Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 19 of 22

4/  
Have seen no devastated country 
yet, but will be inside the area 
sometime tonight, the more one 
thinks of it, the more awful it 
all seems, as it is such a lovely 
country. I hope I can personally 
kill a few Germans, it would 
not worry me in after years. 
No more now old Pettie. With 
all my love to you and our Johnnie 
Boy, your Pocket Book is 
always in my left hand top 
pocket, & you know what is in 
the Pocket Book. 
Your loving old man 
Cecil 
Have not got my little book 
but I think it should be No 31. 
CBM
 

No 31 
Army P.O.2 
B 
3 Apr 16 
O.A.S. 
Abroad 
  
Passed Field Censor 
1542 
  
Mrs. C.B. Mills 
c/- Dr. A  Burne 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley St 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
  
Lt. C B Mills 
23rd Battn 
AIF

Grand Hotel Dangleterre 
6  7 & 8 Cours Boieldiel 
Rouen

Somewhere in France 
8:4:16. 

Hulloo Old Darling. 
Got to our Regt at last 
on 4th just, & there is no six weeks 
training behind the firing line for us. 
We started for the front at once almost. 
& now we are just behind the firing 
line, & will be in the trenches tomorrow 
night. I got a cable away to you from 
Rouen & also some little collar 
arrangements.  The dinky blouse I wanted 
to buy you cost £3/10/. & funds would not  
run it. Had a pretty rotten trip from 
Rouen in the Troop Train, about 18 hours. 
We are now in quite a different sort of 
country to Southern France. This is 
cold & forbidding, dull wintry weather 
& it will not be summer until next 
month. My Batman got on the Booze 
- allowed my suit case & my black kit 
bag with all my clothes to be taken away 
to the Base & I dont expect to see them 
again. So I just had what I stood up in, 
a change of underclothing & a pair of 
socks. One dear of old letter No 22 was waiting

for me & No 23 came along the next day.  
Then to show how my luck was in, your 
parcel with all the shirts was delivered 
just in time for me to pack it away with  
the Company Transport, so now am not  
quite so destitute as I was. We hit that  
Tin of Crab [to leg] tonight in great style 
it followed on cold boiled mutton. It  
made a delightful feed for 3 of us. The Peps  
are great & will last such a long time.  
The shirts are a bit too light for the  
present time but next month they will be 
just the thing. The cheese cloth shirts  
will be A1 to wear next the skin. Have 
made one into Hanks already. There 
is a very good Expeditionary Force 
Canteen right up alongside the Trenches, 
so as soon as we get out of the Firing 
Line for our first spell, I'll be able to 
get lots of news things again. The place 
we are going into is said to be very 
civil & it requires quite a lot of bad 
luck to get hurt, but I think there is 
going to be something doing next 
month, & the Australians are going 
to have a good deal to do when it comes to

5/ 
Have used some of the cheese cloth shirts 
today. Making bandages for chaps with 
blistered feet. Some of their feet are very 
bad & the stuff in the shirts is lovely and 
soft, &  I don't suppose you will mind a 
few of them being torn up, for they are 
answering a good purpose. Ive lost all my 
post cards & writing paper, so will not be able 
to write to anyone else until we get our first 
relief from the Trenches, when Ill be able to 
get a supply. This old exercise book is the 
old Mess a/c book and I find a few leaves out 
of it now and again. No more now old girl 
Will write again the first chance I get. 
You will be glad to know that the sound of guns 
going off full tilt a few miles away has not 
made me feel at all nervous. Hope I wont be 
nervy tomorrow night when we are right in  
it. Love to all 
Your Loving Husband 
Cecil 

Sunday Night 
Now Dearest Old Woman a wee note 
for yourself & Johnnie Boy & also an answ 
answer to your two letters. Glad you have 
had your photos taken for me I know you will 
send me one of each position I'm afraid you  
are shorting yourself terribly about money only 
spending ₤16 in 8 weeks. Youve got ₤5/4/. a week 
to spend less about ₤25 per [[?]] for Insurance 
premiums. Johnno looks as tho he knows your 
old chair he is his by right. He is quite in  
possession. The socks you posted will be a  
godsend & I hope to get them next week in the  
Trench. Have only got 2 pairs at present. 
[[?]] a brown pair 
Perle sent me. God struth my Batman 
could murder him but he will get the 
serve up blankets & I can pile ok things in that 
& roll in the white oil sheet & make a valise  
out of it. Have just read your two dear old 
letters through again & they are such dear 
ones. I can picture you & the boy in every line 
of them. Well Darling there is a remote  
chance of getting a bit of a crack anytime 
now. The Germans could lob a shell here if they  
wanted to. Am glad it is an easy post we are  
going to for a start & I do hope I wont funk 

anything that comes my way 
Anyhow if anything does happen every 
one is looked after splendidly here, & 
the Hospitals have reached a state of  
perfection. If a man is wounded & goes to 
England, he is treated so well that he never  
wants to leave the Hospital. Ive been 
terribly broken up over my own Platoon. 
They have gone to the "Pack" absolutely 
During the 16 days I was away from them 
there has been no control over them & this 
Cafe style of drinking does not suit our chaps 
They all got about 6 weeks pay in a lump 
& have been mopping up cheap fizz & they do 
look wrecked a great many of them. It  m kjo 
makes one very sick of things, specially 
when one tries to give them a fair run 
Well old Darling, long before you get 
this I'll be quite used to all sorts of things I've 
only heard about. Johns Pocket Book goes into  
the trenches with me, so you two will always 
be within a couple of inches of my heart. 
Good Night again Sweetheart. 
Your own old man who thinks 
of you constantly & longs for the day, when 
we three will be together again. 
Cecil 

32?   
8 - 4 - 1916 
  
Mrs CB Mills 
C/. Dr A Burne 
Kinellan 
Dalley St 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
  
PASSED FIELD CENSOR 
2964 
CB Mills 23rd