Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 3 - Part 5 of 17

Got a letter from J G Mann, am 
enclosing it. Please keep it for me old girl 
CM 
43

43 O.A.S 
abroad 
Passed by Censor 283 

Mrs C.B. Mills 
c/- Dr A Burne 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley St 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 

44 
Same Old Place 
Monday. 22: 5:16 
Dear Old Woman 
Did not write to you 
last night as I promised. After dinner we 
all got yarning outside our hut & twilight 
lasts such a long time that it was almost time 
to turn in by the time it got dark. The school 
work went on the same Sunday or no Sunday, all 
days are the same here & it was hard to realise 
that yesterday was Sunday , as it was the 
most important day of the course. We had the 
oral examination of on our knowledge attained 
at the School on Grenades of all kinds & had 
also the throwing of live Grenades. Previously we 
had been only throwing dummy ones. By jove our 
Bombs are [["Pebs"?]]. They lick into a cocked hat 
French, German or any one elses. The Mills Bomb 
(I did not invent it) is the daddy of the lot to my 
mind & goes off like a young cannon. We 
had to hurl these things from one trench into 
another. You should have seen the dirt, & heard 
the shrapnel from the Bombs fly. It was an 
education to me. All the Officers attending the 
School passed well, both in Examination & in the 
actual bombing itself. Today was a slack day & we 
finished up about 3 & marched home much to our 
disgust as we all liked being there a great deal. 
We had not heard a German Shell burst for 5 days & 
dash it all, no sooner had we got on the road about 
a mile from home, before the bally old Germans 
were bursting shrap over our Billets. They did not

2/ 
do any damage & it had stopped by the time we 
got actually home, so I'm back at the War again. 
We had a swagger dinner last night. Roast 
Fowl. Daresay the cook shook it from a Farm 
round about but he swore the School Corporal 
bought it for us. Anyhow it went very well & 
roast fowl eaten from an enamel plate is just 
so nice, as tho it were served on the finest china. 
I'm on my own at my Billet tonight. My Company 
is away on a fatigue. I think I mentioned it in my 
last. Anyhow the Regimental C.O. told me to take 
24 hours off & asked me to dinner tonight, his 
invitation was accepted quite readily & they turned 
on a pretty good feed. Tomorrow, I will have a 
cup of Coffee at 7. Breakfast at 8/30, consisting of 
3 large boiled eggs. Then at 9.30 will gaily go on 
my way to the Divisional Baths & have a large 
sized hot bath followed by a cold hosing down. 
It's a cruel war isn't it when we have luxuries 
like this. After the foregoing will probably do 
a route march and join my Company & sleep 
in a bally old dug out. It will not be nice 
at all after my luxurious living of the last few 
days. Now old girl am to have still another 
read through of your two last letters. I did not 
get any when I came back today, as all the 
mail has gone on to the Company, being sure of 
getting some letters when I get there is the only 
thing that makes the dug out sound the least 
bit attractive. Very sorry old girl that you

3/ 
missed a mail from me when we first went out 
to the desert. If the letters had gone away from 
Brigade properly, it would not have happened, but 
then transport was pretty difficult at the start, so 
perhaps they found it difficult to get the stuff away. 
Hope you have got them regularly since, daresay 
there would also be a break when we left Egypt 
for France. Don't think letters will go too well from 
here. There is some talk of only 1 mail a month. 
That will be rotten if it is true, but against that 
it is easy to cable from here & one will go this next 
week end to remind you that as an Officer of 
His Majesty's Forces I quite well remember that 
[[3.00?]] June is his Birthday. I also remember 
the date of his Birthday quite distinctly for quite 
other reasons. On 3:6:13 I took a little railway 
trip from Sydney to Melbourne in the Limited 
with such a dear girl after having met her by 
appointment at such a nice old Church in Waverley. 
Then the same day the following year she arrived 
in Melbourne from Sydney & that night we sat in 
front of the fire in the sitting room with the 
Settee pulled right across in front & we just yarned 
& yarned & were as happy as a man & woman could 
possibly be. The next year there were 3 of us in 
the same dear old home, as we had acquired a 
permanent lodger. Well this year won't be exactly the 
same old Darling, but we'll have the memories of the 
two previous anniversaries & that is a great deal. 
Little girl, we have had a great deal of sheer unadult- 
erated happiness in our short married life, & that is

4/ 
something to think about & conjure up at odd 
moments, until the good old days return again. 
Have just filled my pipe & had a bit of a think. No, 
perhaps it would be as well not to show this letter 
to the family. Now about you thinking youre an 
old time waster by playing with John. Your 
steady job while I'm away is to play with old Johnno 
just as much as you like & do just what you want 
to do, and to keep as happy as Larry all the time, & 
the boyo will help you to do that, so don't think 
that making love to John & John making love to you 
with both arms round your neck is wasted time, because 
it isn't. It's just what I want you to do. Am ever so 
glad you sent a subscription along to Dr Dickinson's 
Memorial Fund, your letter was just grand. 
Think it a grand idea to endow a Cot in his name. 
He assisted in the arrival of so many children & 
was so fond of them, that nothing could be more 
suitable. The parcel with all the eatables may be 
down at the Trenches with the Coy. We will 
most certainly have a blow out when it comes, as 
the [[?]] is very tempting. Parcels are coming 
through so well now, that it is certain to arrive 
safely. Yes old woman I would like you to send me 
a cable regularly, say about once a month, address 
Lt. Mills 23rd Battalion, France, that will find 
me O.K. I am not well known in France, but the 
Regiment can be traced. Enquire before sending if 
it is necessary to put Australian Infantry. Think 
there are special rates to us, anyhow Week End is 
very cheap.

5/ 
By jove, John has a pretty good appetite, 4 1/2 d a day 
separation allowance would not go far towards feeding that 
young man. He will have to curb his appetite, or else 
fill up on porridge. Notice it is getting cheaper again. 
Otherwise we will never be able to pay the War Taxes. 
Very sorry to hear about your Father having such a 
bad time. The treatment does seem drastic. Is it 
the much discussed cure for diabetes that he is 
undergoing? Read an article in an English Newspaper 
about a very similar treatment a few days ago. 
Hope to hear in your next that he has got quite 
round again. Your Grandfather seems anxious to 
have you and Johnnie Boy. Daresay by now it is almost 
time you returned to Sydney. Suppose John has had 
several handfulls of Mr [[W I's?]] beard. This 20th Battn 
Sgt I told you of in my last letter says they all 
think a lot of S Bond in the Battn. At first they 
all called him Mr Bond, but it gradually got to Sam 
& before long it was Old Sam, as a mark of affection. 
They reckon he has been a perfect marvel for his age. 
Could not knock him out at marching, but still he 
is too old for this game, & they were very glad to be 
able to give him a nice soft job for the rest of the 
War. Probably Old Sam does not like it, as it is hard 
to leave a Regiment when one has scrapped with it 
for a good while. Well old Girleen, think I'll 
turn in as it is 10/30. With such a big love to you & the 
Boy. Your Own old man 
Cecil 

44 
O.A.S 
abroad 

Mrs C.B. Mills 
c/- Dr A Burne 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley St 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
Passed Field Censor 2964 
T F Rositer