Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 5 of 12

4/

The sea is wonderfully calm. Would think we
were going up Lane Cove River in a Ferry Boat
Have not found the old mans difference in the
Cash yet, but I am having another fly at it
this afternoon.  I am afraid he has gone down
for it in some way.  He does not think anyone
could have stolen it, but I can't see any other
way, unless the Pay Office people paid him short
in the first instance.  We are all getting pretty
sick of the trip & will be glad when we land
& get onto our work again.  It will do us all
good to get into hard work. I wake up every
morning feeling like a wet hen, with a headache
also, but that goes as soon as I get out of bed
The tucker still keeps right up to the mark, but
I'm trying not to eat too much.  One has a
tendency to eat more than is absolutely necessary
on board ship.  Well Dearie it is now 22 days
nearer the time when I will be coming back to
you & Johnnie.  Hope the news will be good when
we get to Egypt, although the chaps on board
who have been there previously, say we do not
get a great deal of news there either, as the
authorities try & keep the native population as much
in the dark as possible.  No more now old
Pet.  Must go down to my Troop Deck, & have a
look at the Tucker my Birds are getting.

Y.M.C.A.
E.G. CLIFFIN,
FIELD SERVICE SECRETARY
The Young Men’s Christian Association
OF TASMANIA, ON ACTIVE SERVICE WITH
The Australian Imperial Forces

5/        19:11:15

Well old Dearie, I got my first glimpse of Asia
yesterday, saw a barren headland that was part of
Arabia.  We passed Aden about dusk & saw the
steep hills at the back . Should think it was is a
desolate sort of hole.  We are now right in the
Red Sea.  We passed a Hospital Ship this
morning, painted red with a large Cross.  She
looked very nice & was taking wounded from the
Persian Gulf.  She gave us a bit of news by
signalling, that Roumania & Greece were still
neutral, that we were doing well in Bulgaria
that Kitchener was at Lemnos, that a Hospital
Ship had been torpedoed in the Meditteranean.
Not a great deal of news to get after 17 days of
drought.  We passed the islands they call the
12 apostles at lunch time today. Barren
volcanic islands they appear to be.  Inhabited by
a Light House as far as I could see.  The Red
Sea is a bally swindle, so far it is not red.  Has
not the faintest tinge of red about it.  We are going
to enter a complaint if it does not change its
colour pretty soon.  Had a Euchre party last
night, about 5 sisters & 11 men. Pretty [[punk?]]
show.  Played 7 6 games & that was enough.
Charlie Hamilton won the whole lot & got 1st money

6/

& the Matron won 6 & pulled off the Bacon for
the ladies.  I won 4 games & came in with
the bunch.  It was jolly hot & I would have
much sooner have sat up on the Boat Deck
in a canvas chair.  We have 2 Gunner
Perry's on board. One is a private in my Co.
His pals soon dropped down to him.  He got
a fresh pair every day when he was in the
Hospital. He liked it so much, he had to be
literally driven out.  The other is one of the
officers attached to one of the Tasmanian
Units.  Whenever it is getting close up to his turn
to be Orderly Officer, he gets sick & recovers as
soon as someone else does the job for him.  We
are all getting very full up of it.  Will be glad when
we get on land again. The journey is becoming
monotonous & we all want more work.  The
officers as much as the men.  It would be
nice to know where we are all going, but I
daresay we shall know something about Tuesday
next.  Got my name painted on all my
stuff yesterday, so I'll have a fair chance
of not being taken down for it.  Will mark all
my togs also when I get to Egypt in big
plain letters.  The little Hebrew Chaplain is not
a bad sort of chap. He looks like the dressed
up Teddy Bear in the Cobra Advrts in the Bully.
He is sore about the dry Canteen, but we all are, more
or less, principally more.

7/

Charlie Hamilton the Censor is starting to
make remarks about the Officers letters, so I'll
have to knock off this one & hand it in & then
ring another one in at the last minute, after we
get some definite information as to where we
are going to land.  Putting another Snap in that
was taken the other day, Pretty good group.
One of our chaps is making an arse of
himself with one of the nurses.  He is only a
Youngster, left a young wife & baby at home, was
naturally very down hearted upon coming away & this
bally nurse was of course very sympathetic & he
is now constantly looking for sympathy & gets it. 
Makes me fair sick as Emma would say.  & the
other fellows are getting snaky over it also.  She is
not a bad sort of a girl & the man is very likeable,
but sympathy can be carried too far & I think it is
carried too far when he sits at her feet for hours
at night & has his hair played with.  Should think
his wife would be awfully grateful to the sister
No more in this letter old Darling.  Will try & get
another one away in the Ships Mail, but if not
then I'll post one after we land.  Have got the old
man's cash all made up now as far as possible, but
no luck about the discrepancy.  Give Johnnie an

8/

extra squeeze from me the night you get
this & also shut your eyes & remember the
nicest love I ever gave you & think you are
having it all over again.  The biggest squeezing
you ever had from me will be nothing to what
you will get when I come back to you & I hope
it wont be very long either. The ink has run out
so no more in this one.  Ba Ba Sweetheart
Your ever loving husband
Cecil

H.M.A.S. 38 A
23rd Nov. 1915.

