Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 1 - Part 8 of 12

No 7       On Active Service Abroad

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

Lt CB Mills
6/23rd Battn 

Zeitoun
8/12/15

Loud Cheers old Darling, your dear old letter
written on 1st Nov reached me last night just
as we came in from Parade. I was that
excited I just looked at the envelope for about 
5 minutes, before I could open it.  It was 
great to get a letter & now I can expect to get
a couple each time the mail comes in. They
are not all delivered at once but after a Mail
comes in letters straggle along for about a week.
I got 2 this morning, one from the Bank
stating they had established a Credit for me at
The Credit Lyonnaise in Cairo, so if I ever go
broke I can draw £25. The other was a
Christmas Card from the Dick Rodda's. I can't
reply to your letter now, as I don't want to have
it out in front of the mob. We have just come
in from Parade, & go out again at 1 PM on a
Field Day, ending up with Night operations
lt gets dark about 1/4 past 5, so we will have
about 1 1/4 hours in the dark & reach camp
at 6.30. nice & tired too I'll wager after 5 ½
hours sand tramping. The weather is simply
wonderful & I am feeling very fit. It gets cold

2/

as soon as the sun goes down, & it is a good
precaution to take to change ones wet togs, on
coming in from afternoon parade, instead of
letting them dry on one. There are very heavy
fogs in the morning. The sands of the Desert
are quite damp when we march out for first
Parade at 6.45. This morning the men looked
very ghostly moving about at a distance of 40
yards, for all the world like those shadows thrown
on a screen. We simply could not see the
Camp until we got right onto it when we came
in, & it would be a very simple thing to
march away from it. The fog lifted about
8/30 & now it is very hot. By jove old Pettie
those sewn up blankets are doing good work. I
get into those every night & wake up snug as the
little brown insect in a rug the next morning.
I m not wearing a Balaclava, but I ve taken
to the Sleeping Socks of Mrs Dickinsons again.
I was a bit cold the first couple of nights
without them. War news is very scanty here.
There is nothing in the Egyptian Papers, but we
are plentifully supplied with English & Aust:
Papers in the Mess. There is evidently a chance

3/

of a bit of a mess up in Egypt. Everything
is being put in readiness for a dust up.
If it comes quickly, our poor old Blighters
will not be in it, as so far they have not got
rifles issued to them. They will be disappointed.
As for the Officers, we do not seem to be required
at present or even in the dim future either.
Got to slide off & have my tucker now & get 
ready for the fray this afternoon, so Good
Bye for the present Sweety Heart & it was good
to get your letter & hear about you & Johnnie.
I hope you are getting all my letters regularly.
Anyhow you will always know that no news
is good news, as if I ever get sick, the Govt
will let you know about that. Heaps of
love Dearie to you and the Boy from your
loving old man
Cecil.

No 8
MELBOURNE
Y.M.C.A.
on
Active Service
with the
AUSTRALLAN
IMPERIAL FORCES 

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

Lt. CB Mills
6/23rd Reinf

Zeitoun
11:12:15

Dearest old Girlees
Saturday afternoon, & a good
chance to answer your letter properly.
Nearly all the Officers have been gone into Cairo to
the Derby, & the Camp will be deserted shortly.
Well you know long ago that our transport
went straight out so that was not ours off
Sandringham. You did not mention whether
you got my letter from Broadmeadows, with the
cheque in it. You might let me know. I did not
see Mr Wilson at Essendon, but I wrote to him
from Freemantle. It was good of the Holts to
send me some things. The "Parcel" has not
turned up yet, but there is plenty of time for
that to come. The letters from last Mail are
coming through well. A big heap each day.
No more for me yet, but I got the one I wanted
the first delivery almost. The letter sent to
Freemantle has not yet turned up, but if it went
by the old Dimboola, it should turn up inside
a couple of months. About sending things over
Dearie. Ive really got everything I want. I do
not notice the cold here at all, & my underwear is

2/

quite right. I will be glad of the Jaeger
belts, I'll then chuck up my flannel strips.
They wrinkle up so after a good days drive &
curl up into a sort of rope. I ve not used the
issue ones yet, as they are too warm. Am ever
so glad that Mrs Wragge made you so comfy.
I thought it would be alright, after having a
look at the lady, she looked comfortable & homely.
Glad to hear that Johnnie was good for the
first week even. He is carrying out his promise
to me to look after his mummy until I go back.
Hope the Melba people can improve on the
photos. I can be expecting them shortly.
You will be able to please yourself when you
are in Sydney as to whether you go & stay
with Evelyn, or just go over for a day at a
time. It is so easy to go anywhere when Cars
are laid on. I have not run across Dick
yet I am sorry to say. I have absolutely no
idea what Reinforcements or Regiment he is
in, & even if he is quite close to me, it would
be sheer luck if I came across him by accident.
I have made enquiries at some of the L.H
Camps but had no luck. I will be glad of Mrs

3/

Bartels letter of introduction. It would
be very nice to have some nice home to go
to when one could get away from Camp for a
few hours. I dont care for knocking about
Cairo with no definite object in view, being
continually pestered by natives to buy some
confounded thing or other, for about 6 times
its value. I wish I knew a bit of French, it
would be very handy, as French is spoken
more than English. The Paper Boys at the
Camp are very humorous, Gypta Times
Tomorra, Gooda noose in da Paypa
Things do seem pretty rotten for us at Gallipoli
we get no news at all in the Papers, but
rumours do get round from returned men & they
are not very comforting. We should hear a lot
of news directly, as a convoy is to arrive in
a day or so with wounded. No 1 & No 2 Hospitals
at Helipolous & Ghezireh are both practically
empty waiting for the crowd. They got everybody
out that they could possibly move, so there
has evidently been something very serious
doing. If we have to evacuate the Dardanelles
it will be a terrible blow to Australians generally
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