Letters from Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott to his cousin Emily Edwards, July 1916 - December 1918 - Part 7

France
4/5/18
Dear Nelly
Nothing further in the way of news
my "funk" hole is growing apace. some fifty
men are working constantly along the Hillside
& soon all my H.Q personnel will have
a place of refuge. It is a hill of
bold white chalk a few feet below
the surface so excavation is easy
& accomodation should be good &
very safe. The enemy have not dared
attack us but one of the A.I.F. brigades
attempted to take a minor position.
The attack in my opinion was mismanaged
It succeeded in gaining its objectives & got us 
good number of prisoners but the
idea that the Bosche would counterattack
appears to have been overlooked altogether
& no provision made against it. This
developed very quickly & our men had
to fall back to our old position.
I enclose some letters to add to the
collection I you are good enough to keep
for me
There seems no prospect of leave
for long enough yet as I sent F60 to
you what on present rates of exchange
should realise just sufficient for
 

the cost of the cable. if it doesnt
please let me know. Do you remember
a very fine boy I mentioned to you as
being on my staff. & I wanted you to
know him Capt Norman
Beresford Lovett M.C. He got a bar
to the M.C while with me. He was
killed the other day along with his
colonel- I was very sad. If he had
been another brother I could not have
felt his loss more acutely- He
was such a splendid fellow so
full of life & spirits - always with
a smile & merry jest - when things
looked worse. With decent
opportunity he would have made a
fine General.
To Brilliant courage he united the
prudence which forbids reckless undertakings
which show no promise ^or glimmer of success  & the cool &
clear judgment - which is ready to
accept, extreme hazard if beyond
can be perceived the hope of shining
Victory. Of all the officers I have
commanded - only two Lovett &
Elliott (the latter killed at Fleurbaix our
first Big battle in France) appeared to
me to have all the qualities necessary
 

to rise with honor to the highest
Commands - Both are dead - It
is sad to think of - but regrets are
vain & one must- seek far & wide
to find the next best material to
build with
By the way have you ever met or
heard of a gentlemen called H. Irving-Bell
of Wilton House Taunton.
I had an English boy in one of my Bns
of that name. I found him good & had
been in training for a Commission
when he expressed a preference for the
Australian Flying Corp. I gave him
a recommendation to the necessary
parties & he was accepted. & went off.
At couple of days back I received
a letter from him telling me of his arrival
at home prior to undergoing a course
of Instruction in Aviation & stating
his father was writing to me.
The letter from the father duly arrived
thanking me for my assistance to his
son & asking my acceptance
a silver wristlet watch as a memento.
I have helped hundreds of men
to Commissions since I came from.
Australia yet I have never before received
 

any little memento of that kind. I wrote
at once & expressed my pleasure at the
gift which is a very nice one indeed but
asked for Irving-Bell to get right away from
the idea that his boy was he had ever
been under the very slightest obligation
to me - that he got has recommendation
from me purely & solely because he
deserved it & not had he not deserved
it he as certainly would not have got it
despite any influence he might bring
to bear in the matter.
It is because my boys know that they
deserve then promotions to the full when
they get then that they do not feel under
any obligation to me for them but they
serve me well & truly  nevertheless & the
know that no matter how much I have
helped then in the part, no matter who
their friends may be or how friendly
I may be to them they will be smitten
good & hard if they let me catch
then out in the least degree.
I seem to be always criticising the
British Army but it does seem to
me that there is too much of the old
tradition about it. In the old days
 

of the old Army it was such a terrible
disgrace to a mans people & himself
to be  dismissed from the army that
whenever it was at all possible fo
a delinquent was shielded & he was
quietly discouraged by nagging & other
ways & compelled to get out- that tradition
still lingers & is doing much harm - it
is protecting officers who never had anything
in their lives but their own skins to protect
should be treated accordingly I have
^together with all other senior officers of the A.I.F.received a almost imploring^circular letter for
General Birdwood - requesting me as
to use my influence in preventing
criticism of the units serving
alongside of us. If contains an
unfortunate phrase to my mind - M
fan the A.I.F xxxx xxxx  xxxx
"The Dominion soldier has so established
"his merits that depreciation of his kith
"& kin is not necessary for the full acknowledgment
"of the great Dominion troops are doing"
This to my mind conveys an insinuation
that when in never speak as they do
they are not telling the truth, whereas
they are certain knowledge the truth is
being understated if anything
 

General Birdwood to forget that we
have memories & that for three long years
the demerits & ^complaints of ill discipline of
want of saluting etc of our boys have
been constantly drummed into our
ears by all in High Command above
us - our promotion has been held
back - presumably on the ground
that we have not been put to fill
th places of the higher British offcers
placed over us - now that they are
unable to hold this glamor longer
before our eyes they are driven to
other tactics.
No one as you know has been
more ready to glorify the gallantry
of the British troops - when I have
found it true thanI  - I would
raise a monument a mile high to
the Cavalry & Machine Gunners who
along with us to wood & mean &
bullock in desperate effort to
stem & turn the tide - but when
I have found as I have found a
whole battalion under its colonel
hopeleessly &helplessly retreating
before the enemy without being 
 

shot & when I have found the whole
out put tallied & reformed &
made to hold out against the enemy
& check them & ultinately advance
again to their old position - & when
I found that the agency of this wonder
was not some General of Division coming
down to in desperation to turn the
tide or some Brigadier in dispair
resolved to sacrifice his life in the last
resort - to save the honour of his brrigade
by a 2^nd Lieutenant of my own Brigade
who 3 month ago was a Quartermaster
Sergeant - & ^upon whom I have on many
an occasion turned the rough edge of
my tongue becausse he was not all I
supposed him to be - & when you find
that the Colonel surrenders  the whole
conduct of affairs to his hands &
palpably looks to him - & when in
his tempor temporary absence part of these men
are allowed to wander to the rear
in unchecked leave a gap in our
line & he has to rally other stragglers
to fill it with them - well can one
wonder that biter & caustic remarks
are passed amongst the rank file &
ever higher up -These are ^inlcuded thoroughly in

 

the British story worthy of the
utmost honor. There are hundreds
certainly (perhaps thousands) who should
be summarily & publicly shot or hanged
for shameless misconduct
Let us see that proper punishment
is meted out to these men & particularly
their officers & enemy tongue will be
silenced at once. Let us see them
as sometimes unfortunatley we do
see themn exhalted to honor & place
& renown & the Satan of Death itself
will not close our lips to proper
& just criticism.
With all good wishes
Yours Very Sincerely
H.E. Elliott 

France
5/18
Dear Emily,
Many thanks
for your letter. So
far all is well my
Brigage has done
splendidly. I enclose
a letter I got from
the British General
for home I was was sent
to save what appeared
a desparate

2
situation. Please
keep it for me. It 
will be one of my
most valued
souvenirs.
Could you place
the following cable
to my wife for me
& let me know how
much it was & I
will send you the
money.
"Mrs H.E. Elliott
Parkside Street
Elesternwick.
Victoria Aust