Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his sister-in-law, January 1917 - April 1919 - Part 8

Heaps [[ ^{I am} ]] sorry about the blot Baaby
but have’nt time to write all that
sheet out nice & clean again.
Tell that wee Laddie that I’ll be after
him when I come home for sneaking
my Camp Stretcher to sleep on while
I’m away.
Do you spoil the laddie much Baaby ?
I see you say he always wants his own
way. Does he always get it?
Never mind about the Diary Baaby. The
last big fat one you sent me has a long
way to go yet before it is filled. Most [[ ^{It is} ]]
like only half filled up yet. It is a great
deceiver as it doesn’t look very fat at
all & it is nearly 12 months since I
started it viz 5^th Nov last year. – Time –
does fly to be sure – & we getting no
younger. I sure enough wish I
was Col Duigan & back home
with you all but one could not
go while still well & strong &
these blighters of Germans still fighting.
I’m living in a funny little
hut. It is made of that rubberoid 
 

Roofing with hessian lining but has
a boarded ceiling not straight
across but running up the Shape
of the Roof.
The carpet is hessian too & it has a
decent window one & a door & a teemy
timy brick chimney. It has a little
built in table in the corner for writing.
It has a little shelf above it for my
books & the old [[ ^{photo of my} ]] lady & the wee people are
smiling at me from it. There is another
shelf at the bedhead for some clothes &
a stretcher made of Hessian which is
very comfortable & warm. Oh yes & I have
a window blind also of Hessian. No
frills or floonces upon it at all
Eric Walker left us to join the Flying
Corps but has got ill in England &
is in Hospital there. I dont think
he is strong enough for this job do you ?
He has been sick a lot. I’ve just heard
that two of my officer boys who went up
to help with [[ ^their ]] Machine guns have been
hit one seriously. You don’t Know
them. It is very sad. Two men Killed 
 

& 11 wounded also. There were a
working party. The guns are booming
booming like the waves on the Shore
again – drumming to call us to
battle & for many of us beating our
funeral marches at the same time.
If I could leave the old lady & the
wee people a little more money
I would go willingly since men must
die that we may be quit of the
old Kaiser & his soldiers & it may
as well be me as the next man
& my poor boys have to face it all
time after time & it is up to the
officers [[ ^{even the highest} ]] not to shrink from what their
men have to face. But whether we
shrink or whether we dont we must
each & all go into it with what courage
we can muster & take “such chance
as Chance shall send.”
Bye Baaby dear & heaps of thanks
& love for all you’ve done for us
Love to the wee people & pogues
from Dida
P.S. Heaps pleased the photos were not drowned.
 

20/9/17
Opened this [[ ^letter ]] again to tell you
that big heap good news has come
through Our boys particularly the
Old 7^th have made a glorious advance
& captured a whole lot of Bosches
& driven the “Limmers” back a
long way about 2000 yards & that
all the fight is Knocked out
of them for the time being..
That will be another feather in our
boys caps for the British troops
have been blocked along this line
for about a month
Heaps of love Baaby dear
I hope we will do as well
when our turn comes. – 
which will be very soon
now I spect. expect
Yours sincerely,
Dida 
 

Belgium
12/10/17
My dear Baaby,
Thanks for your
big heap fat letter & the picture of
the dear little Dhurach’s hand. Tell her
Dida was just delighted to get it. Tell
her too that I think the little hand is just
like Dida’s & I was so pleased that I gave
it a tish. for coming over to cheer me up
so much. I am sad these days & people
tell me I’m not looking well. One can
hardly wonder after all that’s happened.
here & at home. Most are getting to Know
now about Geordie [[ ^{s death} ]] & so don’t ask [[ ^{after him} ]]. I had
a Very nice letter from Mrs Edwards &
also letters from her daughter & niece
They are worried too. Mrs Edwards
only son is in it all. His Colonel
was talking to Col Scott Geordie’s
Colonel – The Welsh were relieving us
& a German sniper out in front
shot them both with the one bullet
through their heads. They were standing
up very recklessly. Both were only
about 25. Col Scott had the D.S.O. for
Bravery & Col Holmes of the Welsh had the 
 

