Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 2 of 22

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Already I've collected an Argus dated 20/11/15 &
a letter from Perle, telling me she was sending
me some socks. I got the socks last Monday
at the Aerodrome Camp. Daresay I will get
the missing letters from you. Hope so anyway,
Jim Hancock the Canon's Son came down with
us & last night I discovered that a Lieut named
Cam Robinson, who slept in my tent last night
& who came down with us to the 22nd Batt, is a
brother of Jack Robinson our North Careton
Manager. We had a jolly nice Church Parade
this morning. The Padre Capt Bladen is a nice
old chap & has just come back with the boys. We
run a pretty good chance of getting chatty here.
The returned men had a field day yesterday, they
were all over the place going through their clothes, &
standing about in their [[pelts?]]. Today I noticed my own
chaps on the job. One Chap caught 16 on his
singlet, so for a time, until we get them under we
can look forward to a lively time. Water is laid on
to the Camp, but no showers yet. When we can all get
a wash we will soon be ok. I've not noticed any
myself, so am hoping I've not got any. This is a
magnificent site for a Camp. The edge of the good
fertile land is just a couple of hundred yards away
 

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with a broad irrigation canal running alongside the
Railway. Boats can go up & down it. Then the country rises
up & it is just a stony desert. Good hard desert & well
drained. Miles & miles of desert to parade on, so all arms of
the service can have a go. Of course things are rotten
at present, but in a couple of weeks  time, it should be a jolly
good camp. It's principally Bully Beef & Biscuits up to the
present, but I've got good teeth thank goodness. Am writing
this on my knee & am not too good at it. Cook House has just
gone, so I want to go & see how my Birds are getting on
More later on if I get a show.

Tuesday 10/1/16
Zeitoun School of Instruction
Well what do you think of the above address.
Yesterday morning I was hurriedly detailed, to come
to the school & go through a course of signalling
to be Reserve Signalling Officer for the 23rd Batt.
Got up here last night & reported at 6.15 this
morning & found I was not wanted, so I'm
off back to Tel El Kebir  tonight. I do not know
anything about signalling beyond a bit of
semaphore work, & this school is not for beginners.
All the chaps that came up from our Brigade are
all in the same boat. I was offered a Machine
Gun course, but I've got no hankering after the
suicide club, so decided in favour of returning

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to the Battallion. The way things are muddled
gives on the pip absolutely. I saw Bob
Salmon this morning. He looks very fit &
well & is now a Corporal in 4th Light Horse.
He has had some very narrow escapes, but
has never been actually wounded. Reckons he
has been blown about a mile, adding everything
altogether. Coming up here cost me about £1 
yesterday, bringing a lot of stuff up for the men
& all my own gear. Daresay it will cost me
about the same to get back, so it has not been a
profitable job for me. Anyhow I'm glad to
go back to the Battallion, & see this huge
camp get into working order. It will be very
interesting & then I'll dodge 3 weeks of dirty
nigger cooking. It brought it all back to me
at Breakfast this morning. The dirty greasy
eggs & sausages & the rushing niggers doing
nothing. It was 25 minutes before I got a bite
to eat. This is now the biggest Military School of
Instruction in the World. Over 2000 officers & 
men go through each course. There were only
about 700 last school. Niggers are rushing
about building new huts that are timber frames
roof & sides are matting. Not too good if

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it rains but will be nice & cool in the
summer. Am going to dodge over to my own
Battallion now & then clear out from this Bully
place & I hope I never come back to it. I wish
my next move from Tel El Kebir would be to
Alexandria or Suez to catch the boat to
Australia. Get very full of rushing about
like a scalded cat & doing nothing when I
get there.  No more now. There will be another
Mail out from Tel El Kebir about Saturday next
so I'll have a chance of dropping you a note
between now & then
Your loving Husband
Cecil

Zeitoun
10/1/16

Old Dearest. This is just a little bit
of extra that is not for publication. Oh I
would like to have a peep at you & our
Boy to see how you are both getting on, & to
give you such a squeeze. I can see our
little chap growing up more & more by each
letter you write me. Dear old kid, there
surely is not another like him anywhere
in the whole world. Showed Salmon. the
photos this morning. Needless to say how
much he admired him. He does look the
jolliest youngster in the world. At anyrate
he is the finest kid I've ever seen, even if
I should not say it myself. Have no time
to write more old Darling. This has taken
me about 15 minutes. I write one line &
then stop & think of you. Curse this War
& Kaiser Bill, wish it was all over, so that
I could come home to you. Good Bye old
Bestest Ever  & tho I'm away from you, it is a
great source of comfort to me to know that
you would not have it otherwise. If I had not
come when I did I would have had to come
now & it would have been horrible to have been
pushed in. Good bye again old Darling with
all my love to you & the Boy.  Cecil

Tel El Kebir.
14.1.16

Dear Old Girl
Got your great big
letter today with the photos of yourself
Johnno & Mrs Hub. The one previous
has not yet turned up. Next one will
probably tell me about the evacuation from
Moonee Ponds to Sydney & I'll be glad to hear
that that was got through successfully,
without you knocking yourself out with work
& worry. Percy is a good old cove to go
across to help you, but it is just what he
said he would do. Hope you got my
letter written partly from here partly
from Zeitoun, telling you about my sprint
up to Cairo & back again. By Jove I'm glad
I was able to get out of the School, as I
could not have done any good with signalling 
in 3 weeks. The remainder of the
Battallion marched in last Monday night
when I was away in Cairo, & as I got back
late on Tuesday night, I did not meet the
other Officers until Wednesday morning.
They are a very nice crowd of chaps & they have
been awfully nice to the 2 of us that came
down with the Reinforcements, so once more my

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luck is sticking to me. Sunday 16.1.16
Interrupted the other night & since then no
opportunity to write. It is awkward writing
letters here, as conditions generally are fairly
primitive & I can't write on my knee, & have
a fair chance of the person receiving the
letter being able to read it. Well as I was
saying when I knocked off writing the
other night, I am very fortunate to get
along to the Battallion, so now you can
cut out 6th Reinforcements in the address
of future letters. I am at present in command
of a Platoon in D Coy but that may not
be permanent, as another officer who is
away on sick leave may come back. If he
is sent back to Australia, I'll be right.
I was very fortunate to be sent to the Battallion
so soon. Only 2 officers came with the men.
310 men were required to bring the Battallion
up to strength. The other chap is a 4th Reinf.
man & I was the junior in the sixth, so there
are a lot left at Cairo who should have got
the job before me. Anyhow that is nothing to
do with me. If I'm taken on the strength of
the Battallion it will make me Senior to them
all, old fat [[Newey?]] into the Bargain.

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The prospects for the future are not very bright
from a Military standpoint We will
probably go along to Suez Canal in about
3 weeks time, dig trenches & sit down
waiting for the great attack on the Canal.
We are supposed to be some rear line of defence.
The general impression is that Mister Turk
& his German Pals may come along & when
they see the elaborate welcome awaiting them
will say in the language of Bill Adams
"About turn there won't be no fight today".
At all events it is a good scheme on their part
to keep a lot of good troops here. Yesterday we
had a Review by General Murray & goodness
only knows who else. I can't tell you how 
many Australian Troops there were at it, but
as Brigade after Brigade of Infantry were 
inspected it made one feel very pleased to be
one of the mob. The troops are all in
excellent nick. A few want boots & slight
additions to their equipment & we could then 
march out ready for anything that might
come along. This time the position will be
reversed if any fighting does come. They will 
be attacking us over open country, we will be