Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 3 - Part 8 of 14

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the torture and pain you suffered despite your marvellous 
optimism because I know and remember full well the
intensity of your love for me. I freely confess that you,
darling , are my sheet anchor and that I miss all that you
gave me dreadfully and realise how awful all this turmoil 
is for you. It is sheer cruelty for you and yet you keep
that chin of yours up like a champion and kick the guts 
out of a hard and difficult world.  You're an odd mixture,
little girl, and none knows it more than me. I recall how
early the big tears used to well up in your eyes for
things not so very important, tricking the unobservant into
a belief that you were a bit soft but how little they knew
of the spirit and force lying dormant beneath that lovely
exterior. Your present life gives the lie direct to that fallacy,
the love so beautifully offered and its return so richly
deserved denied you for how long you know not,  your job
in genteel surroundings jettisoned ruthlessly in exchange
for the grind of factory work, enough in truth to daunt
and defeat many but you, your glorious person, have met
and turned all these challenges in fine style and
emerged well. your real self, far from the oozy
influences of  our pre-war days. Imagine then, how
I await my my return to you, darling, I will be so
richly rewarded by your burning love

3/
Thank God. I am given a little time for reflection so that
I may sort thru  out things. Of course, you are my chief
thought and I have analysed everything I can think
of about you. To talk of mundane things, you are a choice
blend of good quality products. One thing that endears me
to you is your instant recourse to prayer when you need
consolation. That proves several things, your fund of good
sense, your unswerving allegiance to your faith and your
clear insight of life that your salvation and peace of mind
can only come from and creator and the heedless distractions
so many turn to can only ease the ache for a passing
moment. Physically, you're a thing of beauty and a joy
forever and though bodily beauty is far from being the
be all and end all of love as many have learned to
their cost, your bewitching countenance and shapely form
lend a that finishing touch to the warm great heart
and warm blood that course within that comely shrine
of womanhood. After all, it is that interior that
interprets those inward qualities, the glowing pressure
of those soft bud-like lips. and The alternating fierceness
and tenderness of your lover's embrace, the magical
soothing powers of those chunky exploring fingers. I would
trade a few years of my life gladly to know that on

4/
this very night. I would go to you as I often did before and
we would re-enact just one hour from those perfect nights
when we stole quietly away together to your little love-nest
and you with your womanly charms cast the world and
to trifles into the limbo of forgotten things and brought joy
to a lonely heart and ease to a drooping body. In a
very minor key, I can recall our solitary ritual
no step overlooked, no frantic haste, just an unspoken
plan to give and love hungry bodies and souls all that
we could without allowing the passion riding high in
both of us to become our master. The memory of your
consuming kisses, the tingle of your soothing yet teasing
fingers, the murmured endearments, the rhythmic rise and
fall of your alluring breasts so like the sea itself, the
perfume of your curly crown redolent of the bush of our home-
land rise up before me and in truth lose little of
their vividness as the days pass by. To know that when
I return I shall glory in them again with so much more
from your dowry of virginal splendor keeps me sane
and not so restless as I otherwise might be. Had I not
you to go to, I confess I would not know where to
turn for comfort. Let us never forget to pray that that
time will soon.

5/
Selfishly, this letter contains far too much about me but
when I can get a start on with a you and me letter
I just put down things as I feel them at the moment,
tumbling out pell-mell, not coherent maybe but you
know me so well that I do so knowing you'll gather
what I'm trying to say. You know we were a funny
pair, not understood too much by lots of people
I think, but when the day's toil was past, we liked to
go off on our lonesome to the fairy world specially
constructed for true lovers and there, shed a lot
of fusty conventions and try to practice a life not
weighted down by a heap of cloying so-called modern
things. But it was a lovely wee universe we dwelt
in wasn't it, sweetheart mine? It must have been because
how loth we were to leave its cosy sweetness and emerge
into the cold cheerless substitute outside. Anyhow,
my lover, one day soon, I shall knock upon the door
of that paradise and will find you there to greet me
and will live in our own little world forever or nearly
anyway. Until then, Kay, may God give you his
blessing and grace and let me kiss you, oh so hard
in spirit and I ask you, can I say how much
love I send you.
Mick 

43
20 11 41

No 44      VX38483 Gnr.  M. Billings,   C Section,
5th Aust Hy A/A. Battery 2. Aust. A/A Regt.
A.I.F. Abroad 20.11.41

