A century after the guns of August shattered the tenuous pace in Europe, a Lakeside author and poet is paying homage to the warrior-poets who made the ultimate sacrifice on Flanders Fields in his new poetry anthology, “Charles Sorley’s Ghost.”

Roy Blokker, the poet behind the work, said he felt a connection to the soldiers who fell in the first world war — many of whom believed they were fighting a just and worthwhile war.

Born in Hilversum, The Netherlands, in 1950, Blokker was raised American but always felt a connection to the Low Countries.

He was on a visit to his birthplace, about 10 miles from Amsterdam and Utrecht, when the idea for “Charles Sorley’s Ghost” came about.

“I read a book on British war poets while I was there,” Blokker said. “And I got inspired. I got hot and wrote all the poems in a four- or five-month period. What drew me to these poets was mostly the utter tragedy of the war, the brutal grinding slaughterhouse and these men were committed to staying and fighting.”

His book is dedicated to more than 60 poets from Britain, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States, and the poems are derived from the impression he got of those men.

Many of the “warrior-poets” were well-educated from schools such as Eton College, Rugby School and Harrow School and thus were commissioned as officers. Those officers often led the charge over the top of the trenches and were the first to be cut down.

Eight of Blokker’s selected poets died on one day — July 1, 1916 — the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

While Blokker was on his trip to The Netherlands, his cousin was recovering from open-heart surgery, which cast a pall on the visit. In this dark place the idea of these soldiers — many of whom were barely older than boys — laying down their thoughts on war before laying down their lives was an especially appealing one.

“There was this mood of darkness over the visit,” Blokker said. “I just felt like I wanted to scream and rail like they did at the absurdity of war.”

“Charles Sorley’s Ghos” was released July 28, 2014, 100 years to the day after the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared war on Serbia, effectively beginning World War I. This date was specifically chosen for release in homage to the “Lost Generation” butchered in the trenches.

Blokker, who has published several books and anthologies of poems, still got a sense of satisfaction.

“It was exhilarating to see my book come out,” he said. “And very cathartic. After my first book, I was so tired I slept for about a week. I’m getting better at that now, and I’m more active of a writer.”

Blokker’s father, Ted, moved the family out of The Netherlands in 1952 to live in New York City.

A sponsor put up $10,000 for each of the four Blokkers, a cost prohibitive to most immigrants. The family then left for the West Coast, living in Portland for several years.

The Blokkers moved to Santa Barbara, Calif. and managed a hotel in Monterey, Calif.

Blokker attended the University of California at Santa Cruz, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history. Further education was postponed by the sudden and severe illness of his father.

“My father passed in 1972, and my mother and I went to Holland right after,” Blokker said. “He passed in September and we went in November.”

The Blokker patriarch was a very troubled man, his son said. The oldest of 11 children in poverty, Ted Blokker was born in 1915 and clamored to leave Europe after the devastation of World War II.

Roy got his first taste of his father’s homeland after he died, and it was eye-opening for the young man.

Although he had written since he was just a boy, telling tales of toy soldiers winning imaginary battles, writing had always been secondary in Blokker’s academic pursuits.

He met his future wife Diane in 1971. The two have four children: Aaron, Nikolas, Elizabeth and Marijke.

Blokker’s first book, “The Music of Dmitri Shostakovich,” a biography of the Russian composer, whetted his appetite. Several books of poetry and shorter works have been published as well. “Amber Waves,” a novel about immortal people living in the mortal world, has sold well and Blokker is working on a sequel.

“It sounds strange to say it, but I’m working on legacy building right now,” he said.

Blokker came to Montana in 2011 and he lives in Lakeside. “Charles Sorley’s Ghost” is available on Amazon.com.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.