Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his family, March 1919 - May 1919 - Part 3

I forget what

the last weight of the children
were but they dont appear to

have gained much & you

must be just a shadow
you poor darling
We have had a few fine days
but today it snowed quite
a lot though the snow did
not lie & at times bitterly
cold & very stormy. It has
now stopped & is brightening
up a lot.
Bye now my own sweet
darling wifelet. I have not
been so depressed of late but
when the "blues" fit is on me
it is terrible almost more
than I can bear I wish I
could be with you
With millions of love & kisses
from your very own
Dida Don

Charleroi
Belgium
5/4/19
My dear Katie
I fully expected to be
in England before now but for
various reasons have not gone
yet. I expect however that
by the 25^th of this month we will

all be out of France. & very
soon after that all being well
I should be on the water for
Home as very many ships
are being made available out
of the German Merchant fleet
to take us home & bring back
food.
Things are very uncertain
indeed & I should not be
the least bit surprised
to find all Europe at
war again within a 
very short period.
I could have had a trip
into Germany along the Rhine
but that in the circumstances

I must save money. It is
only three hours run into
Brussels from here but
things are very dear there
also. Paris is terrible. The
other day Genl Bessell Brown
went down there. The train was
late getting in & he could not
get a room unless he paid
75 francs which is about ₤3
for a room for the night It
is simply packed with visitors
Where in the world they got the
money to spend is a marvel
to me.
I have command of the Remnants
of the 8^th Brigade as well as my
own. Genl Stewart has to go to
England on the 8^th Inst. He is afraid
he will be given a job there at
Weymouth which I thought at
one time I would have to go too
& so may be kept in England
for some time. I dont know

how it came about but a wire
came for him to go over there,
without asking him whether he
would like it or not. Norman
Marshall is I believe to command
the Remnants of the Brigade still
remaining until the next
draft goes away. Perhaps
they may then come under me
here.
Dear old lady I hope you are
well & happier. I am better with
the warmer weather but still get
fits of the blues. I wonder how one
can avoid it I often think of
your saying.
"The man worthwhile is the man
who can smile
"When everything goes wrong"
And I try to cheer up & be worthy
of my "Sunshine Lady".
They sent me up this week
to Polygon Wood to select

a site for the monument the
Govt is to erect there. It was
interesting to see the old
Battlefields again. They have a
lot of German prisoners disintering
the scattered bodies & burying
them in various cemeteries round
about.
I got to see poor Geordies grave.
The cross is still standing but
has a Shrapnel bullet through
one arm of it which has splintered
it. Poor Col Scotts cross was all
smashed & I asked the officer in
charge of the P.O.W to have a new
cross made for him The cemetery
where Geordie is buried is
being done up.
It is a very nice sunny
day today. I dont like the idea
very much of arriving back home
in Winter having just got rid of
this one. Bye dearie old sweetheart
All my love to you & the wee pets from your
own Dida Don.

Charleroi
Belgium
13/4/19
My dear Katie
No letters yet. 
I felt very sad & lonely today.
I am thinking a lot of you but
more of the wee pets particularly
my dear little Dhusach [[Vech]]. I would
like to see the dear wee thing her again
soon. There is very little news.
Genl Stewart left for England on
the 8^th Yesterday the people in
this house asked me to Lunch.
It started at half past twelve
& lasted till five. There was
a terrible long pause between
each course & much wine
six different sorts to be
sampled.
It got to be pretty wearisome
though the dishes were very
nice. There was a Viscount &
his son an Air Force officer from France
The old Viscount was one of the
nicest people I have^ ever met. He
used to be in the French Navy &
spent 21 months round about
Australia & New Zealand some
thirty years ago. He had been
up in the Blue Mountains & had
visited the Jenolan Caves.
He could speak English very well ^ indeed
but his son couldn't
In the evening Genl Hobbs had us all

down to Corps HeadQuarters &
we had dinner at 8 o'clock. Genl

Tivey took me down in his car. We
got left there about 11 pm & it was getting
towards midnight when we got back.

