Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 8 of 22

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surprised, if, during the next couple of  
months I float round with a second  
star up. My 34 years young sticks to me  
very well here. Most of the Officers are young,  
too young to my mind, & some of them are not  
quite sedate enough, they are a bit too  
larky & not quite sufficiently attentive to  
their jobs at times, in fact not reliable in  
ordinary matters of detail, though most  
of them proved good scrappers on the Peninsula.  
I've got to prove myself a good scrapper  
yet. Have done everything except that.   
Am getting a bit of a skiter aren't I?  
Bumped into a chap at Tel El Kebir the  
day we left there, who used to be Gun [[?Sapper]]  
in the old A.G.A at Wollongong in my  
time. He is Machine Gun Sgt. in the 24th  
Battn.  Needless to say the surprise was  
mutual & he seemed very glad to see me again.  
Was funny the two of us being in Victorian  
Regts. Jolly hot today. It will be getting  
pretty sour in another months time

6/ 
There does not seem to be much doubt that we  
will go to France later on, as soon as all  
danger of an attack here is over, so I should  
see a bit of Europe before going back to  
Australia. Glad we are here for the winter,  
as the climate could not be better, if it  
was ordered, so far. That little complaint  
Will be back in a minute is pretty bad  
just now. Am quite OK myself but it is  
hard on the chaps doing a route march  
with their packs up for 2 1/₂ hours, when  
they've been doing route marches to the  
latrines for a couple of days previously. 
No more in this one - 
Your loving Husband 
Cecil 
Love to all at Kinellan

13/2/15 
Old  Sweetheart, this is just a bit  
extra for you & Johnnie. Am sorry you  
are worrying over your old man, as your 
last letter showed, but then Xmas is a  
Happy time, & there was an awful  
difference between this last one, & the  
dear old Xmas we had on our own  
the time before. Just we two, & Johnnie  
coming to us later on. Next Xmas  
it will be the same again, only that  
Johnnie will be sitting up in his  
high chair. I dream of you so  
often,  they are such dear old dreams,  
as natural as if we were together, we have  
great old yarns about things generally. Have  
no trouble at all about those unpleasant  
sort of dreams. Have never been so free from  
them before. Its the perfectly healthy life  
Im living. Out all day, sunburnt & strong  
as a horse, can hold my end up with any  
of them, when it comes to marching

You & our boy are very close to me  
in spirit, altho we are so many miles  
apart, but once the bally old war  
is over & we get on a steamer bound  
for home every turn of the screw will  
take me nearer to you, & that is the  
time we are all looking forward  
to. Get the wee son to give you a big  
hug for his Daddy. 
With all my love old SweetHeart 
As ever & always 
Your loving Husband 
Cecil 
Hope things are fairly quiet  
at Kinellan for you, & that all  
the friction has disappeared, never to  
return again 

22/  O.A.S. 
abroad 

Mrs. C.B. Mills 
C/. Dr. A Bierne 
"Kinellan" 
Dalley St 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
  
PASSED BY 
No. 3018 
CENSOR

23/ Same old Place 
17.2.15 

Dear old Fairy, 
Here it is Thursday again  
& the week almost gone. Time flies in  
a most miraculous manner at this  
game. There is always something to be  
done. Had to go on Outpost duty again  
at 5 o'clock on Tuesday morning & stay  
on until about 6/30 Wednesday morn.  
It was not my turn and I did not have  
my own men, but we got through  
without anything serious happening.  
Two of our Coy Officers are away  
so the two subalterns that are left  
have to do outposts once every 4 days  
instead of every 8 days. It was dashed  
uncomfortable this last trip, as it was  
drizzling rain nearly all day. It cleared  
up at night, but the sand was all wet  
& sticky. Struck a new idea this time.  
Dug out a place in the sand about 6ft x  
3ft about 2ft deep & put one oil sheet at  
the bottom then 2 blankets on top then

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my overcoat & then another oil sheet  
on top of that. The Platoon Sergeant  
& myself had this & put the blankets [[?]]  
were our joint property. One of us had  
to be up all the time, so we took it  
turn about to use the camp & thus  
had a double supply of blankets &  
kept beautifully warm while we  
were asleep. Did not like turning  
out at 10 when it was my shift, stayed  
on till 1, & then had another 2 hours.  
Things cannot be regarded as very  
serious over this Canal business, as  
they are giving leave to the men  
again. However we are now getting  
good training, under the nearest  
approach to Active Service Conditions  
possible. We had a bit of excitement  
during the day I was on Outpost, we  
saw through our observation post  
telescope a party of natives with Camels  
about 3 miles in front of us, they were  
well covered & we could see they were 

3/ 
armed, & we could also see they were  
looking at in our direction with  
glasses. Sent a patrol out quick &  
lively after them & it turned out to be  
a survey party under our own men  
from^ further down the position, that we had not  
been told about. Their unit got roused  
on a fair treat for not notifying us  
they were going out, for thats what we  
do Outpost work for, to watch for any  
Turkish patrols that may come [[passing]]  
round this way. We get regular summaries  
of the Official War News now, it comes  
every 3 or 4 days & is read out at Mess.  
It was quite encouraging tonight.  
Seems as though there is great &  
increasing friction between Turkey &  
Germany. Hope it keeps on increasing.  
The latest information effecting our  
Battallion is that 5 Officers have  
to go out of it to assist in Officering  
the new Battallions that are being  
formed. They are all to be fairly  
Senior Officers, capable of taking charge 

4/ 
Companies, so there will be some  
promotions for Junior Officers  
knocking round. Will be surprised  
if I don't catch my second star  
before long, as Im doing pretty well  
in the Regt. Now if an Officer goes  
sick & has to leave the Regt to go to  
Hospital, he does not come back to  
the Battn., but they collar him in  
Cairo to go to one of the new Battns.  
We lost one of our Coy during the  
week. I bought his stretcher &  
a few things from him, as he reckons  
they will not let him come back, so  
now I don't sleep on the ground. This  
Mess Secretary business gives me a  
lot of work. Have got to carry all the  
funds about in my pocket which is  
a bit of a nuisance. [[?shers]] red wallet  
won't hold all the money tonight. Have  
got about 4000 P.T. in 100 and 50 notes.  
Would be rotten luck to lose it.