LIEUTENANT ERIC STARMAGE HAMILTON LANE
CANADIAN INFANTRY
2ND SEPTEMBER 1918 AGE 22
BURIED: VIS-EN-ARTOIS BRITISH CEMETERY, , HAUNCOURT, FRANCE
Eric Lane was born in Nova Scotia and was working for the Bank of Montreal when the war broke out. He volunteered in November 1915 and initially served in Canada,where he was put to guarding munitions. In May 1917 he crossed the Atlantic and in February 1918 he joined the Canadian 85th Battalion, the Nova Scotia Highlanders, in France.
An obituary on the Bank of Montreal's memorial website, which will have been provided by his family, states that at the time of his death he was Second-in-Command of 'D' Company. The obituary tells us that:
"During the Canadian attack which broke the Drocourt-Queant line in front of Arras on September 2nd 1918, he was killed while leading his men through enemy wire, in the face of intense machine-gun fire from a strong enemy outpost."
Eric Lane's father chose confirmed his inscription, which must come from a letter from his Company Commander. It proves yet again the value family's placed on these letters of condolence.