Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his sister-in-law, January 1917 - April 1919 - Part 12

And the Gardens Baaby. They had
their own fishponds with gold fish
& silver fish who would feed from your
hand & flamingos & argus pheasants
& all sorts of beautiful birds in their
cages & lovely little pekin ducks
& six ^hot houses full of lovely orchids
etc. Yet everyone even the Servants
had fled – Oh I forgot there was at least
half an acre of roses all carefully labelled
& beds of tulips & beds of aspargas
& other vegetables – even a motor car
was left in their terror. I took charge
of everything & got the men to water a 
few of the hot house plants but the
heat was supplied by an engine & we
had no coal to work it – so I expect
to orchids will all die. We let the
Birds go but most of them did not
go away. The Argus Pheasant did -
perhaps some one ate him, but we could
not leave them in the cages to starve.
There were lots of tame rabbits & chooks
some we ate & the rest we turned loose
in the garden. I wrote to the French
Govt to have the art collections
removed as the Germans were shelling
 

us heavily & one shell just missed
& splashed fragments against the wall
but only broke one little colored glass
pane in the window. The dining room
windows were all painted or stained
with pictures of gorgeous birds & flowers &
softened the light that came through.
I have never seen a more wonderful
place. Tivey took over from me & was
hugging himself at getting in to such
luxury, but the next day the French
Govt sent lorries to Cart all the
most valuable things away as I
requested – but I had repaired the
motor car & took it away with
me greatly to Tivey’s disgust
who gave me all sorts of broad
hints about keeping it for
use up there. I guess it will be
as good to me as to him. I have
some very fine letters from the British
Generals for the work my boys did
to turn the tide. At one time the
59^th barely 800 strong had three German
divisions attacking them at least 20,000
but our machine gun fire was too awful
to face & they made no headway though 200
corpses were piled in front of 1 gun. Bye Baaby dear. Pogues
from Dida. 
 

France
19/4/18
Dearest Baaby,
Just got your sperriky little letter
written from Croydon yesterday – 
Mum tells me your looking very
peaked up & suspects you of fretting.
Now just you buck up & make up
your mind you will not give way. It
is very sad & a weary old world
but we will try to make up old lady
The laddie & the wee pet lady & Dida
& mum will always love you, about
a million & think all the world
of you. – So you won’t be lonely for a
long time yet. I have lost a heap
of good friends Baaby dear - & I can’t
afford to have the ones left fretting
themselves to shaddows whilst I
am away. So cheer up Baaby dear
like a brave lady as I Know you
are for my sake. The little lady
too can’t nearly do without her
“Baaby” yet or the wee laddie afford
to lose his “Dear”. Tell me all
about them – Do you love them very
much & are they very nice wee
things – & about Jaquelyn &
Rosemary & the others too. I
like to Know about them all but
 

about my own ones best. I was as happy
as anything about the news that
the wee Dhusach was head of her class.
You must let the wee girlie know that
nothing in the world could have pleased
me more to hear of than that. I wonder
will the wee laddie get Keen on learning
when he is a bit older. Baaby I’d like to
get something for the wee pet Dhusach one of these
days. Can you suggest something.
As it has been impossible & will be
for some time no doubt for me to have
any leave my black book paybook is growing to look
something lovely healthy again – near forty quidlets ^pounds
in it again Baaby dear. – Most scandalous
savint ^I am a very saving person me these days. Mrs Edwards
is most anxious I should go over to
her place next leave. I got all sorts of
letters of congratulation from British
Generals on our fight here – their troops
had got the wind up properly & were
thinking a darned sight more of getting
to a place of safety than stopping to fight.
– these were just certain troops of course but
their giving way was putting the pot on
as everyone else had to come back too to
avoid being surrounded & cut off – Well
we just stepped up into the gap & the Bosche 
 

simply couldnt face us but went off
at the double. A corpl & 3 men of mine
charged 30 of the Blighters with a yell
& they never stopped till they got
out of sight & our fellows laughing so
they could hardly shoot but they killed
six & captured two badly wounded whom
they Kept for souvenirs & wounded a 
number more who however got away. I
am recommending the Corpl & his 3 for medals
Well anyhow they sent me letters & I sent them to Mrs E to keep for me & she
seems to have been impressed. . – I dont remember M^r Hewett.
Pretty nasty old Storm that at
Brighton – I Wonder Mum wasn’t scared
most to death. Im glad it was no
worse. but I guess we wont buy that little
house Baaby – don’t like to hear the way
its roof is put on – Maybe the floor will
drop off too some day. Some builders like
some officers ought to be hanged – Such a joke.
Baaby – All the poor frenchies (civies) ran
away like mad even from the pretty big towns
on the approach of the Bosche - well there were
tons of wine & all sorts of things about – great
temptation so I was terrible strict with the
Boys & they hardly dared as much a look at
even an empty bottle – Well I found a
blighter ^of an English officer helping himself
by the cartload to Champaign of all 
 

