Letters to Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott from various family members, September 1913 - September 1930 - Part 2

much more of him till the
end of the war.
By the way the idea seems
to be that it will end
by next August! 
I only wish I could believe
that.
We have all to be careful
about lights now-a days
even over here. Chester &
Liverpool are in darkness
at night now. A Zeppelin
came within 50 miles of
us in the last raid.
Which is not far considering
the rate they go at -
If there is anything
you would like sent out to
you please let me know,
& how to send it. I mean
the proper address -
I suppose it is still cold
at night. Here we are
having a good deal of Snow
& very cold weather. I was
afraid for our poor little
lambs but they are all
right & don't seem to mind
it. The garden was getting
quite gay but it is as well
that the cold came when it
did & kept it back a bit.
I never remember such a warm
winter up to about a fortnight
ago. With kindest regards from
us all. Yrs Very Sincerely
Emily J Lloyd Edwards.

2DRL/0513

P.S. I hope your brother
has turned up all
right. It is very nice
for you & D Avery being
able to meet sometimes.
I hope you have good news
of your wife & little ones
since you last wrote.
Wherever you go it
cannot be as bad as
Gallipoli.

Cross Park
Moreton Hampstead
Devon.
March 25. 1916.
Dear Cousin Bob.
I congratulate you very
much on your promotion & hope
you will soon be Brigadier General.
The only thing is the title
makes one sound rather ancient!
I have meant to write to you
many times but have been
busier than ever. I took a week
at the shell making a week or
two ago and worked very hard -
^one morning I lifted 8 tons weight of
shells! & a lot as well in the
afternoon. I think that was pretty
good for an old woman.
Patty had a cold so I did
her work. I am very sorry you
have had so few letters lately

2.
I wonder what has happened to
them. Perhaps something has
happened to the steamers they
were in. A lot of mails
must be lost sometimes.
I am so sorry you were feeling
lonely when you wrote at the 
end of February. but I expect
by this time you are more
at home among your new
set of officers & men.
As to being found fit for the
position. I have no doubt about
that! I wonder whether you will
come to England again before
long. I hope you may but not
because of wounds or illness. 
We have lost several friends
the last few days, all fine
young fellows who had done
splendidly, & we feel very sad
about them. We have heard
no particulars yet but I fancy

3.
something more than usual is going
on. I have rushed down here to
get a few days with my invalid
Sister before I am tied at home
with a wounded Welsh Officer who
is coming to us who ^I hear still requires
his wounds dressed. I think he
is coming on April 3^rd & I shall
go home on the 1^st to see that
everything is all right for him -
My niece Martha Hamersley has
a little Son, born on March 14^th,
my birthday. My Sister is
delighted & of course Martha
is. They have asked my boy
J.C. to be the god father!
He is very happy at Sandhurst,
still hankers to go into the
Flying Corps & Lloyd is still
Very much against it.
My niece Gertie still works at
the Shells week days & Sundays
which I think too much for her.

4
Our Shells are very much praised
I hear. & we are considered to turn
out better shells than many places
with far superior tools!
We have had real winter for many
weeks plenty of snow & horribly
biting E. winds. As we had Spring
in January we feel this Very
much & didn't appreciate it.
I hope you will have heard good
accounts from your home long
before you get this. Don't forget to
tell me if you want anything
I can send you -
I expect you are getting tired
of inaction. & I wonder where you
will be sent. I hope you have
seen a good deal of your
brother & brother in law.-
Do you ever meet Lord Howard
de Waldon & what is he like. He
comes from Chirk Castle not far from
us but though we have exchanged
calls I have not met him - The
Russians seem to be getting on "More
power to them" Kindest regards
yrs sincerely

