AUSTRALIA'S retired defence chief General Peter Cosgrove said yesterday he was "touched" to be asked to unveil a statue in Ballarat honouring one of the nation's most respected soldiers.General Cosgrove, who will this morning unveil the commemorative bronze statue of Harold "Pompey" Elliott in Sturt Street gardens, between Doveton and Dawson streets, said Elliott was a unique, much-loved and respected army commander.Speaking to The Courier yesterday, General Cosgrove said Elliot had a persona which others should try to emulate."He could sometimes be tough and rough, but inwardly he cried a thousand tears when his fellow soldiers were killed," General Cosgrove said."Pompey also had the element of the ordinary man."The statue by sculptor Louis Laumen was commissioned to mark Elliott's contribution to Australia's military history and Ballarat connections. Harold "Pompey" Elliott attended Ballarat College in 1895, being named dux in his final year.Following school, he served with distinction in the 4th Imperial Contingent in the Boer War in South Africa, joined the militia on return and by the start of World War I was a battalion commander. He raised the 7th Battalion AIF and fought at Gallipoli. On the day of the Gallipoli landing, April 25, 1915, Elliott was wounded and evacuated, returning in June of that year. He soon won the reputation for cool courage.At Lone Pine he relieved part of the 1st Brigade . Of the seven Victoria Crosses awarded for Lone Pine, four went to Elliott's battalion. In 1916, he became commander of the 15th Brigade, a position he held for the rest of the war. He served on the Western Front and fought in most of the great battles of the AIF.He trained his brigade to become a "magnificently effective instrument", but sustained losses in battles such as Fromelles . He was also involved in the famous counter-attack at Villers-Bretonneux. Honours bestowed on Elliott included the Distinguished Service Order, the Russian Order of St Anne and the French Croix de Guerre.