Sgt. Thorndyke Sends Mom and Poem from France, 1918

“A Line to Mother,” from The Robesonian, Lumberton, N.C., Nov. 11, 1918

Mrs. J. Wilcox of Lumberton received the following the other day form her son Sgt. G.W. Thorndyke, Co. C, 17^th Eng., in France:

Now here goes a line to mother,

   The best of all the lot,

With a simple little message

   Just a sweet forget-me not.

It’s sent to her from some one

   Sealed with a kiss of love,

To wish her joy and comfort

   And blessings from above.

May if find her well and happy

   As the morn I went away,

May it make her burden lighter

   As she works from day to day;

May it chase  away the wrinkles

   From her apt-to-worry brow

And keep that smile a-smiling

   Till we’ve finished up this row.

There’s a brighter day a-coming

   For us and those back home;

There’s ships of joy and happiness

   To sail us o’er the foam.

And sights will be most wonderful

   As loved ones greet each other—

But none will be so tender

   As when sonny greets his mother.