[Published in the newspaper The Charlottetown Guardian on July 31, 1916]

COMMANDING OFFICER’S TRIBUTE TO LATE GUNNER WALTER J. LANTZ

Mr. Theodore Lantz of this City received on Saturday night the following letter from Major Prowse of the 98th Siege Battery telling of the death of his son, previously reported killed in action:

From O.C. 98th Canadian Siege Battery,
C.E.F.,
C\o Army Post Office.,
London Eng.,

July 13th, 1916.

To Mr. Theodore Lantz,
Charlottetown,
P.E. Island,
Canada.

Dear Mr. Lantz,–

It is with most heartfelt sorrow that I write to you regarding the death of your son Walter, who was killed this afternoon at 12.05 o'clock. An enemy shell, High Explosive, burst quite close to him where he was eating his dinner with seven other men, a piece of which hit him exactly in the middle of the forehead; he died instantly, falling into the arms of his comrade Pope Beer.

We prepared a casket for him from the rough materials at hand and his comrades carried him about 1½ miles to a pretty little cemetery near a village, the name of which I will tell you later. A Church of England Minister named S.M. Morgan of the 64th Infantry Brigade performed the last ceremony and after the grave was filled in the boys placed flowers all over it. We put a cross at his head on which the following inscription was painted:
            92921–Gr. W.J. Lantz, 98th C.S.B.
            Killed in Action, July 12th, 1916.

Above the inscription we put the ensign of the Masons, also that of the Shriners. It was with very sad hearts indeed that we watched his body being lowered into the grave.

I was going to say that he was the best man in the Battery, but I have so many good men that it is very hard to be the best, but he certainly was one of the very few best.

He being Mr. Hooper's Assistant his duties took him into many dangers through which he passed without a scratch and it seems doubly hard that he should be killed practically by accident, as it was only a matter of the odd shell coming in at the moment when it would do the most damage.

We have been six weeks under fire during which time hundreds of hair breadth escapes have occurred, but to-day is the first real casualties we have had, and that they were so fatal makes it harder to bear, but there is one thing Mr. Lantz I want you always to remember "this boy lived a man's life since he came to me, and he died a man's death," what more can we ask ?

May God bless you and your family and help you in your dark hour of trial is the sincere wish of all your friends here.

To Mr. Theodore Lantz.
13, 7, 16

Yours Sincerely,
W.B. PROWSE, Major,
Commanding 98th Canadian Siege Battery.