am not a bit keen on going &
would prefer to get them sent to me.
I left Mrs Edwards place on
Wednesday & went to a little town
in Gloucestershire called Moreton-in-Marsh
I was here met by a pony cart &
driven 4 miles into the country to a place
called Chastleton - a tiny village of
half a dozen houses clustered by the 

roadside near the Manor House called
Chastleton-House. On the way I was
shown two objects of interest on a Square Stone
Killan marking a cross road where the three
Counties of Oxfordshire Warwickshire & Gloucestershire
meet. Nearby they showed me an
old farmhouse which is said to be the birth
place of the famous notorious Judge Jeffreys
who sentenced so many rebels to death after
Monmouth's rebellion under James II.
Mrs Whitmore-Jones who had
invited me to call you here was
very kind. She lives in an old but
neat & comfortable cottage near the
Manor Gates as she has not enough
money to maintain the big house which
is let to Tenants. However as these
latter were away in London at the
time the following day my W.-J - took
me over the whole place from top
to bottom including a secret chamber
where the then owner remained hidden from
Cromwell's troopers after one of the
battles of the Civil War. The place is
like a museum with its antique
furniture - old Tapestries much worn
& moth eaten swords pistols & armour
pictures & such. 

Later on she showed me a lot of old
lace which you would have appreciated
better than I could. Also a wonderful
piece of embroidery which was brought
from India by Mrs Warren Hastings whose
Husband was Viceroy ^or Governor of India some 140
years ago. The work looks as if it had
been finished yesterday. & is very beautiful.
Mrs W.J is absolutely wrapped
up in the old place & as she has no
children and is the last of her direct
line she doesn't know who to leave the
place to. She has relatives but they
like herself are too poor to keep the
place up & her principal anxiety
appears to be to discover a wealthy relative
who would be willing to undertake the
upkeep of the old place though the
might readily sell the place for a
large sum of money & do much more
good by leaving the money to some of
her poorer relatives.
However that is after all her
business & she has been kindness
itself to a whole lot of my boys
with whom she got acquainted
in various ways. She is a great
correspondent & writes to most of them
still. She collects & passes on quite

a deal of information about the
Brigade & then keeps those particularly
who have gone to India in touch
with our doings over here.
On Friday last I came South
as far as Exeter where I stayed the
night & went to the cathedral ^also to see other
objects of interest the next morning.
I have a few views of these which I
will send to you soon. Yesterday I
came on here to see Mrs Edwards I
told Miss Martha Tretinhamham. Tomorrow
I will run into Torquay which is not
far away to see another of the family
Miss Ann Witinham returning here
the same night. I shall probably
remain here then until Thursday when
I shall have to go back to London so
as to be ready for the Investiture
on Saturday following. I hope to
see Gloria Fisher. She is living in London
for the time being & a few other people
before returning to France. It should
not be long now before we can start for
Australia. Love & Kisses from
your very own Dida Don
[*P.S. I am feeling rather better than when I arrived in
England but am still rather nervy & irritable. I hope that
the remaining time in England will fix me up.*]

Berners Hotel
Berner St
London
22/2/19
My dearest Katie love,
I am back once
more in London & this morning
went once again to Buckingham
Palace & shook hands with
the King ^for the 4^th time there & received
the C.B. which is very like the
C.M.G. but hardly as nice a handsome
decoration. The D.S.0. as you
know is a pretty little Cross.
I took the C.M.G. to a firm
of jewellers to have it altered
as it has now to be worn round
the neck.
I am leaving all three of
them at Records Section
Horseferry Road also ^the cross of St Anne
as I can have them forwarded
to Australia at any time now
I posted a lot of papers
& certificates relating to their
orders to you the other day.
Please keep them for me.
Katie dear don't let my last
letter worry you too much
At times I get fearful fits 

of depression when I can see nothing
but misery for us all & I wake
up sometimes in the middle of the
night with a shock & my heart
feel as if it is on fire & every
nerve aches because I can see
no way out anywhere & no promise
of getting on with the weight of debt
^that perhaps has contracted over me. I have been striving
to throw it off with all my powers
& today at any rate for the
moment I am better & hoping
some way will be shewn to us.
Mr Begg wrote very hopefully
though as far as I could see
there was little to have his hopes
on us what he wrote about.
As you say darling your love
needs to be very great to put up with
me & my ways but never did any
one need that love more than I
do now.
I have been thinking & thinking
& possibly I may be able to
arrange for the interest on
Flory's share ^in my father's estate to be paid to her 

It is a pity that it should not
be left to accumulate so that she
would get a decent sum there
upon at mothers death when the
estate is divided up which was
what the will aimed at but perhaps
it will satisfy her better than
waiting. However we shall be
able to try that at least
The weather here today is
simply wretched a cold drizzle
just the sort of Influenza day
I am trying to avoid getting
it by stopping indoors so
as to avoid dampness. I
will be going back to France
on Wednesday (to day is Saturday)
I had a letter from Capt Gollar
He says things are all right
there- the 58^th has been disbanded
& joined with the 57^th as there
were too few men to keep
two Battns in the field & the
amalgamation enabled one set
of transport animals & vehicles to be
handed in. With many thanks
for all your patience with me darling
& I hope you will always forgive me
[*when I am cantankerous dispirited & & moody & try to be my
very own dear Sunshine lady. God bless & keep you
always my own dear pal & mate. With all my love
from Dida Don*]