Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 10 - Part 13 of 18

7/ 
What I have been trying to say for 
about four pages is that it goes over big 
with me and there must be no tags 
of pity or charity attached to it for if 
that were the case the scheme would stink 
to me and asphyxiate Mother.  Tell her  
this too, that there's such a thing as  
the Digger Spirit and to do a good turn  
for a cobber; well that's just how it  
should be. Now do you get it?   
I hope things pan out O.K  
for Sylvia and little John.  It's awful  
for her but at least she has the  
resiliency of youth in her favor and that  
will help her out of the slough.  It's  
not much use saying lots of pious hopes, 
let us pray to God to help her.  She  
always impressed me as a gal with  
plenty of guts otherwise how could John

8/ 
have married her.  It's wicked though. 
Now listen to this, sweet  
Get that mud and mire hallucination  
right out of your head and I'm not  
fooling.  I've done a spot of snooping  
and though I can't check up on it yet  
of course its pretty good guts for you to believe 
that he never had to put up with  
that, it was clean and quick, as quick  
as a flash.  H is in heaven now and  
it was all over without any lingering in  
pain.  I'm glad to be able to tell you  
this as I can see it has been oppressing  
you.  You see John was a Soldier  
and he died the way a Soldier wants  
to.  It's those that are left that  
suffer and we must do what we  
can to ease this suffering.

9/ 
The wee chap has been  
relegated to the background.   I see,  
sorry the poor little fellow is peevy but 
it just can't be helped when his mother  
is subjected to such an intense  
emotional strain.  He'll surely pick up  
again as you calm down. 
Not much news from here  
rained all last night and today but  
it was nice and cool for a while.  Been  
as hot as Hades lately.  Plenty of work  
to keep the calendar moving along to  
the the big day.  Wish it were now.   
Had a letter from Doug Reid who sent  
you his good wishes. 
Well that concludes this  
screed so cheerio my precious, I wish you  
brighter times and love you and our  
Richard ever so much.  Dad

A.F.W. 3078 
(Adapted) 
ACTIVE SERVICE 
AIRMAIL 
This envelope must not be used for 
coin or valuables.  It cannot be accepted  
for registration. 
NOTE: -- 
Correspondence in this envelope need  
not be censored Regimentally.  The con- 
tents are liable to examination at the 
Base. 
  
The following Certificate must be  
signed by the writer ---- 

I certify on my honour that the contents
of this envelope refer to nothing but private  
and family matters. 
Signature 
Name Only 
Michael Billings 

AUSTRALIAN MILITARY FORCES
PASSED BY CENSOR 943
  
[Up to three letters may be forwarded in 
this Cover, but these must be all from the  
same writer.  The cover should be addressed  
in such case to the Deputy Base Censor. The  
Covers of enclosed letters must be left open  
by sender] 

2 10 43 
Address:- 
Mrs. M. Billings 
548 Barkers Road 
East Hawthorn 
Victoria

V X 38483 Pte. M. Billings
District Accounts Officer
New Guinea  5.10.43 

Darling Kay, 
Very, very pleased to have  
got two letters from you today, those  
of 30 Sep and 1 Oct.  Having regard  
to your wishes, which, as you know are  
to me a command, expressed in your  
letter hoping from  for an abundance  
of letters from me,  I trust you are  
receiving mine regularly and speedily 
Glad to see my first G.E. letter has  
reached you and better still achieved  
its purpose of putting before you the  
picture from another angle.  You see  
pet I worked it out like this, your  
poor mother misses you at such a time  
but for her to get the greatest benefit  
from your presence its essential for 

2/ 
you to recover yourself from the shock  
first.  I don't know if you can follow  
or agree with my line of reasoning but  
it seems logical that if mother is to gain  
strength the person from whom she will  
get it ,- you ,- must  that person must first  
build up reserves from which it can be  
drawn.  Very garbled but perhaps you  
will divine my meaning.  I sent off a  
lengthy G. E. letter last Sunday and  
hope it will be a slight contribution in  
the solutions of the family's troubles.   
I've scanned each letter anxiously to  
see if Mother showed signs of recovery but  
must admit it does not look too promising.   
You've a job on your hands, puss and may  
God help you in your efforts.  It's all  
very well to send you heaps of words  
though, I wish I was there to back you  
up.  No sooner do you surmount one

3/ 
crisis than you have another thrust upon  
you.  You're pretty swell at winning out  
though and I have great faith that you  
will be a tower of strength now too.   
I'm awful glad you're my wife because  
marriage has brought out in you many  
splendid qualities that had lay dormant  
too long.  I have a letter from Mum  
too and she was distressed about it,  
particularly after visiting your mother.   
I saw Pat twice you know but havent  
had a chance to see him again as his  
camp is 20 miles away and a chap wants  
a full day to get out there and back.   
If I'm free will try and take a trip next  
Sunday. 
As you say there's no honours in  
war for women, there's none for anyone  
dear.  Just a filthy beastlike business  
particularly in this grim wilderness.

4/ 
I see the big sister has at last  
teed up the wedding and has been  
across to see you and Richard.  I'm  
glad you can manage to represent us at  
the wedding of my great friend and  
favourite.  Your perfectly right in passing  
up the reception.  the dictates of good taste 
are quite sufficient to excuse you and  
in addition you hardly seem in the mood  
for festivities.  I'm glad Dorcas thought  
Richard was lovely.  I did want her to  
think him beaut for personal and  
professional reasons.  I do hope you  
are both more composed now as it's no  
good for his fretfulness to worry you  
and visa versa as it were.  As you  
aptly put it, even the babes in arms  
cannot escape the impact of war.  That's  
what makes me mad, maybe we had it  
coming to us collectively but why must

5 
the innocent kids have to pay.  
Regarding a wedding present, that like a  
lot of other things I shall have to leave  
in your capable hands.  So whatever  
you choose gets my O.K. sweetheart.   
One item that I don't want to pass you,  
I forestalled you and a couple of days  
after the sad news I wrote to Fr 
Martin and asked him to say a Mass  
for the repose of John's soul.  I chose  
Malvern for I felt that really is the spiritual  
home of us all.  I really wasn't going  
to say anything on account of me being  
a retiring chap so to speak, but our  
compact of no secrets haunted me and  
I hereby spill the beans.  Don't misunderstand  
me, sweet, I thought only of the end, the  
means didn't matter preferring to remain  
inconspicuous in the matter.

6/   
To completely explain the cycle, I was browsing  
through the missal presented to me  
by the Malvern parish and was actuated 
by that beautiful exhortion "It is a holy  
and wholesome thought____". 
I just can't thank you enough  
for the lovely snaps, they made today  
a gala day.  Been looking at them so  
much that they will be worn out.  The  
classic of them all is the one with you  
holding the champ up in the air.  Isn't  
he terrific?  What wouldn't I give to be  
with you both and hold you both in my  
arms together one at a time or anything.   
H is a marvellous specimen and I'm  
mighty proud of creator and created.  I  
showed them to everyone from the Major  
down and my conceit was colossal  
when the majority voted him to be like