Elliott's papers were transferred to the Memorial in a number of instalments between 1929 and 1971 by his wife Catherine and daughter Violet. The donations were amalgamated into four collections, 1DRL/0264, 2DRL/0513, 3DRL/3297 and 3DRL/3856. At the time of donation some documents were removed from the Elliott papers and, in keeping with the practice of the time, incorporated into the Memorial's existing published and official records collections.
Open.
Copyright of materials described in this guide is governed by copyright law in Australia. For further information contact the Curator of Private Records, Research Centre.
Papers of Brigadier Harold Edward 'Pompey' Elliott, CB, CMG, DSO, DCM, VD.
AWM 3DRL/3328, correspondence from Elliott to J C Richardson,
including a detailed account of the battle of Lone Pine.
AWM 3DRL/3866,
records of members of 7th Battalion and Christmas cards from 7th Battalion at
Gallipoli inscribed by Elliott.
AWM 26.
AWM 4.
AWM 51, item 2,
Report on operations of 15 Australian Infantry Brigade at Polygon Wood, 24-27
September 1917.
AWM 38 3DRL/0606 item 261, C E W Bean and A Bazley's
correspondence with Elliott, 1918-1929 and copies of Brudenell White's letters
to Elliott.
AWM 84 item B44 unit history for 7th Battalion
1919-1933.
State Library of Victoria, MS9099, papers relating to Elliott's
academic law studies plus programs, invitations and letters of sympathy to Mrs
Elliott following her husband's death.
Additional material on Harold
'Pompey' Elliott can be found in the following AWM collections: Photographs,
Art and Military Heraldry and Technology.
Harold Edward Elliott was born on 19 June 1878 at West Charlton,
Victoria. He was educated at Ballarat College and the University of Melbourne
(Ormond College) where he studied law. It was also Ormond College where he
joined the officer corps. He interrupted his studies in 1900 to enlist in the
4th Victorian Imperial Contingent and fight in the Boer War. Elliott proved
himself a skilled and courageous soldier; he was awarded the Distinguished
Conduct Medal for an audacious night exploit, mentioned in despatches, and on
one occasion received Lord Kitchener’s congratulations for his defence of a
post. Elliott returned to university and was equally successful as a student
and athlete, earning a number of scholarships and prizes, playing football, and
becoming a champion shot-putter. He was called to the Victorian and
Commonwealth Bar in 1907 and established a firm of solicitors. He married
Catherine (Katie) Campbell in December 1909 and they had a daughter, Violet,
and son, Neil. He had returned to the army part time in 1904 as a second
lieutenant in the 5th Infantry Regiment (militia). In 1913 he became Lieutenant
Colonel commanding the 58th Battalion under the new universal training
scheme.
When the First World War began Elliott was given both command
of the 7th Battalion. It was about this time that his troops gave him the
nickname "Pompey" that was to stick for the rest of his life. It was derived
from the champion Carlton footballer, Fred "Pompey" Elliott (McMullin, 96).
Hard training and stern discipline were the foundations on which he built the
battalion at Broadmeadows and in Egypt. His career at Gallipoli was sporadic.
He was shot in the foot during the initial landing, evacuated to Alexandria and
did not return June. Once back he quickly gained a reputation for courage and
leadership. At Lone Pine on 8 August his battalion relieved part of the 1st
Brigade and in the next twenty-four hours repulsed the Turkish counter-attacks
by furious close-quarter fighting and bombing. Four of the seven Victoria
Crosses awarded for Lone Pine went to Elliott's battalion. At the end of August
he was evacuated sick. He returned in November but sprained his ankle and was,
to his great irritation, again evacuated.
After a short period as
commander of 1st Brigade Elliott was promoted to Brigadier in March 1916 and
appointed to organise the 15th Brigade in the new 5th Division. The brigade's
first action on the Western Front was at Fromelles in a poorly conceived and
executed diversionary attack. Elliott had believed it to be a hopeless task and
opposed the attack. It proceeded and resulted in over 5 500 men killed or
wounded in one night. Elliott was reported to have greeted the surviving troops
coming out of the line with tears streaming down his face.
Elliott's
brigade played an important role in following up the German withdrawal to the
Hindenburg Line in March 1917. His next major action (and possibly his finest)
was the battle of Polygon Wood, September 1917, where his grasp of the
situation and capacity for quick, decisive action was supreme. Not only
attaining the objectives of his own brigade, Elliott lead his troops to capture
the objective originally assigned to the British. Elliott fought at Amiens,
Peronne, and later at the Hindenburg Line. As was typical of Elliott's career,
his brilliant actions at Polygon Wood were overshadowed by controversy. In a
harshly worded report to General Birdwood written largely in ignorance of the
situation that had confronted them, Elliott castigated the efforts of the
British troops. Birdwood ordered all copies of the report destroyed.
In March 1918 Elliott's brigade returned to the front to assist after
the German March offensive. Confronted with British troops falling back from
this shattering blow Elliott ordered any stragglers shot who refused to be
rallied. This order was quickly withdrawn by his divisional commander
Major-General Talbot Hobbs. Despite his differences of opinion with his senior
officers, Elliott did command the respect and confidence of his men. The 1918
15th Brigade had further success under Elliott. Ordered to retake the village
of Villers-Bretonneux, he organised a night attack which proved brilliantly
successful and later the brigade played a significant role in the allied
advance leading to victory.
Elliott's career was marred by what he
perceived as his supersession when Brigadiers Gellibrand and Glasgow were
promoted ahead of him, denying his ambition of a divisional command. This
remained a great source of bitterness until his death.
Following his
return to Melbourne in June 1919 he resumed his law practise and and in
September 1919 began his political career when he was elected to the Victorian
Senate for the National Party. He made use of this position to publicise and
seek re-dress for his wartime grievances. He had re-joined the militia as
commander of 15th Brigade in September 1919 but asked to be placed on the
unattached list in February 1921 in order that the issue of his alleged
supersession could be placed before the Minister for Defence, George Pearce.
When the issue was debated in the Senate Elliott's arguments were firmly
rebutted by Pearce. Elliott continued to pursue the matter sporadically over
the next ten years. Only in 1927 was Elliott promoted to Major General and
given command of the 3rd Division; however, his bitterness, expressed in
correspondence to his superior officers, remained. In March 1931 Elliott was
found with a wound in the arm and was taken to hospital where he died on 23
March. The subsequent inquest concluded he had suicided. Elliott was buried
with full military honours in Burwood Cemetery, Melbourne.
References:
The papers of Brigadier Pompey Elliott comprise records relating to his military service during the Boer War and First World War in his capacity as commander of 7th Battalion and later 15th Brigade. While the collection does contain some official papers from the First World War much of the material from this time is of a more personal nature, including his original wartime diaries, correspondence to his extended family, albums of news clippings, photographs and correspondence documenting his First World War service, and photographs of his wife and children. The post-war papers predominantly relate to Elliott's campaign while a senator to redress the supersession issue, including correspondence to Generals White, Monash, McCay, and Hobbs. Also included is correspondence between Elliott and CEW Bean relating to the writing of the official history and Elliott's accounts of particular battles, such as Lone Pine, Fromelles and Polygon Wood.