the best brands from a Bond Store ^in this town. I had
him handed over to a Provost Marshall
for Trial & published a notice that the
next officer caught like that would 
be summarily & publicly hanged in
the Market Square & that the body
would be left hanging there as an
example to deter others. That
yarn has spread through the whole
blessed British Army now & promises
to be still more widely known than
the yarn of the hat – but I guess it
startled some of the British officers quite
a lot & put down looting in my area
Thanks for the wattle. Did I tell Mum
that I found a lovely little Cootamundra
wattle in full bloom in a Conservatory
in a beautiful Chateau I lived in for
awhile just on the edge of Battle – I
plucked a bunch & sent some to
Genl Birdwood & Genl Rawlinson as an
“Omen” of Victory. Bye - Baaby – that
was just [[ ^be ]]’cause they were down in the
dumps, Baaby, like you & thought
maybe we were going to be licked & I
wanted to buck them up a bit same ^as I like
I do you – Mil pogue Baaby darling
for you & be good & cheery for Dida 
 

France
3/5/18
My dear Baaby,
Thanks about a Million ^times
for your letter of the 3^rd March finished on
10^th March. This is heaps ^much later than any
of Mum’s. Is’nt it funny how the
letters come. Katie’s. latest is the 28^th Feb.
There was heaps of news in yours about the
wee things which I was most anxious
for. It helps me to write letters to the
little rubbishes that may do ^be good for them
You see while I am so far away & they
Cannot see all the holes & faults in me
but think I am just “it” in the way of Dida’s
I may be able to influence them for their
good. I am sorry not to be with them
but perhaps from this point of view it
is for the best. I am a pretty crochetty ^person
‘tankerous old person to have about the
house, you musn’t forget Baaby & how
you used to have to sort me occasionally
I am longing to get another little letter from
Dhusach & the laddie so I can see how
their writing is improving. I’m always
anxious for the snap shots too. I
am enclosing a letter I got from Mrs
Buckley – One never Knows here if we
may not have to retreat & perhaps have 
 

everything we possess captured so I sent
one of the photos to Mrs Buckley to Keep
for me.. If we had the men we need
fear nothing for we can beat the
Bosche up to 10 to 1 at close fighting
but the artillery fire thins us out
day by day. I was very very sad
recently. A very fine boy that I had on
my Staff last year Norman Lovett
was killed quite recently. He was
a splendid fellow & the makings of a
Brilliant officer. He & Major Elliott
who was Killed at Fleurbaix with Major
M^cCrae were the finest ^natural soldiers I have
ever met. It is very sad that the best are
taken. Fancy the laddie noticing that
mum didnt close the shutter of the Camera
He’s got a few brains concealed about him
somewhere right enough. I just think
you would be angry with those shirkers
Baaby – the things you want to say about
them aren’t in it with the things I think
& say about them when I see men with
five wound stripes upon their arm
being dragged from hospital & sent up
to face it all again & again to save
those wasters & Traitors & Keep them
safe in their little beds.
[* I am in a nice home still & having quite a good time.
As the Bosche shelled us & Killed to of our servants the other night I am
getting a big dug out built for us all in the Hillside. Bye Baaby dear
love from Dida *] 
 

France
26/6/18
My dear Baaby,
Big heap ^Many thanks for
fattish letter I got from you dated
31^st March. Have’nt heard from you
this long time before. Rory’s report
you very thin. Hope you are
not letting the two young rogues
give you too much work.
Its a big heap long time since
I sent either of you anything
in the way of glad rags. Can
you let me Know if ^there is anything
I can get for you or Katie. You
neednt tell her & it will be a surprise
for the dear old lady ^her to get a parcel
from me again. I’d like to get
something for the dear wee Dhusach
too to reward her for her hard
work at School. Can you
suggest anything. If you
gave measurements I could ^perhaps
get a little frock made maybe
 

or do you think she’d like a dear
little watch. I dont like giving
a child jewellery as a rule but
^a watch it could be Kept for her till she
is older.
It would make you sad to
see the homes here Baaby. The
poor things had to run away
& leave all their furniture &
the Tommies ^who were here before us broke them open
to see if there was anything in
them to steal. They are quite
the ^veriest thieves of the world - a lot of
them. You can talk to some men
but the majority of Tommies
are too ignorant & too Selfish
to care. Our men have saved
a very great deal ^of property for the French
but in spite of it all the loss is
just awful. There are splendid
crops going to waste all over
where we are now. It was where