Newark post. (Newark, Del.) 1910-1969, 1918-04-03
CAMPFIRE GIRLS
adopt" SOLDIER
Interesting Letter From Hero
In Belgium

CGllIdI COullCII iS"H &c SNNPE~N
Belgian soldier, whose leisure
hours they brighten by letters and
packages from home" Cheemln-
aku, the Little Mother" or guard
ian of the camp, Mrs. Denver
Roberts, has received two letters
from the soldier, which are writ
ten in excellent English, and in a
hand that approaches engraving IN
it's faultless~ neatness. From the
letters we can catch a glimpse OF
the soldiers longing for mail and
the messages of home, in the midst
of the awful dangers of the battle
line. The soldiers name is Frank
Van der Brock, Belgian Field
Army. The letter is dated, Front,
5 December 1917, and follows:
Dear Mrs. Roberts:
This morning | received your
reply to my appeal, and | feel
very much indebted to you for
your kind offer of help and SYM
pathy, which | am only too
pleased to accept. l was deeply
touched whilst reading your
kind message, and from now you
will allow me to think of you,
and your companions, as my
friends?
In introduction | will say that
was born at Antwerp, nice
town, since 1914 occupied by the
enemy. l am 5 feet 8 inches tall,
have brown hair, blue eyes, and
fair complexion. My weight
amounts to 152 pounds, and l
have always been quite strong
and healthy. l dearly love sport,
and play football myself. AS a
soldier l am considered to be a
good shot for | easily send bull
let home at four hundred yard
range. | am bomb-thrower in
the trench mortars, and ours. IS
a hard and dangerous work
sometimes. | love doing my
duty and all this long time |
would have been content, had it
not been that | was so friend
less. Being afraid of passing
another winter alone, | wrote to
your country for friends, and as
YOU know | did not write in vain
Yours was the third letter re-
ceived and perhaps | will get
more, but you are the one | an
answering, hoping the others
will not be too disappointed. The
other two letters were from
girls, but | handed them to
chum of mine, as | don't want tt
be greedy. When you yourself
and your companions are going
to send me news, then think my
correspondence will be quite
sufficient, | should say.
Perhaps you will wonder how
come to be acquainted will
your language, but that is cas-!
enough to explain. | Learned
English after my father, VIII
has been a pilot, and for certain
reasons of his own talked Eng
lish with me when | was young
er. French | learned at schoo.
and my own language, which /
Flemish, after my mother. Nov
my dear friends, | will be gla
if you would send me photo
graph of you all, and later on
will send you one of mine.
Please, dear friends, do nc
think me unkind, but | cannc
take advantage of your genera!
ity by naming anything | ma
need. Any small article will
much appreciated by me, an
very welcome. To you, Mr.
Roberts, l will say that candy
a luxury | missed a long tin
since, and also a nice firesid
Your home, by the descriptic
you give me of it, must be ha,
py one, and it made me long
share such a one, once more. b
! must not complain now, al
with you all to think of | shs
be quite happy.
Are there Indians in yo
state? And are they as wild
| used to read in my books?
hope not, and wish you wou
tell me all about it in your ne
letter. Anything like that w
always interest me. | also cou
tell you some small tales of t
war, some of fun and some
danger, but | don't think t
censor would allow me to do
I am now in camp waiting
go to the firing line, and | he
for myself that good luck W
again be with me.
| now send you and all yC
wards many thanks and &C
wishes. Your grateful sold
Il n