Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 10 - Part 1 of 18

THE SAILORS and SOLDIERS' CHURCH 
OF ENGLAND HELP SOCIETY 
Founded 1915 
  
VX38483 Pte M.  
Billings,  District 194_ 
Accounts Office. New Guinea 
24.8.43 
  
Darling Kay, 
Since I took you to task  
in my last letter for a dearth of  
letters, two have arrived from you,  
those of 17th & 18th August so you 
are forgiven even though one was 
one lousy page.   I suppose I can 
attribute that to Master Richard  
and his whims but as you are  
such a pair of duckies I dont  
mind a bit.   I hope you haven't  
the same charge to level at me  
still and I shall await your next  
epistle to see how the post has  
been treating you.  Very nice for  
the bairn and you to check for  
a spot of good weather, you've got  
the right idea giving the nip as  
much fresh air and sunshine as he  
can take and don’t forget to  
PLEASE USE OTHER SIDE

2/ 
include yourself in the treatment  
as well.  I bet you will too with a  
fair bit of hiking too;  your long  
penance indoors must have sickened  
you and in addition your horror of  
growing tubby will impel you to  
scads of exercise.   By the way,  
I'd like to know what you scale now.    
Surely your fears have not scared  
you of the weighing machine, my  
vain puss.   Seriously though, I'm  
pleased and complimented that you  
take such pains to preserve your  
effervescent youth.   You're far too  
attractive to degenerate into a  
stout matron at your still few  
years.   It wouldn't suit your  
youthfully breezy style.   It's  
mighty fine that snookums and  
mummy are in such good health.   
That kind of news is like a breath  
of heaven to me.  When you tell  

3/
me the lad looks a picture, I  
grow envious of you others who can  
see him often, for but for Hitler  
& Co I should be favoured with a  
good eyeful several times a day  
and with the exception of you, no  
party would be more easier on the  
peepers.   Very bucked when you  
told me I was still number one  
in your life even though you hardly  
see me, it warms the cockles  
to know a sweet girl feels that  
way about you, life holds a  
lot for a chap whatever happens.   
And did I ever tell you what I 
think about you, bless your warm  
heart.  If I were capable of  
writing it adequately it would take  
pages but perhaps you can  
imagine it after conning a page  
or two fo of our married  
history or better still, treat yourself  

4/
to a peek in the bassinet and  
there you will find an eloquent  
answer.  With his steady progress  
in the physical sense and his  
worth to us, Richard B was the 
greatest idea we ever had. 
I sent you those  
particulars of income earned some  
time ago so hope it has reached  
you by now and you have been  
able to file your claim.   Pity  
the cows diddled us for a tenner, 
that would have been better than  
a kick in the pants.   Glad Ada  
and thee have got round to a  
spot of lunch over at Ducky's ( 
cheeky devil Mum reckoned I was).   
Dont agree with you about prams  
on trams, can't you forget you were  
a trammie before you was wooed  
and wed.   Best type of passengers  
they will ever carry even if they  

5/ 
pay no fares.  I wish I were there  
to shove the dam go-cart along, 
me you and im would go places  
then. 
In the way of news  
from here, there is as usual  
practically nothing.    Today, like  
yesterday and the day before, was  
hot but no rain.   A bit would  
not go amiss as the dust is thick  
and heavy.   I'm still feeling  
O.K but due to pugging had  
a beaut pain in the comic cuts  
now happily departed.  Better  
send me a bottle of Figsen when  
your parcel is being assembled.    
Sedentary work sometimes calls  
for such a supplement to the  
wonderous works of Nature.  To  
sum up, just doing a spot of work,  
no sensations to report.   Saw  
a good picture at the Salvos  

6/
last night.   Ray Milland & Paulette  
Goddard in the Crystall Ball.    
A juicy comedy were put over and  
although a bit ancient none the  
less entertaining to the starved  
soldiery. 
Nothing more seems  
to appear from the great intellect  
so I'll push off to bed and  
snore my head off.   Cheerio, 
precious and superfluous  
as it may be tell You  
I love you and the sonny  
boy so much.  I do too  
truly.   Give him a whopping  
kiss from Dad and the same  
to you, sport.   
Yours ever 
Micky. 

tmHill 

SAILORS & SOLDIERS' CHURCH OF ENGLAND HELP SOCIETY 
  
24 8 43 
Air Mail 
Turn left Right 
  
AUSTRALIAN  
MILITARY FORCES 
PASSED BY CENSOR 
2543 
tmHill 
  
Air Mail 
  
Mrs. M. Billings 
548 Barkers Rd 
East Hawthorn 
Victoria

HOBART 
1 
4-P25AU43 
TAS-AUST 
  
PR00610 
Australian War Memorial

VX38483 Pte M.  
Billings,  194 
District Accounts Office.  
New Guinea 
26.8.43  
  
Darling, 
Today brought a goodly  
bag of letters, two from you and  
one from brother Tom.  Yours  
were those of 19th and 20th  
and the beaut long letters kept  
me all agog while reading them.    
Very pleased to see you too have  
not missed out and hope  
many more have graced your  
letterbox since.  Baby, the letters  
are as sweet to me as they  
always have been, more so now  
as they contain lots of news  
of a certain party we both go for  
in a big way.   Every word  
you write about the young scamp 
is a perfect delight and I  
hunger acutely for my first  
PLEASE USE OTHER SIDE

2/
glimpse of his bonny frame.  He  
must look like a million bucks  
now and in every respect is a  
son to be proud of.   You are 
certainly going great guns as a  
mummy, sweet, and though he  
keeps you on your toes, I feel as  
you do, he's worth any sacrifice  
and deplore my present inability  
to be of service in his well being  
and rearing.  Thank God, he’s in  
such loving hands, with all the  
assistance in the world, he could  
not progress better but for your  
sake I wish I could lighten the  
load if only to allow you a few  
hours more sleep.   As it has to  
be, I'm glad in a way I'm  
away now at instead of when a  
boy really needs his father.  Which  
-ever way you look at it though  
the game pongs, and so say all of us.