Michael Billings Collection - Wallet 12 - Part 1 of 16

VX38483 Cpl. M.Billings 
Dist. Accounts Office 
New Guinea 2.1.44. 

Darling Kay, 
Introducing to you 
number one letter for the year 
and with it Micky's best wishes 
& fondest love to Richard and  
Mummy. The day is notable by 
the arrival of your seven page  
effort of the 26th and after a  
lapse of six days it was most  
welcome. I was glad to see 
your Christmas day turned out 
much brighter than you had 
anticipated; your itemised 
description certainly gave me those  
nostalgic pangs, it all sounded  
so lovely.  It was a pretty wan 
affair here, just a good feed 
to distinguish it from any other 
day. The religious significance was  
the only part that moved me 
and when you are far away

2/ 
from home, the import of the 
day comes home very forcibly and
a chap feels greatly comforted.
I can will guess how Sylvias hardiness
amazed you after the tough trot you
had.  Still she had that much
coming to her at least.   So you are
perjuring your immortal soul
in comparing the bairns likeness
to his dad.  Oh well, it is a 
very white liu lie and what does
it matter if it does Mother some
good.  At that early age, I'm blessed
if I can ever see any likeness to 
anyone, the babes seen all 
puckered are wrinkled to me.
Xmas day marks the end of a 
chapter in our young hopeful's life
the transition from the swaddling
clothes to rompers.  I bet he looks
regal in his new finery.  Fancy
old [[Silver?]] dropping in on you,
that's fine.  I'm sure he would

3/  
enjoy the warmth & hospitality 
displayed toward him by you
good folk.  Yep, I bet they take
a poor view of young John's 
second spell up here, it's a pity
but another of those blasted
things to be endured.  I liked that
bit where you said I was constantly 
in your thoughts as twas a pretty
forlorn day for us blokes and
to know that is heartening.  It
will certainly be a tragedy if I leave
an empty place next year and if
you carry it a year further I'm
afraid I'll be in the rathouse
by then.  at times now the strain
becomes intolerable and its the
expectation of seeing you in a few
months that keeps the tail wagging.
My once sunny temper aint what
it used to be and a few of these
shiny-arsed Commandos here
have felt the length of it my

4/  
tongue lately.  Another year of this 
and I would be a psycopathic
subject but a decent spell under
your loving administration will
quickly heal a buised ego for I
suppose that's about all it amounts
to.  I dunno how these blokes go
through life unmarried, I've never
stopped missing you for over a year
now so by a simple reasoning process
you can get an accurate idea of how
much I need you and what a tough
proposition is in front of you when 
I get back.  I possess inside me a 
great big vacuum and there's not a 
thing here to fill it, everything
within my ken radiates from you.
It keeps me going I when I read 
in your letters how you long for 
me and I know then that
you'll be so terrific that a fellow
might conceivably think all this
was worth wi while.

5/  
The last time I only had to come 
from Brisbane and if I looked 
a grubby customer then, Lord only
knows what a wreck I'll be
this trip.  Still on after a steady
diet of your champion brand of
love and hospitality, I aim to 
make a rapid comeback.  I'm 
not so sure about making too many 
plans about it, hang it, we 
might be scheduled to go visiting
someone and might on that day
be bitten by the love bug.
However I can rely on you to 
safeguard our own extremely 
selfish interests or else.  We
should have better luck this time,
for a Don Juan like me is not 
at his best as the daily help
even though the patient reckons
he made a fair fist of it.  You'll
never tr know how close you
were to being poisoned.

6/  
The book should reach your mother 
shortly, it was a bit late for 
Christmas delivery when the bright 
thought penetrated my skull.
A pity for I'd have liked her to 
get it before the 25th. The Xmas
telegrams have yet to arrive but
that's not surprising, they are still 
arriving. 
Good heavens, woman, 
has it taken you all this time
to nut out why you honor me
with your love.  I must say for
one in doubt you gave a star
performance.  I must hasten & 
get down, a slice of you sounds 
very exciting fare.  I'm glad you
like me but if I have pleased
you by showing a little consideration,
you can be sure you more than 
deserved it.   Anyway you're so 
sweet that my policy will pay
me handsome dividends.

7/
I care not a fig for your lack of pride
pride is a sin anyway and I'm told
it goeth before a fall and when I 
get round to holding you in my arms
youre going to get tossed around
somewhat. So much for pride for
noth nobody ever was loved for 
being proud of themself.  My
love for you has a simple explanation,
I love you for yourself, what you 
are and what you do and in
both respects I have never found
you wanting : a lady, a girl,
a woman, a wife and a mother.
classy on all [[?]] counts so
what more could a fellow expect.
I did alright for myself in
the marriage business, I can
tell you and I curse this war
for retarding a future that 
would rest in very capapable hands.
There's been a 'blue'

8/  
Somewhere for I see you propose 
buying a diary with the chips
I sent you.  A More than a 
week before Christmas I sent
Chas a registered letter to buy
you my customary gift.  How
could you think I could forget
it, pet.  I wonder if he has
got the letter yet and delivered
the goods.  Let me know what
transpires.  I'm annoyed about 
that for I know how you have
always treasured that particular
remembrance and I sent the 
money in plenty of time.
Can't go any more, lights 
out  so close loving Richard 
& you ever so much. 
Cheerio, sweetheart 
Dad. 
  
tmHill

2.1.44 
AIR MAIL 
  
Mrs. M. Billings 
548  Barker's Road 
East Hawthorn 
Victoria 

AUSTRALIAN 
MILITARY FORCES 
PASSED BY 
2543 
  
tmHill

96 stitches for larger size
and stitches in fours   
6 Rows plain 
1st. Start pattern with row of
perl 3 together.  Knit 3 lines into
the next stitch (pl pr sl)   
2nd now perl   
3rd plain perl plain into 1st stitch
then perl 3 together   etc  
4th row perl 
  
PR00610 
Australian 
War Memorial