Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

HOW HE DIED.
Mrs. H. Elton has received the following letters from Egypt, relating to the death of her son, Private Claude Elton, who was killed in Palestine in April last : —
Egypt General Mission,
Zeitown, Egypt,
April 20th, 1918.
My dear Mrs. Elton, — It was with very great sorrow that we heard last week of the death of your son, Claude. I wanted to write to you at once, but have only just got your address from a man in the same regiment. Claude was down here for about ten or eleven weeks last autumn, and I expect you heard from him then that he was often with us. We grew to be very fond of him, and feel a very personal loss in his death. The more one got to know him the more one appreciated his sterling qualities and fine, staunch character. Our deepest sympathy is with you in your great sorrow. It must be a great source of comfort to you to realise what an influence for good a pure,  upright, christian life like his must have been in his whole squadron and the knowledge that he truly loved his Saviour, and was quite ready to meet Him, takes away the sting of his loss, and one feels strong in the hope of meeting him again when the Lord returns. God comfort you with His own comfort.
With kindest regards.
Yours sincerely,
(Mrs.) DORA SWAN.
14th A.G.H.,
Port Said,
9th April, 1918.
Dear Mrs. Elton, — Kindly accept my sincere sympathy in your present sad bereavement. Your beloved son was a particular friend of mine; in fact, we have always camped in the same bixey since I got into his troop, and I have always found him to be thoroughly upright and honest, and in every way a christian and a gentleman. He always attended to his religious duties and received Holy Communion every Sunday that we were in a settled camp, and only a few days before his death he attended service and received Holy Communion in St. George's Cathedral, Jerusalem. The Church of England minister. Rev. Backhouse, officiated at the grave side. Dear Mrs. Elton, I know it is hard for you to lose such a creditable son as Claude was, but do try and realise that it is all for his good. He will be much better off than in this dreadful world. Again sending you my sincere sympathy, believe me,
Yours sincerely,
P. J. HAWARD.
O.A.S., in the Field,
10th April, 1918.
Re Trooper Claude Elton, No. 1634,
7th A.L.H.
Dear Mrs. Elton, — I am writing to
tell you that I was with your son a
little while after he was hit. I saw
him carried to the field dressing sta-
tion. His chief anxiety was to know
whether he had been hit in the stomach,
and he suffered a good deal of pain at
first, but was soon relieved to a great
extent. He was wonderfully plucky
and brave in his suffering, as he was
in the firing line.
To our deep sorrow your son Claude
passed away early next morning, on
March 28th, 1918. The men of the
field ambulance told me that he was
conscious almost to the end.
I had the great pleasure of getting
to know your son some weeks hefore
he was hit, and I can say that he was
a credit to you and to the regiment.
He is highly and affectionately spoken
of by his comrades in the regiment,
and all were most sorry to lose him.
I understand that his personal
effects were sent on to you, and I hope
you will receive them safely.
I buried Claude alongside other
brave men, about 10 miles west of
Amman, in the hill country of Gilead,
or, as it is called to-day, El Belka.
The site of the grave will be registered,
and when we reoccupy the country
all care will be taken by the proper
authorities to preserve the grave in
good order.
With sincere sympathy,
Yours sincerely,
NIGEL BACKHOUSE,
Capt. Chaplain 7 A.L.H.