ALFRED COUTTS, (_Chaplain, 6th Cameronians_).
In a special supplement to the _London Gazette_, issued on February 24, 1916, the official announcement appeared that the President of the French Republic, with the approval of His Majesty the King, had bestowed the _Croix de Chevalier_ of the Legion of Honour on Captain Lusk. He was also mentioned in Despatches by the British Commander-in-Chief.
The tributes with which we conclude are all from Officers of the 6th Cameronians, except the first three which are from the widow of one Officer, and the bereaved parents of two others:--
'I feel I have lost a true dear friend, one who brought comfort to _my_ wounded heart, and whose precious letter and friendship I shall always cherish.'
'It was only on Christmas Morning that I received a beautiful letter from your son which greatly cheered my loneliness; this I know was characteristic of his ever mindful nature, and I feel proud to have had the honour of even being in his thoughts.
'How vividly that last Sunday at Falkirk rises before me to-night, and his masterful touch on the organ that day I shall never forget.'
'You don't know how he has endeared himself to me, first as Allan's friend--then in the way he has looked after and helped my younger son since he went to France.
'I have only seen Captain Lusk once, the evening you were all here, but I was never allowed to forget him, as few letters from both Allan and Vernon did not contain some reference to Captain Lusk. He seems to have been everybody's friend. In a very sad letter which I received from Vernon to-night--written before Captain Lusk's death--he says "I don't know anyone who is so universally loved as Lusk is."'
'It was with the greatest sorrow that I heard of your son's death. He was a great friend of mine, and I always looked upon him as a man above other men. His high principles, up to which he acted to the letter, always made me describe him as "God's good man." I looked upon him as a type of ideal manhood far above those with whom he came in contact, and as a rich example of self-denial and uprightness which had a lasting influence upon his brother Officers.'
'I liked your son immensely. He and I were always the best of friends, and I feel his loss very much indeed. He had done so well as Adjutant of the Battalion, and I know that no one will ever forget the part he played on the night of the 15th of June, when he took command of the Battalion at a critical moment and brought them out of action, and for which he was most justly rewarded.