Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 11 - Part 18 of 24

6/ 
the chances incidentally are quite 
good.  Perhaps foolishly I’m
hoping that something in the 
way of an opportunity comes your
way in the shape of a few rooms
to put our few sticks in for I
may as well be frank with you. 
Eighteen months away from you
with twelve or so of them in this
pothole with a decent dose of
malaria & long hours of mental
effort chucked in for good
measure are going to leave me
pretty jaded and I hardly think
I’ll be very enthusiastic about
tearing into the hurly burly
of househunting.  Leave is
granted for recreational &
recuperative purposes and I 
think they’ve got something
there.  I don’t want to appear
sorry for myself but that’s how 
it appears to me. We have

7/ 
Your gloomy prognostications about
never having your own shack are
not shared by me I might tell
you.  If we could but get a 
few rooms to use as a H.Q. it
would be the stiffest hurdle to
surmount because we want a
house badly enough to see that
we get it.  So banish your fears
on that score for poor Micky is
not so easily turned from his 
goal when he’s on the job. 
The description of the color 
patch was included in my last 
G.E. screed, I repeat it here 
square patch, grey AIF background 
1½" by 1½" - white on 
top, bright red below, then 
colors running horizontally not 
vertically. OK? Sorry to have 
kept you waiting for so long 
but it took me a while to get 
hold of one to measure.

8/ 
Next letter.  I see the approach of 
the teeth have made Richard  
a bit poorly, poor chap.  I hope 
the ivory castles soon show their  
way through.  So the camera 
has got you again, the photo  
sounds very charming so I'll be 
on pins and needles to get a  
gander at the result.  However 
Dr Billings is forced to prescribe 
a little less of that kind of  
exertion for you in future, 
these reports of backaches & 
bilious attacks are becoming  
too frequent.  Remember your  
mature years for you'll need 
a sound back & robust muscles 
when I blow in.  It will 
certainly make life less burdensome 
when the young chap can hoe 
into solid grub.  You can 
thus see a bit of more of the  
sporting life than before.  A few

9/ 
swings with a wood will soon 
hone up those lumbar muscles 
but you'll be 'sarkin' stiff for  
the first few outings.  I think 
your idea of the daily dozen  
etc is a good wheeze. Did  
you write to the Graves Registration 
people about getting a print of  
John's grave.  I don't think they 
will be available yet awhile. 
However there should be little 
difficulty in getting it eventually 
as all war graves are photographed. 
I shall try to get some more  
information for you later.  You  
must have misconstrued my 
references to you in the snaps you 
sent.  It's not your appearance 
I'm crook on, its the lack of it 
for in every sp  print all that 
can be seen is the size of 
your backside or some other  
obstruction.  Sorry the copy  
 

10/ 
of 'Khaki and Green' for your mother 
has not gone forward yet because 
the order forms ran out.  Got one now 
so shall fix it up tomorrow. 
Glad you approve of the suggestion 
but spare me the praise as I'm 
bashful see.  Glad a pipe is  
in the offing. 
Having bashed your peepers, 
sweet for so many pages I'd 
better leave the rest of my sage 
observations for the ensuing  
chapter. Now for some shut-eye, 
I hope for tis a stinking hot 
night. So bring to me 
bonny lass and look carefully 
through this letter for there's  
a big smacker for Richard 
& a terrific wad of love  
for you in it. 
Yours always 
Micky 

SALVATION ARMY ACF AUSTRALIAN COMFORTS FUND YMCA

AIR. MAIL 14.12 43 

Mrs. M. Billings. 
548 Barker's Road 
East Hawthorn 
Victoria

The Salvation Army  ACF Australian Comforts Fund  YMCA 
From No. VX38483  Name. Cpl M. Billings 
Unit or Group.  Dist Accounts Office 
New Guinea  Date. 11.12.43 
USE OFFICIAL ADDRESS ONLY 
  
Darling Kay. 
Another of your missing  
letters has found its owner, 7 pages 
and all too.  Thats something like  
a letter too, full of meaty sentences 
& sentiments. Quite like your old 
self. I may say. If the receipt of 
a letter or two from me helps even 
a tiny bit to bring forth your 
naturally cheery spirit, I esteem it  
a great privilege to be able to do  
it for the reward in this particular 
case has been truly beaut. You can 
just banish the old punk telegram to 
the realm of the forgotten seeing the 
message was inspired by your deep 
and abiding love for me. Its always

2 
so comforting to hear those magic words 
from you and thrilling when the 
ardent tones ring so clearly in my 
responsive ears. For I am no white 
less eager to be with you again and 
gain that vital satisfaction that 
only you can give me. I will hardly 
know myself when I am reintroduced 
and more to those beautiful things  
of so long ago. You have no idea how 
humdrum the life, if you could call it 
that, is up here.  Dreariness personified 
whil where little things like a swim, 
a picture show & the boxing are magnified 
to a degree of importance that is rather  
absurd really. But easily understood when 
you survey your horizon. So my once

3 
or vaunted impatience concerning my 
journey back to you and all that that 
means is a thing of the past. In 
hoss language I'm chomping at the bit 
and curse each day that keeps me 
away from you. It seems that a 
good time will be had by all when 
I cross your threshold. 
Its certainly a fact that 
the Billings mob seem to be always in 
transit. Will all have a nodding 
acquaintance with most of the states 
before the migratory season is over. 
Of course, the others will not have the 
learning and culture that I have 
absorbed during my travel, a cavalcade 
that has taken me to the teeming

4 
cit cities of India & Ceylon, the hallowed 
ground of the Holy Land, the rugged  
bleak wastes of Syria & the burning 
Sands of Egypt. The itinerary through 
five states of the Commonwealth is  
mere small change, just preparatory 
to a further trek to the clammy, foetid 
mass of soil they call New Guinea.  
Two bob and your lunch, I organised 
it! Funny though for before the 
war I had never been out of Victoria 
and didnt look to have a ghost of a 
change of having a look around. 
Well I have had my fill as one  
of Blamey's tourists so speed the day 
when I shall be the prodigal son returned 
with a second to none chance of being