Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 6 of 22

Tel El Kibir 
30th Jany 1915 
  
Hulloo old Dearest. 
Got a chance to write 
a bit tonight.  Been busy all day since  
Church Parade, packing up ready to leave,  
of course we cannot take Cabin Trunks & Suit  
Cases now. We are allowed (Officers) 35lbs  
weight of luggage in the 2nd line of Transport  
& anything we can carry in our packs.  I can  
assure you my old black kit bag is jammed  
fairly tight & I'm going to carry a fair load  
on my back as well.  In addition to the sewn  
up blankets you fixed up for me, I've got 3 others,  
the big white oil sheet & two issue ones, not  
to mention a good horse rug my Batman  
pinched for me about the first day we landed  
here.  Foley my Batman is about the most  
expert thief I've ever come across. He is quite  
honest in ordinary things,  He has been Barman  
at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club for years,   
but  if he thinks for one moment that I  
require anything for my personal comfort  
he will have it. We are not supplied with  
Lanterns here for our tents, so Lou Foley thought  
I should have one. There are lots of Gippy  
shops just outside the lines, so my noble Louis 

2/ 
Albert blew along to one that had about 10   
lanterns hanging up showing off their goods.   
He quietly took one down from the nail, &  
waited for the explosion which came promptly  
from about 10 Gippy's at once.  He was most  
indignant with them all, said he had dropped  
a pound & started looking about on the ground  
after a couple of minutes the natives stopped  
watching him, he blew the light out & to use his  
own words "melted" & I got the lantern. Also  
shook a chair in front of a Barber shop  
while they were busy inside.  I think he will  
be a valuable man to have with me at the  
front when we eventually get there. Col Knox  
The Commanding Officer of the Battallion came   
back during the week. He is only a young  
chap & an absolute hero among the men.  
Anyone of them would do anything for him. 
& I can see the Batallion bucking up now he  
has come along.  It was a bit ragged before,  
all the Anzacs thought it was too much  
trouble to bother about during their drill with  
any snap.  The Band have also got their  
instruments, & it does make a difference to  
the Battallion when they march out & come in

3/ 
I think, more & more that I am lucky to be in  
this Battallion & whats more, am quite confident  
that I can hold my end up with the rest of the crowd.   
We had the Band for Church Service this  
morning, two Battallions together.  It was pretty 
good. We had Communion Service in our Mess  
Tent afterwards & it was very impressive.   
After all our preparations to move out on Tuesday  
next, we will not be going for about a week, so we  
are not sending our trunks up to Thos Cook & Co  
in the morning. Think Ive got enough out in 
my black kit bag to last me without hauling the  
trunk about, now it is packed. It was my turn  
for leave tomorrow, they did not count my  
jaunt to Cairo last week as leave, but as duty.  
I don't want to go to Cairo, so am letting one  
of the other chaps take my place. Most of the  
chaps have gone over to the Picture Show tonight.  
They soon run up one of those, open air of course, 
but with high matting walls, so there is no free  
look.  Have not been across yet. Forget whether  
I told you in my last, that the latest "Furphy" 
is that we go to France as soon as the Canal  
job is finished (about April, to be in at the  
death knock of the War. Would rather go there

4/ 
than to the Balkans.  Well old Pettie, I wonder  
how my Best & Second Best are getting on, have  
the latest news up to the 20th Dec. & the next letter  
will tell me about the Turkey and Hard Sauce you  
had at Christmas time.  Hope you did not give  
Johnnie boy too much Christmas Pudding this  
time, but I suppose he had a bone or so to go on  
with. Don't think there is any mail going out  
for about another week, but I'll post this with the  
old Padre on the off chance. No more now old  
Sweetheart. Ask the boy for a kiss for me, Ill  
imagine him biting you on the chin & as for  
my dear old woman, she can just imagine  
what would be coming her way if I was handy 
Love to all at Kinellan. 
From your ever loving husband 
Cecil

19/ 
O.A.S. 
Abroad 
A.I.F.INTER.BASE  
-7.-FE.-16. 
CAIRO 
Mrs. C.B. Mills 
C/- Dr A Burne 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley St, 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
PASSED BY 
No3018 
CENSOR 
A[[?]] M Williams 
Lt 

Saturday 5/2/15 
Dear Old Girl, 
Goodness only knows when  
this letter will get away to you. We broke up the  
old Camp last Wednesday. & made for our  
destination & we have had a pretty rough  
time of it. Reached our Rest Camp at 5 o'clock  
on Thursday morning, with just what we had carried  
on our backs & bivouacked, & resumed our march  
in the afternoon. I had been entraining Officer 
at Tel El Kebir & the Colonel reckoned as I had 
made such a conspicuous success of it that I 
would stay behind & look after the Battallion 
baggage & so far Ive not caught up to the 
Battallion, but have moved nearly everything 
& if I can get 8 Camels in the morning, the  
whole job will be finished & Im off with the 
last Camel. I stood the March with full 
Kits up OK, but was tired when it was 
finished. Crowds of the men fell out & 
stragglers are still passing by. Have never 
seen so many Camels in my life, they go 
past me here in thousands, carting stone 
to build the road out the position where  
we will await the onslaught of the Turk

2/ 
that will probably never come off 
We are now really & truly soldiers, & it's 
bully & biscuits to eat, but I've had a  
banquet for my tea, 1/2 a tin of Machonichie 
Ration which is Bully minced with vegetables, 
about 3 cups of cocoa, & some bread & 
cheese, Bought the bread from some chaps 
going past & cadged the cheese from the  
Army Service Corps. We passed through 
Ismalia about 1, o'clock am, glorious 
night, pitch dark & starry. It must be 
a beautiful place & I was sorry it was 
not daylight, there were avenues of 
trees to march through on either side 
of the road & the stars could be 
seen peeping through the leaves now & 
again. It was really a Fairy scene. 
It all seemed so unreal, for all the 
world like a stage scene. Getting too  
dark to write more & we have no 
candle, am splendid, & can stand the

3/ 
hard work & the hard tucker, 
but I think it will be pretty solid for 
water for a while, altho weve had 
plenty here, shook it from the niggers 
water carts, that were supplying the road 
steam rollers. No more now, hope I will  
get a letter from you when I eventually 
get to the Battn, as 3 bags of mail 
were included in the Baggage 
Have not had any letter for 2 weeks, 
last one still dated 20th Dec. 
Big Hug for the Boy & you know 
what would be your share if I was  
handy, Love to all. Ring up some 
of my Family, as I cant write to 
them just now. With all my love 
Pettie 
Your own old man 
Cecil