Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 10 - Part 4 of 18

WITH THE COMPLIMENTS OF  
THE SAILORS and SOLDIERS' CHURCH OF ENGLAND HELP SOCIETY 
Founded 1915 
  
6/  
I recall vividly my culinary efforts 
on that holiday of mine and 
am sometimes puzzled to understand  
why I enjoyed it so much. You would  
thing a chap would be hopping  
mad to find the ball and chain  
laid up on  what looked like his  
last leave for many a day. but that  
was not the case with me. Frankly  
I feel and still do a bit guilty that  
I was to blame over it and when  
I was left to help you a bit and  
managed O.K felt a bit better. It  
was fine when it turned out OK   
and I had lots of fun dishing up  
a few calories cooked by my own  
fair hands, fussing around you  
generally.  I bet I was quite a  
[[?turn]] strutting off for the shopping 
and lowering a tankard or two  
in the process. And anyway it  
was worth anything to get you

7/ 
right again and let you finish the 
job you had in hand and now  
its turned out so happily, I realise  
the little I did was well worth  
while as you were a perfect patient  
under very trying circumstances. 
I don't seem to be  
up to up to penning the usual chit chat  
tonight so will leave my sage  
observations on the general things  
requiring comment until my next  
screed. 
Sorry your mother is  
troubled with the flu, poor dear.  
Give her my love and tell her that  
New Guinea is the place for her.  
no flu here but we boast of other  
fascinating ailments. Rotten luck for  
her to have that clinging on to her. 
Well time for the cot  [*+muster?*] 
punishing so farewell darling and all  
my love to you and the son. Michael 

Air Mail 31.8.43 
  
Mrs M Billings 
548 Barkers Road 
East Hawthorn 
Vic 

A.C.F AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUND  
(VICTORIAN DIVISION) 
With which is Affiliated 
R.S.L. WAR SERVICE FUND, THE SALVATION ARMY,  
THE Y.M.C.A. and Y.W.C.A. 
  
VX38483. Pte. M. Billings 
District Accounts Office 
New Guinea. 2.9.43 
  
My Darling, 
I'm not writing  
this to thank you for more  
letters as there just 'aint none' 
Tomorrow may provide a few 
of your samples, I fervently hope  
so anyway. At the risk of being  
monotonously repetitive, I say  
I like em as much and more  
than ever.  So you will understand  
my eagerness to receive some.  
I trust mine are reaching you  
expeditiously seeing you enjoy  
a few lines of my scrawl too.  
I'm afraid no letters from you  
means a shorter effort from me

2/  
tonight as I draw freely upon  
your words for inspiration.  
May I say that your letters  
are sometimes deliciously 
provocative as witness your  
number 30 which drew from  
me a rejoinder the dire  
consequences of which I expect  
to fall upon me in a week or  
so. You see, puss, I have not  
entirely lost that teasing habit 
 you used to twit me about 
 but I think you are a wake up  
to my foibles. Next I hope you  
are still getting back to your top 
in spite of your alarm at the  
avoirdupois. To help in allaying 
 in  your dismay, I think thats  
only temporary for reasons

3  
you [[wot?]] of far better than me 
I expect when I come down on 
leave that Master Richard 
and Father Time will not 
have dimmed your lustre to 
any appreciable extent. You 
poor thing.  You are always 
being set tasks of some sort or  
other, still, I find you are 
usually up  able to lively  up to 
the standard sought. Your 
deadliest foe, if you have any such, 
could not deny that you've dazzled 
the critics with Richard and 
its magnificent to for me to  
follow his remarkable progress. 
Talk about being proud of you 
both, that's putting it mildly. 
For a supposed novice you

4
seem to know all the answers 
on how to raise babies. I 
don't want to appear impatient, 
I'm not really, but that portrait 
you have lined up will be 
hungrily awaited and I think 
the letter containing it had 
better be registered just to be 
on the safe side.  Very pleased 
you have planned a few 
things to entertain yourself and 
friends now a lot of going out 
is on the [[bugle?]], remember 
me to the visiting parties, 
old bean and don't let them 
talk you down. Very sorry I 
don't feel disposed to let my 
[[plaits?]] down in letters very 
often as the green envelopes

5
are not favourable any more 
and I have never relish third 
parties getting a squint at my 
intimate outpourings.  I have 
lately been tendering my letters 
to you, to a padre for censorship 
and can thus be less restrained. 
It's my opinion that the green 
envelopes are not being issued 
because some windbags up here 
have been putting forbidden 
matter in them and cruelled the 
whole thing for everyone. To 
get back to the story, I must say, 
the little chap is developing 
wonderfully, another 6 ozs, is great 
and the aggregate nearly 13 lbs 
speaks volumes for the care 
and attention he is getting

6/ 
I imagine he doesn't leave many 
oats in his manger.  I forgot 
to tell you in my last screed that 
I deplore your clumsiness in  
doing over Ada's jug. I'm not a 
bit sorry for you a, miserable 
wretch. The obvious thing for 
me to say is to buy her  
another one but unfortunately 
money alone cannot replace things 
one has sentimental attachments 
for. Bad luck old bean! 
No parcels or papers to hand 
of course. As for the latter the 
.s it hasn't been so bad as 
the other chaps pass over there's 
to me. As I pass on to a  
firstt  further scrutiny of your  
latest letter I'm aghast at

7 
that gloomy feeling oppressing you 
but I know how it is, darling  
as those spasms are my bane 
now and then and one does  
feel awfully fed up.  Seeing that 
I can't do much to improve 
matters I refrain from saying 
much about it but don't think 
I'm any the less sympathetic 
though. I miss so many things 
only you can give me and share 
with me and were I not such 
a sourpuss would probably join 
you in a lusty howl. At least  
we are towelling them up now 
so a glimmer of hope is not too 
optimistic. Try and look at it 
 that way as I feel its the  
only substantial sign there is.