E.J. Lloyd Edwards
2DRL/0513

[*J.C is coming
home on Saturday
next for 10 days.
He is now a 
Lance Corporal!
& a very bad
correspondent
just at present.
He has managed
to go up in an 
aeroplane at
Farnsborough
Jack tells us -
I am glad you
have had lots of 
letters from home
I am always 
interested to
hear everything
you care to
write.
Keep up your
spirits - Our 
Kindest regards
yrs Very sincerely
E.J. Ll.E.*]
Bryn Oerog
Llangollen
April 11.16
Dear Cousin Bob.
I got both your letters by the same post a
few days ago. I read the 'Stunt' first and
Sympathise with you very much indeed - The worst of
it is there is nothing to be done in such cases.
I was very glad to see that you came to what I
think was the very right decision - and I trust
in time you will be rewarded. I think its not only
hard on you, but also on the General, who seems to
have done what he could. and I don't wonder that
he was so upset about it. I fancy there are a good
many such cases. We know that a nephew of Lloyd's
brother-in-law Mr Heaton was recommended for the V.C.
& the poor boy was terribly wounded & has been lying in
hospital for months, but has not got it! His Commanding
Officer told some of us he had recommended him. It was
the same with your poor Corpl Webb. I do hope he
will turn up again somewhere - I see you say he got the D.C.M.
Your 2nd trouble (about the "fossils"!) seems almost
worse. I can't trust myself to write about that.
& do feel indignant, especially with the
attempt to soothe, which made it much worse!
I do think that those in high places with any
right feeling should "delight" to honour those who have
given up so much, & come so far, to help us - & have
done so splendidly. There is a great deal in that
feeling but not shown as it should be- & I am not
proud of our rulers at present, at all -
We are so anxious about Kut. It must be terrible
for our people there waiting months & months for relief.
which may after all fail to reach them. The news is
bad today from the relief force.

2.
You see that poor General was forced to advance against
his judgment. or he would never have been in such a 
position. It seems awful that the man on the spot who
knows the difficulties & his resources, should not be
listened to. Still it is a poor consolation that he
cannot be blamed if the worst happens -
I suppose England always has ^made no end of blunders & always will, & that
whatever successes she has had, have been in spite
of them -
Your information about the family is very interesting.
The Stapleton-Cottons are a Shropshire family. Some of
them are round about here. The title is Combermere -
My Grandfathers name was Edward Taylor Burton
(not "Parker") Janverin but he generally left the
Burton out in his Signature. I am very pleased
to hear the name of the red haired lady your G.M.
I wonder where in France they lived? & if Thomas Janverin
the 1^st, Captain R.N., was buried over there & his 2nd wife is
I wish I knew the name of his first wife. our
G.G.M. I never heard my Gd father mention either his
father or his mother but he was not brought up
by his father, but by his father's Aunt Mrs Taylor -
I am so glad that you are well supplied &
comfortably warm at all events now. & I wonder
where this letter will find you - I heard of some
Australians being in reserve where the French are
being pressed hardest. but we hear all sorts of
rumours. Wherever they are I am sure they must be
a tremendous help. I wish our people would buck
up & have Universal Service. The country is ready for
it & why the politicians hang back goodness only
knows - Oh! for a really Strong Man! a patriot. Not a
Self Seeker. The garden is getting very pretty the
daffodils buds coming out. You would be surprised if you

saw them, thick in the grass & field near the lawn.
I hope you like your future Sister-in law Miss Hale. Of course
Mothers feel like that. "My Son's my Son till he gets him a wife
My daughter's my daughter, all the days 
of her life"
2DRL/0513

42 Spilsby Rd, Boston
Lincs. Ap 13^th
My Dear Cousin,
Isn't it about time you
were settling up over there,
giving William & his party
the final knock out blow, &
returning here for that visit
you promised us. I can
tell you I've been expecting
this ever since I heard of your
promotion, so go ahead &
do something, there's a dear.
Seriously though we were
both delighted at the good
news & are more than ever
proud of our big cousin.
Even wee Alec thinks 'Uncle'
Harold the most beportant man
in the world - more beportant
than a fireman even & more
braver' Helen agrees, & says
she is longing to see you & that

she is saving up hundreds of
hugging kisses for 'Uncle Harold'
We have had a very busy
winter & now I'm revelling PP.
in the spring cleaning - it makes
me almost wish I were a man &
a soldier to get out of it - a
cosy dug out with the sky for
a sunny bay window wouldn't
be half bad
Our social union entertained
the wounded soldiers staying
in the hospitals here, last
Friday eve. They had a very
jolly time & were quite happily
impressed by the absence
of the hymn singing  & praying
element - which is usually
part of the bill of fare in these 
experiences. Helen sang
a song which delighted them
& Sonny caused a roar of
laughter by jumping onto the