Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 14 of 22

4/
scenes to come. Alexandria
is another Cairo, only that it
is a seaport town & not nearly
so large. There is nothing
much to go & look at. The good
streets seem to me to be ahead
of Cairo & the native streets
just the same. Hope to get
a drive round for an hour
during the afternoon. Schuchy
will let you know what
Transport I go on. He took a
couple of snaps down on the
wharf yesterday & said he
would send them to you. Of
course that was just as we
had come in from the desert.
Today I am arrayed just the
same as when I left Melbourne
(just got a nig to clean my
boots while I am writing)
so he says he does not mind
knocking around with me now 
I've got my glad clothes on

5/
just had to knock off & go &
say Good Bye to my OC's wife
Mrs. Kennedy. She came down to
see the last of him. He went with
The Regt yesterday. She is coming
across fairly soon with the C.O's
wife Mrs. Knox & Im jolly glad.
Mrs. Kennedy is a charming
woman & I hope we will be pals
of theirs after the bally old war
is a thing of the past. Im awfully
keen on Kennedy as a Soldier, in
my opinion he stands above in
our Regt, altho "I says it as what
shouldn't". Perhaps it is because
he likes me, but I think he
knows I do my best to do my
own particular part of the
job as efficiently as I know how.
We are having lovely weather
for our stay here. I humped
my pack from the Steamer
last night to our rest camp.
Most of the officers left theirs

6/
to come on the transport that
was promised. We were all dead
dog tired through messing about
all day & I turned in as soon as
Id got something to eat about
9/30. Had my Water Proof  Sheet
Blanket, Overcoat, Nossy's Waist
Coat & Water Proof Coat & the
ground, which was very rough
& stony. Woke up about
12 0'clock when the other chaps
were just going to bed, they
had to go down to the wharf
again after their gear. I don't
trust transport to carry my
sleeping gear, when I can
hump it along myself. Woke
up with an awful pain in
my back about 4 o'clock
& all the stones on the face of
the earth sticking into me, & I
had to roll over a few times
before going to sleep again. Had
a lovely shower this morning
with carbolic soap. Of course

Majestic Hotel
ALEXANDRIA-EGYPT
Alexandria
7/
the nice soap you always had
in the Bathroom at home was
really much nicer, but the
shower this morning with the
bar of old carbolic was really
very fine & it the ceremony lasted
about 15 minutes. No more
now old Girl. Tell my Pater
& Percy & the rest of the family
that I have had no time to write
lately, but hope to do so very
soon. With love to all at
Kinellan, or Montrose, or
wherever you are when this
reaches you.
Your ever loving Husband
Cecil.

Old Dear Heart.
Just a wee bit more
for you & Johnnie boy.
Have been away from you
now for nearly 5 months.
Goodness only knows how long
it seems to you old woman when
to me, living a very full life
it seems just ages. Anyhow
I hope the boy keeps you just as
busy as ever. The people who
should know things reckon the
end is in sight now, so I will be
home to you & the boy one of these
fine days & oh my Dear old
Woman, my own old woman, what
a day that will be for we two.
Goodbye again old Pettie
With all the love that I have
in my being for you & our boy.
Your own old man
Cecil 

 28 Alexandria

O.A.S.
abroad

Majestic Hotel
ALEXANDRIA -EGYPT
28

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

29/
Saturday 25/3/16.
Nearing Malta.

Well old Dear. I wrote you a decent
sort of letter from the Majestic Hotel in
Alexandria last Tuesday & gave it to Schuchard
to try & get through for me, but of course
I cannot tell whether it would go or not.
Starting from where I left off in that letter:-
Had a good look round Alex during the
afternoon I think it is considerably ahead
of Cairo. It was grand having the sea all
round the place. The harbour was full
of shipping, a great number of Transports
of course. Saw a very interesting procession
coming along near the Bourse. Quite a crowd
of natives headed by a Brass Band were
wandering aimlessly along, & obstructing
the traffic generally, causing trams to
pull up & Policeman to shout out all sorts
of instructions accompanied of course by
marvellous gesticulations. All the Police in
the world & all the clanging tram bells could
not stop a Gippy Band until the tune was
finished but they gradually wandered to the
other side of the road & let the traffic past &
of course stopped it on the other side

2/
after a while the Brass Band played itself
to a Standstill & then the Bag Pipe Band
did their little piece. At the rear of the
procesh was a gaily decorated carriage with
3 boys about 12 years old, dressed up in
very grand rigs, with the Centre one specially
elaborate & looking very delighted with him
self & the whole show generally. Jack Wharton
who was with me, questioned one of the natives
about the procesh & we got the whole story
in French (Wish I could talk it a bit, but
I can't pick up any of these languages) What
do you think was the cause of all this
gaiety? The youngster was going to be
circumcised! Funny crowd aren't they,
customs do vary in different parts of the
world. Schuchard, Wharton & myself had
a very nice dinner & had a Box at Bucklins
Show. A Box mark you. It held 4, but
we were too proud to gather in a fourth
The price of the Box was 30 Piastres, roughly
2 bob each. We did enjoy the Show so
much Bucklen & Violet Paget were awfully
good the rest of course were Amatuers, &
tho some were good, a couple were painful

3/
Had a decent supper afterwards, the
show started about 9.15 & finished 12/30.
& we went back to our rest camp at Gabbari
In case the letter I gave Schuchard to post
for me never reaches you, I swapped a cheque
with him. He gave me his Chq for [[ T1,000?]]
& I gave him ys a cheque or your a/c for
 £10 : 5 : 3. We are all dead broke, not
having been paid since 28th Febry & I have been
able to finance some of the other chaps. In
case I forget, the Bank should debit your a/c
with 2 insurance Prems about 28th April,
One for £ 4 : 11 : 0 & one for £ 1 : 8 : 5.
On Wednesday morning we once more got
under way & marched down to the Wharf
& found our Transport. Decent little ship
belonging to The Khedival Mail Line. We are
packed up pretty closely. I've got a good cabin
3 Berth, but there are 4 of us in it, so with
all our luggage & equipment about, it is
a trifle crowded. One chap has to sleep on
a stretcher, so when he gets fixed up for
The night there is not much room to
move about. Great number of the men
have got Cabins, in the 1st & 2nd class & all