Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 12 of 12

No 12 
On Active Service 
Abroad

AUSTRALIAN BASE 
29-XH-15 
DETAILS P.O. 

FRANKED 
6TH TRAINING 
Battalion 

Mrs CB Mills
"Kinellan"
Dalley St
Waverley N.S. wales
Australia 

Lt. C.B Mills 
c/- 23^rd Batt 

Réproduction Interdite 

S.P. 12 
ÉSCLAVE. Come

One of the Soldiers 
Comforts Postcards.
It rained in Cairo 
on Friday night. The
Streets were quite wet. 
That was something
wonderful. Have had
no time yet to use Mrs
Bartels letter of introduction
26/12/15
CBM 

On Active Service Abroad 
Australian Base 
Details P.O. 
29-XH-15 

Franked 
6th Training 
Battalion

Mrs C B Mills
Kinnellan
Dalley St
Waverley N.S. Wales
Australia 

Zeitoun Tg School
29:12:15

Dear old Girl
Your great big budget came 
along this afternoon, No 6. 3 & 4 have not 
yet turned up, but there is still hope that they will 
come. Won't attempt to answer your letter until 
after I get away from this Bally School. This 
afternoon we had from 1.15 off, & have to go 
out again directly at 5.15 on night operations. 
Goodness only knows when we will get back. That 
lovely big block chocolate will come in very 
handy tonight. Im full up of this School & 
so are all the rest of the Chaps from our Battn 
& we will be glad when Satday 1^st January comes & we 
finish up & get away home to our Battallions 
with no nigger cooks & no Imperial officers 
knocking about all day long. Have not been away 
from the Camp since last I wrote & nothing has 
happened except hard graft & writing up lectures 
at night. It was good to hear you & the Boy 
are quite OK, but I'd like to get near some of 
those damned old women who are always talking 
to you & stick a charge of dynamite under 
them. Am writing on a chair in my tent & it is 
not the most comfortable position, as you know 
I cannot write decently unless I get well spread out

but there are no interruptions here. The weather 
is still glorious, have no had any dust worth 
speaking about & all the days are beautiful and 
sunny. I am keeping awfully well, its great having 
dodged the Back in a Minute business. I hope I 
can keep up my record. Yesterday for the first time 
we got good Australian Butter & you should have 
seen it fly. The bread has always been good, but 
the Camels Butter or whatever it is has been rotten. 
We get no war news worth talking about, but 
on Xmas Day we know that a NZ crowd of 
Mounted Rifles smashed up a crowd of Bedouins 
on the Western Frontier in quite gorgeous style
No more now Pettie, must get ready to go out 
on this Night outpost job & be a Sentry or 
some other bully thing. Wish all my love to you 
& the Boy & to those at Kinellan
Your loving Husband
Cecil. 

No 13 Censored On Active Service 
CCS Dowding Abroad 
2nd Lieut.
FRANKED 
6th TRAINING 
Battalion 

AUSTRALIAN BASE 
- 3-1-16 
DETAILS P.O. 

Mrs CB Mills 
C/- Dr A.Burnes
"Kinellan"
Dalley St
Waverley 
N.S.Wales
Australia 

Lt. C.B. Mills 
of 23^rd Battn

Zeitoun School 
31st Dec 1915 

Dear old Pettie, 
I wrote to you 3 years 
ago tonight from Queensland, hoping it would 
be the last New Years eve we would ever be 
apart, & yet we have been separated twice in 
the four. Anyhow lets hope for the best & that 
I'll be home long before next New Years Eve. 
The School is finishing up thank goodness. It 
will be all over by 11:30 am tomorrow. One more 
examination, a written one at 8:30 tomorrow. 
I've been gradually getting my average up 
during the week. Got 93 & 90 for two more 
exams on Musketry, & got 90 for Battallion 
Drill this morning. So my average for 
everything is now about 88%, so if I do a 
decent paper tomorrow I will not be nearly 
last. Have not been out of the Camp except 
on Night Marches & so have no news. 
Last night was the Concert. The NCO's get 
up one each School & everybody is supposed 
to go. Last night it was especially grand on 
a/c of the distinguished guests. General 
Maxwell, G.O.C in Egypt & General Spence 
were both there together with a couple of their 
Staff Officers & of course all the School Staff 
Officers. Joe Young was the success of the

2/ 
Evening, with Up from Somerset. You 
remember he was the chap I heard sing it 
at Broadmeadows. Another little Johnnie 
Imperial Officer sang a couple of Coon Songs 
& danced & Captain Prince Alexander of 
Battenberg sang. You made me love you 
but I didn't want to do it & another Rag 
about the Moon for an encore. Of course 
he was the event. He is on General Maxwell's 
Staff & seems an awfully nice young chap. 
No swank, but very much like the pictures 
of the German Crown Prince. It must be 
peculiar for him to hear the crowd sing God Save, 
& then call for 3 cheers for the Kaiser Bill, which 
are always given in the usual manner with 
such gusto. I was sitting within about 3 
feet of him, so I've been very close to Royalty 
lately. What! The weather has been all that it 
could possibly be during the School, which is 
one great blessing & lately the sucker has taken 
a turn for the better. It broke my heart 
to pay £3/10/- yesterday for 20 days food here 
At our own mess it would only have been £2 
& it would been been food. Anyhow now all 
the annoyances & worries are practically over 
I'm very glad I came, as the Certificate I'll 
get may cut some ice & I certainly have 
learnt a dickens of a lot & also been brushed

3/ 
up with other stuff once learnt & partly 
forgotten again. I hope to get a few days 
leave upon returning back to the Battalion 
They nearly always give Officers 3 days off after 
doing this course. Nell old Darling, I've 
not got time for much tonight, as I must 
return to my swotting. We have a lot to be 
thankful for that happened during 1915. 
Our little boy came to us, so perfectly in every 
way & getting more wonderful each day, I'll 
warrant. Fancy his being 10 months old in 
8 days time. And Dearest, though I had to 
leave you, we will always be glad of it, when 
the rotten War is over & I go back to you 
You can rest assured my dear old wife 
that my last thought during 1915 will be of you 
as will also my first in 1916. No more this 
time my Dearie, But wish all my love to you 
& our Boy & looking forward with all my heart 
to our speedy re-union. 
Your Ever loving Husband 
Cecil 

No 14 
On Active Service
Abroad 

AUSTRALIAN BASE 
4-1-16 
DETAILS P.O. 

FRANKED 
6th TRAINING 
Battalion 

Mrs CB Mills Censored 
c/- Dr A.Burne W.G office
"Kinellan"
Dalley St
Waverley 
N.S. Wales
Australia 

FRANKED 
6th TRAINING 
Battalion 

Lt. C.Mills 
c/- 23^rd Battn