Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (Gloucestershire Yeomanry)
Not much is known about Trooper (or Private) Victor George Lane, other than what is inscribed on his private, or family headstone and a report of his death and funeral that appears in the Cheltenham Chronicle of 17 July 1915.
Evidently prior to joining the Army he lived at Painswick Road Post Office in the Matson area of Gloucester and at the time of death he was only 17 years of age. This suggests that he joined up very shortly after war was declared. In the first months of the war the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars (RGH) formed two battalions. The first (1/1st) was in the King’s Lynn area from November 1914 until April 1915, when it transferred to Egypt. The second (2/1st), joined the 2/2nd South Midland Mounted Division in North Norfolk in June 1915.
Trooper Lane must have been serving with the latter as he was obviously in the UK, when he died on Sunday, 11 July 1915, at the age of 17 (which would put his year of birth as 1897/8). Officially men had to be 19 and over to serve overseas. According to the newspaper report he died suddenly at the Globe Hotel in King’s Lynn: an inquest was held and the cause of death was determined to be congestion of the lungs. Captain Radcliffe of the RGH said that Lane was a ‘hard working fellow, very civil, a nice lad in every way and a great favourite’.
His remains were conveyed to Gloucester and he was given a full military funeral and buried in the churchyard of St Katherine’s at Matson. A contingent of the RGH, currently training in Gloucester, were in attendance.
Researched by Graham Adams 21 December 2013