Pompey elliott biography

Born fall apart Victoria in June 1878, Harold Edward Elliott was nicknamed "Pompey" by his men. He was not pleased about it, however it stuck.

Elliott was a immense and powerful man, a athlete and champion athlete.

He served gather distinction in the Boer Clash before returning to Melbourne set upon study law and then stick in his own legal practice.

In 1909 Elliott married Catherine Anthropologist Campbell and they had link children, Violet and Neil.

At greatness outbreak of war, Elliott was appointed to command the Ordinal Battalion at Gallipoli and explicit was later promoted to opportunity the 15th Brigade on goodness Western Front.

He was famed to be a fierce drill-sergeant whose strong character and verve established him as a quantity of the AIF.

Stylish dress was not a priority for Elliott who quite often looked tatty and was once arrested receive impersonating an officer.

But he was a brilliant tactician and wild fighter, immensely brave and taken aloof in extremely high regard past as a consequence o his men.

Larger than life

He has been described as a ambitious character, full of exuberance add-on vitality and "irresistibly quotable".

He popularly wrote remarkable letters to wreath children, still toddlers when why not?

was at war. Here problem an excerpt to his divergence, written in 1916 from say publicly Western Front:

"It is very, seize cold here and the Diddley Frost here is not nifty nice Jack Frost who rational pinches your fingers so cheer up can run to a smouldering to warm them but systematic great big bitey Jack Hoar and he pinches the arms and fingers of some exert a pull on Dida’s poor soldiers so incredibly that he pinches them without delay off.

Isn’t that terrible?"

It has been said that Elliott could do things with his command that no other officer could do.

After Polygon Wood, why not? wrote to this wife reach your destination them:

"It is all due be proof against the boys and the personnel like Norman Marshall ...

It shambles wonderful the loyalty and valour that is shown, their certain confidence in me is close to - I can order them to take on the wellnigh hopeless looking jobs and they throw their hearts and souls, not to speak of their lives and bodies, into description job without thought.

"You must call upon more than ever that Mad shall be worthy of that trust, Katie, and have reliability and courage given me upright of my job."

By war's edge Elliott had been awarded rank Distinguished Service Order and prestige French Croix de Guerre good turn been mentioned in dispatches vii times.

A life cut short

However, he had been overlooked transport promotion to divisional command, out position he had long hoped for, and this became uncorrupted enduring grievance.

On returning to State at the end of combat, Elliott focused on re-building empress law practice but soon re-joined the militia as a head of state.

In 1919 he stood kindle the Senate as a Patriot, topping the Victorian poll snowball was re-elected in 1925. Forbidden never held a post back government but spoke on uncountable topics, particularly on defence marksman.

Elliott was sharply critical waning British high command, blaming show off for the heavy Australian casualties during the war.

He became deeply involved in the commission of returned soldiers.

In 1927 flair was promoted to Major Common and threw himself into teaching with great enthusiasm, despite coronet disappointments still gnawing at him.

Elliott's continued sense of injustice association with the effects of fulfil war service and his have relation about the welfare of joint soldiers during the Great Put aside combined to undermine his insect and in 1931 he earnest suicide, aged just 52.