Cecil Mills Collection - Wallet 2 - Part 9 of 22

5/   
Got a Bully from you tonight 
dated 6/1/16, but no letter since the 
one I mentioned last time dated 26/1/16. 
However we just heard a few minutes 
ago that there is 100 bags of mail 
for the Battallion over at Brigade 
Head Quarters, so am hoping for 
some good luck during the next 
couple of days.  No more now 
old Sweetheart.  Big hug for 
Johnnie. He will be more than 12 
months old when you receive this 
& with love to all at Kinellan 
Your loving Husband 
Cecil

23/  
Little bit extra for my best ever 
old woman.  Sorry you had not had 
any letters from me up to Christmas 
time , but after that they should be fairly 
regular,  2 or 3 each mail at any rate, as 
there is no reason why letters should 
not go away from Egypt safely.  Sorry 
you are worrying about me old bestie 
girl, but still I know it is impossible 
for you not to do so, but still dont worry 
any more than you can help Dearie 
& don't let yourself get run down. 
[[Wincarnis]] suits you I think you 
should take it regularly when you feel 
on edge at all. Of course leaving Melb 
was a worrying - trying time for you, 
but now I do hope everything will be 
plain sailing for you until I return 
to you, then we can have all our 
little worries together again. By 
jove Dearest, our worries were only 
very tiny ones were they not? 
I should think Johnnie Boy would know 
his Mum, considering his Mum has never 
been away from him for more than a couple

of hours, since he came. It is not 
many kiddies mothers can say that. 
Glad you rang the Pater up. Spoke 
to him a few days ago. Have only had 
one letter from him so far & only one 
from Percy, but thank goodness my 
old woman's letters come along O.K. 
 It must be grand to see our boy getting 
bigger & more advanced every week. Can 
picture just what he is like now from 
his photos & your word paintings 
I am more thankful every day that we 
have got him.  Hard luck you getting 
a few "bities" on you coming from Melb. 
those wretched little things mark you 
so quickly.  Weve got a few here, but 
Officers can keep pretty right, as we are 
not crowded in tents like the men.  Ive got 
a tent to myself at present.  Some of the 
men are pretty bad , but I rarely get 
more than a couple a day.  They are 
easily caught not like fleas.  No more 
now old Sweety Heart.  But just imagine the 
squeeze you will get when I get back to you 
  With all my love Dearest. 
  Your ever loving Husband 
  Cecil.

23/ 
O.A.S. 
abroad       
                       
Mrs. C.B. Mills 
C/.  Dr. A Burne 
'Kinellan' 
Dalley St. 
Waverley 
New South Wales 
Australia 
PASSED BY CENSOR No. 3150

24/ 
Canal Zone 
25. 2. 15 
Dear old Girl. 
Talk about this being 
my lucky week. Had letters galore. 
First of all your No 14 , then yesterday 
13,  15,  & 16,  2 from my Dad  1 Percy. 1 Perle 
Mrs. Conolly.  2 Curran,  Jim Russell & 1 
from NSW Chief Secretary about the G.P. 
business.  Am not going to try & answer 
your letters this afternoon, as we have a 
big night operation commencing at 5 PM 
or per Military time 1700 & goodness only 
knows when we will get back.  I am so 
sorry to hear about Johnnie suffering 
so with his teeth about the beginning of the 
year.  Hope the new ones coming through 
are all through long ago & that he is by 
quite himself long long ago, the dear old 
kid.  He does look a hard little case in the 
bath, & seems to be getting bigger & chestier 
than ever.  Old Harry Potts must have 
got a shock when you told him I'd been 
gone a couple of months.  Don't think 
he would be much of a success at this game

2/ 
Its all up & down, & its quite necessary 
at times to remember the old motto 'Always 
merry & Bright.'  The last few days, since 
one particular officer came back to the 
Reg from Hospital things have been quite 
disjointed in our Coy, thank goodness he is 
not going to stay with us long, but is going to 
one of the new Battallions they are forming 
over here from the Reinforcements.  We are 
2 officers short in our Coy just now, & it 
means that the two remaining Subalterns 
have Orderly Officer jobs every second day 
instead of every fourth & have to go on 
Outpost Duty every 4 days instead of every 
eighth day .  I got off on Wednesday morning 
at 7.0.00 07.00 (7 am) after doing 27 hours 
& started drill again at 0830 same as usual. 
No 1/2 day off now after outposts , go on 
again on Sunday morning at 0500, get up 
at 04.00. & carry on until 7 on Monday 
morning.  We miss our Sunday off this 
week .  Have not caught any Turks on our 
Outposts so far, but an aeroplane down the

3/ 
front caught a patrol the other day & got 
a couple with Machine Gun fire .  I don't 
think there will be any serious fighting here. 
There may be a raid or two made by mounted 
men , but no real scrap . We do not expect 
to be here more than another month, & then 
we expect to go to France & take our place 
alongside Continental Troops.   What makes 
me convinced it is no "Furphy" is the awful 
noise they are making about Saluting 
Officers &c . I suppose we will be looked 
upon as an undisciplined mob alongside 
trained French & Regular Britishers, thats 
if there are any British Regulars left. 
That big Russian victory the other day 
at Ezroum must have given the Turks a 
great shake up , & will knock out their 
little joke against Egypt for a while. 
The Official Intelligence news we have been 
getting through lately has been quite 
encouraging, it really looks as tho the tide 
is at last turning in our favour, As you 
say surely it cannot last a great while longer

4/ 
We are living in great style here, have jolly 
good tucker.  We got a box of Australian 
Butter about 10 days ago.  Cost us 2/6 per lb 
but it was worth much more than that. 
We have enough to last until Monday or 
Tuesday next , but I sent in to I smailia today 
to see what we could get there. Have to take 
quite an interest in catering affairs now Im 
Mess Secretary, & as everything has to come 
from Rail Head by Camel, it is not the easiest 
thing in the world to keep the supplies right 
up to the knocker.  I do wish sometimes 
that Adamsons was just round the corner. 
It quite broke my parsimonious heart the 
other day when I had to part up £7 for the 
56 lbs of butter.  With the rations we draw 
we can run the mess on 2/- per day, & that 
includes such delicacies as Eggs, tomatoes, 
tinned fruit &c. Had stock takes yesterday 
& had about 55 tins of fruit on hand, 
but it is marvellous how it goes, when about 
30 Officers & 8 soldiers have to be fed out 
of things. Had a very good snap taken by my

5/ 
Platoon Sergeant the other day when we 
were out digging Trenches. I was standing 
about 20 yards in front of the trenches.  The 
back ground is just sand ridge after sand 
ridge & that is where our Outpost lines 
are.  As soon as the Sgt has taken a few 
more prints off the negative, he will give 
me the film & I ll send it home to you. 
If you think it is good enough, you might 
get some others printed & if it will enlarge 
decently, get a couple done.  Think it is very 
good myself,  & should show you that I'm 
pretty well Thank You.  Think I forgot to 
mention to you that I'm clean shaved once 
more .  The rule about growing a moustache 
is not observed strictly here, nearly all the 
Officers are clean shaved.  The "shorts" are 
very comfortable - although only quite 
a recent acquisition, breeches now seem 
quite uncomfortable.  Now the weather is 
getting warmer they will be indispensable. 
It is pretty cold on Outpost at night when 
the sun goes down, the Sands of the Desert