Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, March 1919 - May 1919 - Part 2

goes to Melbourne first as he 

is pretty sure to do but if 

they are Quarantined they will

most likely not let them land

so perhaps you will not see him

after all. I enclose a couple 

of photos Caps Lay took

at least the one of this Chateau

The other is one Col Denehy took

of Capt Layx on his horse.

I think that is all for

today you poor old darling 

Katie. Oh Katie dear it is a terrible

thing that people cannot be trusted at

all. Goodbye dear old lady &

God bless & Keep you all for

your Very own Dida Don.

[*Pages 1 & 2 omitted.*]]

Barbencon  5

Belgium 

14.3.19.

3.

which is very trying. We 

moved up here yesterday.

We were to have gone on tomorrow

to ^another village Bussu but as there are 

no decent officer's quarters

there we are going to stop here

until the 20^th anyhow

I have a nice room in
the Priest's house. Today
I was up at Corps
Head Quarters at a
Conference to decide
amongst other things on
the form of the Tombstones
to be erected over the graves
of the men & officers who
were Killed. As far as
possible all scattered graves
are to be opened & the remains
collected into cemeteries
I though this would
have to be done as otherwise
it would be impossible
to cultivate the country
for miles & miles the
graves are so dotted about
everywhere. I had a letter

4
from Dick Coster this mail
the first for a very long time
I was glad to get it.
There is nothing
much to tell you dearie
Poor old General Tivey is very rather
puffed up with a sense
of his importance as a
Divisional Commander
but is not a bad sort
in his own way. Our
little Genl Hobbs was
Very nice to me today.
He is the Corps Commander
you know now.
It is a nice bright day
today in the sun but cold
inside - the air being still
Very sharp but Spring is
coming on very rapidly.
I had a chance of going
to Cologne & having a trip
up the Rhine to Strasburg
Had my situation been
other than it is I would
like to have gone also to
Brussels & Waterloo as

many have done but in the
circumstances one would
be mad to spend money on
these trips. I am trying to
save up as much as possible
There is another thing I must
tell you but I hope you will
not worry yourself too much
about it. A few days
back I got rather a shock
one morning by passing a
thick clot of blood in my
urine. I got a doctor of course
but he could not do anything
without an analaysis &
that could not be taken in
the field but would have
to be done in London. So I
asked him would it be
likely to make very much
difference if I waited until
I had finished up here
with the Brigade & had
it done then. He said that
would be all right & suggested
that it would be advisable
to pay a fee & get it done

by a London Specialist
for the bleeding might come
from anything where from
the Kidneys right down but
that clever specialists can tell
very closely where it comes
from & would likely XRay Xray my
Kidneys to find if it was there
the trouble was. Bye the time
this letter reaches you I
should have had the test
made & cabled you about
it. He said that it may
have been caused merely by
debility as I am very much
run down & he could see
no sign of acute disease
or inflamation. So we
must just hope for the best
& trust in God darling.
Don't worry in any case
it will all be for the best
in the end.
All my love darling & heaps
of Kisses for you & the dear
wee pets from your own
Didda Don.

Belgium
15/2/19
My dear little Dhurach,
If I was home now I'd
give you such a big big love & tishes for
being so good at the School. It was
just lovely for your Dida to hear from
Baaby what a good Report they gave
of my little people. That was just the
Very very best Xmas present you could
make your Dida. dear & it made
me as happy as you were at the little
Xmas party. I liked the photo of you
& the laddie boy which you had taken at
the photographers. Tell me do you
remember Dida quite well. Dhurach or
have you forgotten what he was like. I
am so sorry to be so long away from you
& mum & the laddie. - I'd like to be with you
always. Are you always patient with laddie
now dearie? Mum told me how good you
were when you had the measles. That
pleased me such a lot. - I am delighted
when I hear you are a little Sunshine Lady
like your dear little Mum. Dear & Nana are
very good too aren't they. They have watched
over you & Mum for me all the time I
have been away & you such wee things

that you took a lot of care. You won't
forget - that ever will you darling Dhurach
but ^will be good & loving to them always
so as to pay back their love & care of you.
for Dida.
Dear told me all about the Xmas party
you had at Lyn's House & all the fun
you had & about Lyn being Father Xmas
& what at a lot of people were their.
What fun you must have had there
I would have liked to have been there
with you all. I haven't seen Judith
of kindy or Jacquely or Rosemary yet.
What a lot of wee people I will have
to see when I get back home. Won't ^it that
be lovely to see them all & best of all to
see my own two dear little people.
who are just the best of all the world for me.
I would'nt change my Dhurach & my
laddie for any other bairnies anywhere.
So you can always tell Mum & Dida if
you have been naughty. We won't stop
loving you a bit. Even if Mum has to smack
you that's just so you will remember what
is naughty from what is good - because little
people forget sometimes - but if you didn't tell that
would make us sad & I know you wouldn't
like us to be even a little bit sad dearie if you
could help it. So always tell mustnt &
[*dont be afraid. That will help you to be good & when
you grow old you will be so glad about it. Goodbye now my own dear
little pet. Heaps of love & Tishes from Dida.*]

Brabançon
Belgium
30/3/19
My dear old sweetheart
I had two letters from
you today one dated the
12^th Jan the other the 19^th
& two teeny tiny letters
from the wee people. Since
I told you I have had no
more trouble from the
bleeding in the bladder & I
think the Dr was right
when he said that it was
due to worry & weakness
& not to any disease but
it gave me a bit of a shock
at the time. I have no pain
at all & in a general way feel
quite well apart from being
tired & not able to sleep.
because the old wretched
business won't keep out of
my mind now the war
has ceased to give me
anything to think about.
Our draft is to leave on
the 24^th now. Within the

(2)
next two days after that I

shall be handing over Col
Denehy & about 500 of the
last round of the boys over
to Col Gnl Davis after which
I shall receive orders as
to what I am to do next
From what I can gather it
is probable that I will be
sent down to Salisbury Plain
for a little time ^& put on to take
charge of one of the depots
there. I hear the men are
playing up a bit so it won't
be at all a pleasant job
but the sort of the trouble is
that the people in command
at the Depots have not
been fighting & the men have
no respect for them now.
I was sorry to hear about
poor old Nana. It is very
sad to hear of her failing now.
It seems a pity now that
Bill gave up the Lodge

(3)
after being in it so long. You
need not worry about what I
shall think of you all. You are
all my darlings & all I want
is your love my own dear
girlie - But I fear you
will find me greatly changed
dear. Very much older. Do
you remember having to hunt
for grey hairs on my head
I think the difficulty now
will be to find the black
ones. I have no news at
all to tell you Katie - 'cept
that you're a darling. Did
you Know? I'm not going
to send you a single one of your
Kisses back dearie - but will
send you all I've got of my
own in exchange. Will these
do? I hope poor little Dhurach
will not be unhappy with
new School