Hulloo Darling.
We reached Suez at 1/4
to 8 last night, so the long sea voyage is
over.  It will be 4 weeks tomorrow since
we sailed & it is just 4 weeks this evening
since I said Good Bye to you.  We will not
be disembarking until Thursday.  I could
write you such an interesting letter this
time, as there are so many things I would
dearly like to tell you about & which I know
you would be interested in but altho my
letters are not read by any one, it is not
right for me to discuss things that are
against orders.  Suez is not a particularly
prepossessing place viewed from the Decks
of this Hooker & there is absolutely no chance
of going ashore, until we all go off
together. Silly idea as I'd like to go & have
a look round.  As we will get no chance
when we are disembarking.     24:11:15
Was interrupted yesterday afternoon, & this
morning I have a good few odd jobs to
attend to, but as Charlie Hamilton & Johnnie
Walker are both going to ashore this
morning, they will post this for me.  We do

2/

not know yet when the next mail is leaving
for Australia, but I hope it is soon.
Yesterday at Sunset the shadows were
very beautiful.  There are steep sand
ridges all round the shores, very rough &
picturesque & they took on all sorts of
fantastic colourings & shapes.  After
looking for some time, intently, one could
imagine conjure up all sorts of figures
& animal heads &c.  The beautiful
colouring fascinated me.  In broad daylight
however, the effect is anything but pleasing,
& considering that it has only rained once
here during the life of the oldest inhabitant
one would not expect it to be a land
overflowing with milk & honey.  The boats
that the natives come out in are very old
fashioned.  Big clumsy things, with one
large latine sail, but they manage them very
cleverly.  Later. 9. P.M.
The 1st & 2nd Mates asked me to go for a sail with
them this morning.  They launched one of the
smaller boats, took a seaman & away we
went.  We sailed from the moorings right into
the Canal & tied up at the P&O Wharf.  The 2 Ships
Officers went ashore, but as I'd promised the O.C.

3/

of the Transport not so go ashore I
stayed in the Boat.  So far, I've been closer
to Egyptian Soil than any A.D.F. man on board,
about 6 yards from land & Ive had hold of the
P&O Wharf.  The Mail did not get off today
& I heard from an Egyptian Serang that came
aboard today, that there is no mail for Aust:
for another two weeks.  The Mail Steamer
passed us last night when we were all asleep &
there are 14,000 letters on board this Ship for
Australia, including 2 for you & you won't
even get a letter for Christmas now.  I've
posted 2 to Mrs Wragge, but now I'll post
everything to Kinellan.  of course I'll send you
a Cable as soon as I get to Cairo, but it will
have to be a Week End one, as I cant afford to
send a 4 bob a word one.  I will have to be pretty
careful with my 6 bob a day, as chaps tell me
now we have to pay about 25/- a week mess ex's
in Egypt & after buying tobacco & paying for my
washing there will not be much to spare.  I'm
jolly glad I won the Melbourne Cup Sweep, that
meant £4/5/- & has paid nearly all my ex's since
leaving Melbourne.  Of course we had to pay up for
the Sports prizes, but I'll land tomorrow only about
30/- short of what I embarked with, after paying tips &c-

4/
Zeitoun Camp
27:11:15

Well Dearie we are now advanced
another stage.  We disembarked on
Thursday morning at Suez, and our train
left at 12.30.  We arrived here at 7 O'Clock
after a very interesting train ride, pretty
tired out.  Niggers are everywhere & when
we pulled out from the Docks, crowds of
nigger kids ran alongside the train yelling out
for backsheesh, but they did not receive a very
flattering reception.  The natives seem to be a
particularly dirty shiftless race that will
do anything for a tip.  The irrigation canals
run right alongside the Railway & anything
seems to grow really well but away from
the water it is just desert, only sand, and
plenty of it.  This camp is situated about
10 minutes run from Cairo in the train & one
can walk to the Station from our quarters in
10 minutes, so we are nice & handy. We have
a splendid water service & the Camp is really
very comfortable.  I am at present in with the
Sixth Training Batallion, nearly all Aust
officers.  Have a few English R.F.A. officers
in the mess.  Have nice long sheds for
Sleeping & messing in, 4 Officers go to each

5

room.  We are full up at the present
time, so all we Officers from the last lot
are in tents, but we will come into the huts as
soon as some of the chaps go away to the Front
& they are due to go now at any time, but where
the Front is, nobody happens to know just now.
as its quite likely there will be a dust up round
here before long.  There are troops every where, we
are at one end of the Camp, the farthest side from
Cairo, & I don't exactly know where the other
end ends.  Yesterday afternoon I was able
to get leave & went into Cairo with 3 other
fellows & I sent you a Cable to tell you of my
safe arrival, which I hope you got OK.
I did not see a great deal of Cairo as we were
all pretty tired & came out early.  Things don't
really start to happen there until about 11
o'clock.  We drove through the native
quarters in a Garry, a sort of Phaeton with
a pair of horses.  The place is like a Rabbit
Warren.  Niggers of all colours there, thick
as flies, all yabbering at the same time
The streets are only about 12 ft wide & crowded
but our driver could yell loudly & continuously
& often went at a trot.  He was some driver.
We gave him 10 Piastres about 2/1 for driving
us for nearly an hour, so it was not expensive
between 4 of us.  I was in the Continental, with