D.S.O. & a bar to it. Col Holmes was
one of the finest looking men I have
ever seen – very fair with the
darkest blue eyes you could have
without them changing to [[ ^being ]] black – almost
Violet.
Scott was very dark – like Ken M^cLeod,
& both so brave & both dead & so young
neither were married.
Poor Geordie saw Ken M^cLeod in
London whilst he was over there on leave
just before he was Killed. Ken was on leave too.
Poor wee Jacquelyn. Elwood will be a greater
attraction than ever for the Dhurach with
“Rosemary” there now. I heard she
arrived – As you say she was slow –
Your next letters ought to tell me of her
arrival. I thought that she came along
in July & I must have missed the
letters, but it now appears to be July
August. We are in the line again. There
is a big battle raging at the present moment
but just along to our left. Genl M^cNicols
boys are in it. It is splendid having
all the Australians & N.Z [[ ^ers ? ]] in line 
 

together. You need never be afraid
that they will slip you up as so
often happens with some British
Divisions. They did it again in our
last battle & my boys had to take their
part of the ground as well as we should
have been all wiped out from one wretched
place from which the Germans could shoot
right into us. So I told Norman Marshall
that he must attend to it & he did.
very nicely by rushing it at midnight.
with the bayonet. He only brought back
two live Germans from it. I’ve not asked
what happened the others.. As a result
the 15^th Brigade has been specially
Mentioned in Army Orders. I
have seen Divisions but never Brigades
or Battalions named in this war before
so we can put on some swank now. But
the boys were simply splendid Mason,
Marshall, Neil Freeman & Stewart
Denehy I persuaded to take a Spell & Neil
Freeman (Mrs Colemans Nephew) took his place
He did splendidly & I hope to get him his D.S.O.
He was a friend of Geordies in the old days 
 

Then there was a boy named Gamble a 
son of Dr Gamble at Kew. Everyone in
the Division is talking of him & Kenneth
Muirson my Machine Gun Boy. It would
put courage & animation into a grindstone
to live in association with such boys for
a while. I am sending [[ ^{hoping to send} ]] Katie some of the
reports I got in from these. Of course those
of the officers in the leading waves. were [[ ^will ]] not
available – Of the 6 who went with the
first lot out [[ ^{over the top} ]] 4 were Killed & 1 wounded.
The other was Lt Pentreath whose report
is Very interesting. The old German
Colonel he caught Came to a sad
end. He was a fat old important rascal
& when he surrendered he said he would
not be escorted by a private – he would
be only escorted by an Officer. There were
no officers however to spare. But while
the point was still being argued a
German 5.9 shell hit the old fellow
square amidships & they couldn’t find
thereafter enough of him to make a
souvenir – Moral – Its a bad policy to
stand too much on your dignity nowadays 
 

A terrible lot of the German prisoners
were Killed on the way back by their
own artillery. When our boys advance
they spread out al a lot & so miss
most of the shells but when prisoners
surrender they are [[ bunded/hunted ? ]] along in a 
mob by three or four men with [[ ^{at the} ]] bayonets
point. Sometimes either by mistake or
accident the Germans turn their
guns on to them & wipe them out.
I saw some horrible sights the next
morning as I passed up to the front
to see how things were. It is simply
wonderful. I went up there & had a
good look round & saw exactly how
things were sorted some of the officers
& made them advance got back to
my Head quarters & made a report
that was worth untold gold to all the
Higher Generals in telling them how
things were & not a shot fired at me
hardly – yet within an hour one
Could hardly have gone half the distance
& still been alive. Therefore I was given
Credit for great bravery but it was just pure luck 
 

& somebody’s pra prayers. It is very sad
about the School isnt it. What a pity to
leave the garden too & the orange tree I have
got quite to look forward to seeing it.
Wasn’t Gagy [[ ^Dhurach ]] a little darling to thank
Mr [[ Dent ? ]] so nicely by wanting to give him all
the oranges on the Tree – in return for the drive.
I hope it pleased him.
It would be lovely for the Kiddies to
see the wattle blossom & wildflowers
I dont think I Know Dr James. at all
& I dont think I Knew Glad Walker was
engaged at all. Eric Walker after passing
for the Flying Corps is being invalided home
to Australia. I hear they are afraid of his
lungs going unless he gets back to Australia
He had a terrible time last year – very much
like Duigan but he insisted on Coming back.
He still looked so ill that I would
not let him go into the line but sent him to
Schools & jobs round the back lines in Charge
of Camps. If I had not I’m sure he would
have died right out. We had some Yankee
Generals round here the other day. – They
are as green as possible – They have