Charles E W Bean, Diaries, AWM38 3DRL 606/276/1 - 1928-1937 - Part 14

remember exactly what happened to the Company
Commander 
It was soon after this that one of Pompey's famous
notices was put up in a prominent part of
Corbie is "Any officers or other rank found looting
in the village will be hanged on the nearest
lamp post"

R.S.S.I.L.A
NSW BRANCH
9 JUL 1937
RECEIVED

JMC

57 Yarra Street
Geelong
7.7.1937
The Editor
Reveille
SYDNEY
re JMC. EW.T
Brig Genl HE Elliott
Dear Mr Black,
As one who knew
our late beloved Brigade Commander
well, both as a lawyer and a
soldier, I can confidently assert
that few really succeeded in
understanding the complexities
of his personality. Outwardly
stern and uncompromising, his
rather forbidding exterior cloaked
a nature shy and retiring.
Nothing but his strict sense
of duty was allowed to obtrude
itself in a conflict between
his heart and his conscience.

2
It was quite apparent to those
who really understood him that
it caused him mental agony
to punish those who in his
opinion had failed in their
trust. Personally brave far
beyond the average standard
he asked no man to go
where he would not go
himself. If one might be
allowed to criticize, he at
sometimes allowed his better
judgment to be warped by
his desire to bring his
men into grips with the
enemy. A fighter to his 
core, he detested the
idea of ceding ground
which might at any cost
be held. Opinions will
of course differ in regard

3

to his merits as a tactician, but
none will deny his indomitable
will-power, his driving force
and his love for those with
whom he served. A man of
Spartan habit, he despised
the pleasures of the table. Not
for him the convivial glass,
the fragrant weed. Finally,
he was essentially, in the true
sense of the word, a lonely
man. He did not, to use the
words of Emerson "Wear his
heart on his sleeve for 'daws
to peck at". To conclude,
he typified the spirit of the
A.I.F and he will in the 
minds of those who served
with him loom like a Colossus
long after the memory of many
senior to him has been 
relegated to the limbo of

4
obscurity. I cannot bring myself
to relate any anecdotes tragic
or otherwise, but will always
have before my eyes the picture
of "Pompey" standing at the
mouth of V C Avenue, the mornin
after Fromelles, tears streaming
down his face, shaking hands
with the pitiful remnant of
his Brigade. What a tragedy
that a man built in his
heroic mould could not
have been longer spared to
fight for the welfare of his
country in Peace as he did
in War
Yrs sincly
Neil Freeman
(Colonel Cdg. 6^th Inf.
Brigade A.M.F)

In reply to your JMC EWT

Mount Malakoff
Stanthorpe
July 8th 1937

JMC
R.S.S.I.L.A.
NSW BRANCH
12 JUL 1937
RECEIVED
The Editor,
"REVELLLE"
SYDNEY.
Dear Sir,
I regret that I did not get your letter of 1st instance until
I returned from a trip to Brisbane so I may be late with my reply.
I am very pleased indeed to have the opportunity of paying
homage to a great Australian soldier through the medium of Reveille, and
as one who served under the late Brig.General "Pompey" Elliott for most
of the time that the 15th Brigade were in France, and on many occasions
suffered the rough edge of his tongue, I have always considered him the
very embodiment of the spirit of the A.I.F. Indeed it would be difficult
to imagine the A.I.F. without Pompey as he was always known throughout
the A.I.F. in France, and a more gallant soldier it would be hard to
imagine.
Many and varied are the stories that are told about him, and I
know that more able pens than mine will be busy telling some of them for
this issue of your paper. Some of these stories depict him as a big
cheery boy with fun simply bubbling out of him. Others not so funny, and
woe betide any officer or Digger who got up against him when in one of
these moods.
As a Brigadier he was probably one of the most forceful on
the Western front and we who fought under him knew it only too well.
Impulsive, unrelenting, determined, almost arrogant he was feared as well as
loved by his men.
As an insance of his impulsivness. Shortly before the capture

of Perronne by the Australians in 1918, a Battalion of his brigade were
in a position on the bank of the Somme overlooking Perronne. One morning
after the Battalion had been there for some days, the General arrived at
Battalion HeadQ'rs and said to the Commanding officer; "Well Colonel .....
havent you captured Perronne yet". On the Colonel replying "no sir"
Pompey charged down the bank of the river calling back "alright I'll
take the bloody place myself". He actually got into the river and spent
a good deal of the rest of the day drying himself out after his wetting.
Given sufficient time and space one could write a great deal
about many of his actions which at the time imprinted themselves on our m
minds, and afterwards remained as treasured possesions.
General H.E. Elliott C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., D.C.M., will always be to
us who knew him best, just POMPEY, a friend as true as steel, but one who
could not swerve from the course of dutyas he saw even to help a friend
if he was not worthy of it. His decorations alone show that he was a
fighting General, and he expected his men to be fighting men. He had no
time for the slacker and never forgave a slight against his own men.
A man among men and although he expected a great deal from his
command, he gave his all in return.
I trust the above may be of some use but it is a very hurried
effort, and I regret that I could not have done more justice to the memory
of Pompey.
Yours faithfully
N. Marshall.
No need to mention my name.

