Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 4 - Part 1 of 2

H.Q.
Reserve Army
B.E.F.
12/8/16

Dear Burne
Just before leaving
you were enquiring about
an officer named Mills in the
23Bn of 2nd Aus Div. I am
sorry to tell you that his name
appears in the list of killed
on the 4th inst. The clerk has
only just found it & has asked
me to let you know.
Please accept my sincerest

sympathies
Yours Sincerely
E R. Atkins

On His Majesty's Service.
Lt H.A. Burne
42nd Bdg 3rd Divisional
Artillery
B.E.F.

E.R. Atkins

From Sgt F. R. Beseler
To Sgt Bond
Particulars re Lt Mills 23rd Battn.
August 1916 Lt Mills was leading his platoon into a front line
position taken captured just prior to our his taking it over.
He got into the front line & was walking along it with his platoon
when a german shell landed just in front of the parapet. Unfortunately
it was practically on top of the parapet & caused the death of five
men & Lt Mills.. Lt Mills was buried by men of his own battn
behind the line he had come up to take over.

E
27. 8.16

My dear Fairy,
The news of poor old Cecil has
only just reached me.  and I can
quite imagine what a blow it has been to you.
Out there - away from everything– it must be awfuly
hard and know just how youre feeling.
But Cecil did his job - & -  did it well. He
was most gallant & was always thinking of his men who
thought the world of him.  Just after the 2nd. Australian
Division went into action - I was posted  to a  battery to the 3rd divisional 
artillery & have been in action with the 45th Battery ever since. 
I wrote to poor old Cecil four or five 
times & didn't get a reply so dropped a line to
his C.O. as I felt something might be wrong.
I got the enclosed letter two days ago which
I'm sure you'll like to see. As I'm with a
battery I can't get away - especially just now when
things are so strained - otherwise I would have
gone up to Pozieres right away -  altho I didn't actualy
hear for some time after. Mails arent coming
very regularly now - especially up here. We aren't
so very far away from where Cecil was killed
- it's on the same front - & if I had only heard

before I would have been up there
like a shot immediately.  You were a brick
about Cecil going away & you must try & be
a brave little woman now.   His battalion went
into one of the toughest little bits in the whole of 
the front of the offensive - & he took part in one 
of the hardest attacks.  The village is in our
hands & our line now well on the other side
- but at a cost that you can realize only too 
well. I'm writing this from our O.P. 
in the trenches, from where I've watched seen quite a  
number of attacks - successful & otherwise - British & 
French.  The [[?]] It makes one realise 
that this will be the last war. 
The O.C. of the 23rd Batt'n - or the 
2nd Australian Division - cabled right away to you. 
Try & understand that Cecil has gone in the finest way 
possible for a man.  That may sound hard - but  
I think you'll understand what I mean. 
I can't won't be able to write any more now  
little woman - but I want you to know how I 
feel about it.  It was the worst blow I've had 
since the war started - and for you it's 

a thousand times worse.  I had a  
wonderful long yarn the last time I saw 
Cecil & I realized how absolutely happy you 
must have been.  I know the mates 
will understand - altho' I'm wondering where 
you were when the news came through. 
I'll have to stop now - as I've just been 
snatching a few minutes.  We're firing almost 
night & day.  This  If this [[?]]   
Out here - amongst everything - things 
like this seem to occur every day, & at times 
one wonders how men carry on at all. But its 
men like Cecil that are carrying this war to 
the end that is undeniable - & we hope - not -  
far off.  It's hard sometimes for the men out - 
here - but it's harder still for the women 
left behind.  But I know you'll be brave - little girl. 
As always 
Harry 

28. 8. 16
Mrs C Mills 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley Street 
Waverley 
SYDNEY 
 - AUSTRALIA 
H Burne 

28.8.16 
My dear mother, 
I've just written to  
Fairy about poor old Cecil.  Even now I 
can't quite realize he's gone - 
I know youl all be   accept 
things in the right way.  He did his 
job - & has gone as many others on the 
same night. Pozieres, where they 
were was one of the worst bits of the  
line.  I was up there on a job two 
days before I left the staff & before the  
2nd Australian Division went in.  God 
only knows how these fellows stuck it -  
but the Australians did a job that 
two or three English division had failed 
to do - and Cecil was killed in one