It was a very good dinner too.
A sad thing happened here the
other night. One of the best of my
young officers a boy named Danaher
was found apparently killed by a
train on the Railway line near the
station. Now however there is 
some doubt about it & there is to be
an inquiry. There is some suspicion
that he may have been murdered
and his body thrown on the line
to avert suspicion. He was a long
time a Sergeant in the 58^th but got
a commission towards the end
after distinguishing himself several
times. He had just been granted
leave to go to Paris & therefore
may have had a good amount
of money in his possession as
on present prices it is difficult to
live any time in Paris without
£30 or £40 at least.
We have had some fine weather but

a good deal also of cold & windy
days. The sun was is out just now
but a few minutes back it was raining.
I am enclosing a photo of the chateau
where Genl Hobbs is living & with
the menu in the back. It is rather
interesting as a souvenir. I had
a letter from Capt Wrigley in India
[*He seems really dissatisfied & restless & is sorry peace has
been declared. This is just about all. the news. Col Denehy is having a
weeks leave in England .Goodbye my own dear pet wife & God bless you
from your very own Dida Don

Charleroi
18/4/19
My own dear little Katie Love.
Yesterday I had
such a lot of letters from you. One
dated 9^th Feb & finished 13^th Feb. Next
16^th Feb Next 20^th Feb., Next 23^rd Feb Next
2^nd March. I had also little letters from
the dear wee pets ^children dated in February
whilst the schools were closed & also

a letter from Barby dated 2^nd March
telling me about the Dhusach's
Birthday party. It looks like as if I
might be home in time for the
laddies party after all. So far as
I can learn we should leave here
about the 25^th or 26^th April & probably
my stay in England will be very short
Col Scanlan has left for Australia
with Major Dickson so the latter's
lady ought soon to be happy again
I hope the hot weather has gone. It
must have been very trying to have
so much of it together as you had.
Genl Birdwood's daughter got married
all right & they were not at all
pleased about it I hear. She is not
the least suited for life in Australia
She has been brought up to be waited
on hand & foot & cannot even sew
a button on for herself. From
what I can learn the man
whom she married has exaggerated
his position & prospects & that
she will be greatly disappointed
His people have a sheep station up

north of Geraldton somewhere very
dry & hot & only blacks about. I am
glad the wee Dhusach is making headway
with her music & the little flowers she
painted on the note paper is quite nice
Tell her I will be pleased to have her play
me hymns when I come home.
It was a mistake about "Darkie" my
old horse. I rode up on him the
day I was wounded 9^th August &
when the boys heard I was hit where

I was, the rumor spread that he

had been killed but I had got

off him just before & was on foot

when I was hit. Poor old fellow

He was sent off to London to be

sold. I had a leather label just

on him telling how long he had

served me & that he had been

wounded at Ypres & asking the

buyer to take care of him. His

mate Comet was sold here &

I suppose the "Belgiques" as they

call themselves will eat her

She brought 900 francs about

£36. Riding horses are not much

in demand here but mules are 

fetching £40 each & heavy draft

horses up to £120 each & those

sold are not the best. All the

best have to be sold in England

I should have liked to have brought

poor old Darkie home, but

the Govt would charge £75 for his

passage she would have t be kept in

Quarantine 6 months in England

& 6 months in Australia & the cost

is more than I can afford. If only

things had been different. I feel very

sorry for poor Mrs Milone & Mrs

Crawford & the other ladies in Cairo

these days they must be having

fearfully anxious time with their

children in the midst of all that

fighting & carrying on. I am sorry

to hear of the Aust fires. It is very hard

on people to meet losses of that kind

I had a very nice letter from Mrs Denchy

& one from Miss Stewart by the last 

mail. Aren't you the dearest old lady

to be wanting love letters from me - do

you know that you are wed ten years

now & haven't seen your old man for

nearly five of them. How much will you

give me for a tish Katie love. Oh my

darling sweet lady won't it be just the

loveliest thing in the world to hold you

tight in my arms again. If only I can

shut out for a day or two the

thought of kisses & think only of

my darlings it would be just heaven

but at times the worry is almost

too much to bear. I am wondering

if you got the boxes of curios I had

posted out to you. I am sorry

to hear that the returned soldiers give

as much trouble in regard to the hotels

It causes us a little trouble here