Hobart

5.7.37
The Editor
"Reveille."

JMC
R.S.S.I.L.A.
NSW BRANCH
9 JUL 1937
RECEIVED
Dear Sir
With reference to yours
of 1^st I enclose herewith a story
of Pompey which I prepared soon
after his death with the idea
of sending it along to "Reveille"
and now at long last it
is on its way.
I trust that my
small contribution will help
you do justice to the memory
of an outstanding personality
and a very dear friend.
Yours Sincerely
JJ Scanlan

BRIGADIER GENERAL H.E. ELLIOTT C.M.G. D.S.O. D.C.M.
Is there a more picturesque figure in the annals of
A.I.F. personalities. I write of him from a comradeship of more
than 20 years.
On the night that the cabled acceptance of Andrew
Fisher’s 20,000 men was received from the British War Office "Pompey"
then C.O. 58th. Bn. C.M.F. began his preparation for the personnel of
a Bn., should he be offered a Command. It is typical of the man that
combination of ambition, confidence, and preparedness. He was a
Junior C.O. by appointment, and in those days by age, he was then 36
years, but his reputation for efficiency of leadership, his personality
and soldierly accomplishments brought him his opportunity and he was
appointed to organise and command the 7th. Bn.
He had no patience with inefficiency in his officers.
He demanded and obtained the highest standard of discipline, he created
an esprit de corps in those early days of toil and training and the
greatest punishment he threatened was to give the slacker a "ticket home".
"Give him a ticket home" used to be the catch cry of the7th. Bn.
A pride of unit was established which even today shows no sign of
fading. The 7th. Bn. Assn. boasts the greatest membership of all A.I.F.
unit associations. What a driver he was but withal no C.O. was ever so
beloved of his Command. Who forgets Pompey during the Tel-el-kebir and
Ferry Post march.
In France with the 15th. Inf. Bde, always looking for a
scrap. His offensive spirit never lagged. I remember visiting his
headquarters during the advance through Bapaume 1917. The 15th. Bde.
was van guard for the 5 Aus. Div. The 'Hun’ was pushed harder than
suited their plan, the Bde. was miles ahead of its flanking unit.
When near Beaumetx Fritz counter attacked, and there was "the old man"
pacing his room shouting,  "counter attack me would they, I'll teach
them, and he did.
During the advance of August--October 1918 he was more
often with the leading treop  platoon than at his Head Quarters. At Peronne he
crossed the canal on the ruins of a bridge but on recrossing he put
his foot on a plank which was merely floating and so went to the bottom
of the wet. He was so far ahead of his personal baggage that he spent
the rest of the day in his shirt and a borrowed British warm. One day
he was, as usual up in front when he came up to a Tank which was "resting".
Pompey banged on the door which was opened, he put his head and shoulders
Inside and began to "strafe" the crew when he felt a smart smack on the
rump, thinking someone was taking a liberty he flared round to transfer
his "strafe" and found he had been nicked by a bullett. One of the sights
of the war was to view Pompey with his tailboard down having his wound
dressed.
He was a very disappointed man when "the powers that be"
refused to give him his Divisional Comand. The only reason why he
was superseded surely, could be - (1) His refusal to Kow Tow to men of,
in his opinion, lesser merit than himself. He could not tolerate "bull dust".
(2) The higher command were definitely afraid of their ability to control
him in such an important command as a Division.
There was never a greater champion of his men and in the days
of Peace he gave freely and fully of his professional knowledge and
personal help to all diggers who appealed to him. His untimely and end 
can be laid at the door of this catastrophic aftermath of war, Australia
suffered by his passing, he will be for ever mourned by those who knew him.
 

6 Holmwood Av
Brighton.
6-7-37
JMC
The Editor
"Reveille"
R.S.S.I.L.A.
NSW BRANCH
7 JUL 1937
RECEIVED
Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter
J.M.C/EWT asking for some sidelights
on Brig Gen H.E. Elliott I forward
a few notes you may be able to use.
The information therein is
authentic and obtained at first hand,
I was on Pompey's staff for a couple of
years.
Yours sincerely.
D.B. Doyle