Darling Kay,
Have just cleaned up a G.E. letter (No 43) to
you and am hopping straight on to one of the ordinary
variety as I missed out last week and it's a crime to
neglect you even for a week. The lapse was due to my
good fortune in securing a week's leave in Cairo, so I
therefore throw myself on your mercy and ask pardon. One
thing, darling, for a change I've got a swag of news from
one source and another so hope the military situation
will permit of me writing you two or three letters this week
so that you may know my doings in full. Saw so many
sights and things in Cairo that I may launch into quite
a few pages to in an attempt to give you a ball-to-ball
description of my meanderings. In this letter, I propose
to clear up the matters introduced in your recent letters
and also to include current gossip from here and there.
Firstly, let me express the hope that you are absolutely
the best, mentally and physically and still finding the
job of turning out the sinews of war tolerable if not perfect.
Now that Summer approaches, you no doubt appreciate the
absence of fog, frosts, chill winds and rain swept
streets. All the best Sweetheart. 

2/
May I also wish your mother and the Sugdens the best of
health and luck. The object of your affections at as we go
to press is in good nick, having conquered the change-over
from the big city to camp life successfully and knuckled
down to the formula prevailing at the Ack-Ack Academy.
Found the weather still quite warm in Cairo but since
getting back, fresh breezes. the harbinger of winter, are
blowing around our skirts, an indication I would say of the
shape of things to come. Had a swim earlier in the day
and consider that the early morning plunge will soon be
left to the dinkum Spartans.
First of all I sent a hefty parcel to you
yesterday containing sundry items from the bazaars which
I am led to believe are fine specimens of oriental craftmanship 
although it wouldn't surprise me if I hadn't
been taken for a ride with a few of them. These Wogs are
super-salesmen and of course, mugs are born every
minute.  Anyhow, they go to you with the best of intentions
and will you distribute them please to the respective
recipients as follow:-
Prayer Mat. Box of perfume for. Miss. K. Clarke
(Take a bow)
Egyptian Tent Work for Mr & Mrs Tom Billings  

3/
Ivory Necklace for Miss. Sheila Billings
Ivory Paper Knife for Mr. Chas. M. Billings
Morrocco Wallet for Mr. Chas N. Billings (Pop)
Small Alabaster Pyramid for you as a curio. I had
intended to get a gift for Mum, Dorcas, John and Ada but
first couldn't get just what I wanted and then the boodle
ran out. Too bad but when I accrue some more chips
shall rectify the omissions. Anyhow, that cheque I sent
you will look after them and if this reaches you before
you blow the cash. You have my full permission to
change my allocations as you think fit to chop down on
the lucky ones, increase that for those left in the cold and
include Ada. Just do as you think best. Mostly, I'd
just love to able to be there to save you the trouble but you
know how it is. At last, your wish for the picture has
materialised and a copy goes with this letter. I got half
a dozen while the iron was hot. I didn't give one to
Chas before and maybe Tom would find a spot on his
shelf for another so all told I can find an outlet for
the six .Also I collected quite a few photos and postcards
while I was away and will mail them to you from time
to time for your collection.

4/
The postman is still treating us well with papers and
parcels. Since I received Ada's, one from Mum sent
through [[Movran & Cato?]] and another from the Malvern
Comforts Fund have reached me so I'm stocked up
with comforts for a while. Quite a batch of papers from
you have arrived in the past few weeks and thanks a
lot for 'em honey. You folks do your utmost to keep
up the moral of the A.I.F. Have just finished tea,
curry & rice, piping hot and quite a tasty dish too to keep
out the chill winds. Well, the lamp is lit and here
we go for the last furlong. Did I tell you the Comforts Fund
come to light with a generous issue every fortnight? Never
in my life have I had so much for nix but I'm past
being ashamed now and just mop it up and grow fat.
Bob. Sutton tells me he has sent you a note but that one
you said you mailed quite a time back had not reached him
as yet. Anyhow he's quite O.K except that his hand is
a bit sore. Have you seen the Ridges lately? I wrote
Syd a week or two back. I had letters from Mum &
Dorcas recently with the latest mail so everything there
seems to be in order. I'm waiting to hear how Jock fares
in his second. Won't say cheerio as I'm only half finished
Love for a few minutes. Mick

Pass Censor
No. 3164
44

Miss. K. Clarke.
548 Barkers Road
East Hawthorn
Victoria. Australia