Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 10 - Part 12 of 18

SAILORS & SOLDIERS CHURCH OF ENGLAND HELP SOCIETY   
  
27.9.43 
Air Mail 

Mrs. M. Billings 
548 Barkers Road 
East Hawthorn 
Victoria 

AUSTRALIAN 
MILITARY FORCES 
PASSED BY CENSOR 
2543 
tmHILL 
 

VX38483 Pte. M. Billings 
District Accounts Office 
New Guinea. 30.9.43 
  
Darling, 
This promises to be a short 
screed for the mail has treated me 
scarcily this week.  the last letter from 
you is that of 24th and as things at 
that time were topsy turvy I'm anxious 
to hear from you. Maybe Sweet, tomorrow 
will break the 'hoodoo' and I'm hoping 
that the shock of the loss of your 
brother has lost a lot of its force. I 
know its hard to suffer such things 
calmly but the worry over your mother 
& Sylvia is not easy to take. As I  
cannot help any of you I shan't carry 
on a discussion. The future is known 
only to God who will surely care for 
the bereaved ones as well as cherish

that gallant fellow John Clarke who 
died like his own beloved son for 
the sake of others.  Don't blur his memory 
by lying.  
I hope Richard and you  
are both well, as I am.  Very little  
news from here. Been very hot this 
last week by day as by night.  Have 
plenty to do to keep me occupied by 
day and the nights can be spent writing, 
reading etc. So you must excuse the 
brevity of this letter as I just can't 
find any material and anyhow its 
hardly the occasion for gossip. I'll 
send you a G.E. letter shortly. 
I do long to be with you  
and love you ever so much, precious. 
Kiss the dear little chap from  
Dad.
tmHill

Air Mail    30.9.43 

Mrs M. Billings 
548 Barkers Rd 
East Hawthorn 
Vic 

AUSTRALIAN 
MILITARY FORCES 
PASSED BY CENSOR 
2543 
tmHill 
THE SALVATON ARMY     ACF AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUND     YMCA

VX38483 Pte M. Billings 
District Accounts Office 
New Guinea 2.10.43 

My Darling, 
No need to tell you how glad 
I was to get your letter of the 27th 
today for as as the days flew by I became 
anxious to learn how you were faring.  Of 
course I guessed that you were feeling too 
unstrung for concentrating on letter writing 
and am relieved that the dreadful shock 
has lost some of its sting.  Not that the 
effects on you folks appears to assume  
brighter proportions, in fact its a ghastly 
business taken all round. I knew too 
your poor mother would have need 
of your counsel and comfort so don't  
feel at all badly about missing out on 
letters to me. Go where you are needed 
most is my motto, old girl

2/ 
It's such a dreadful ordeal for her 
that makes me pray for solace to be 
granted her and surely her own children  
are the ones to help her out of that black 
void of grief. I know I hope your 
gloomy prophesy is ill founded and 
in truth it will depend a lot on those 
about her to divert her mind from tragedy 
so that the will to live will conquer. I'm  
only sorry there are no menfolk there 
to lend a hand, its a great pity. Pat 
who is a very practical chap cannot be 
on hand as I'm sure he would be a  
tower of strength. Maybe you'll see him 
soon, he's doing his best to make it 
and feels the his absence at such a time 
keenly. As I said before I wish I were 
there to try and take the place of her 
sons as I'm certain that I could 

3/ 
make her see another side to it. You 
see I've knocked around a bit in this 
show a bit and you get a maybe funny 
slant on it. and my powers of persuasion 
interpreting that outlook should have a  
beneficial effect. That all sounds like 
double Dutch but perhaps you twig my 
meaning. You see I too love your mother 
because I found her a very lovable person. 
She has the character and disposition  
that strongly attracts me and I value her 
as one of my very best friends and I  
haven't many of those either. I don't know 
if you suspected the warmth of your my 
affection for her, anyhow that's how it is 
and I feel for her deeply and deplore 
my inability to offer my services for her 
welfare beyond a telegram sincere 
though my sentiments are in it. 

4/ 
To be more practical hear my views 
on your plans for her future movements. 
In the first place, I endorse and  
back you up to the hilt in any thing you 
may do to soften the blow she suffers 
from and think your plan for having  
the dear come and share a crust with us 
the best solution. You are her daughter 
and I want to be a son to her so what 
could be better. First things first though 
and you and others must first steer 
her through her his present stage.  
You see the force of that argument I 
know but and I shan't presume to tell you 
how that is to be achieved if no for 
no other reason that I don't know.  
I have a hunch though that Mother's 
(bum to all this in law bosh) pioneer 
sturdiness, sense of loyalty to John

5 
and abundant common sense will 
provide a remedy but she will need 
all the help we can proffer. Help 
her over the first big obstacle and 
we can then do something practical. 
Another good aspect to your plan is that 
a change of scene away from her present 
residence would take her away from 
past associations that get very painful 
under present circumstances. Your 
desire to give Mother your care and help 
is natural but commendable all the  
same. So when the chance to operate 
comes hop to it. You are the logical 
one to bear the brunt of the job and 
a labor of love like that will prove 
a pleasant one. Your analysis of 
your other close affiliations is a pretty shrewd 
one so go your hardest.

6/ 
One thing however I want to make plain 
right from the jump. You have allowed 
a faint apologetic note to creep into 
your remarks about the suggestion you 
made to Mother. Get that right out of 
your head and I want you to emphasise 
to her that it is without any reservation 
whatsoever and has my enthusiastic 
endorsement and approbation. It's our  
duty of course but I want it carried through 
not for that dull reason but because  
the presence in our home of such a 
swell game person is an asset and we 
will derive as much pleasure from it 
as I humbly hope she will. You see know the  
arrangement is not bound by the length 
of the war , for as long as we have 
a roof over our head Mother will 
always be a most welcome occupant.