Brian Lane (3)

Biography

Brian John Edward "Sandy" Lane (18 June 1917 – 13 December 1942) was a fighter pilot and flying ace of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He also wrote the book Spitfire!, an account of his experiences as a fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. Born in Harrogate, Lane joined the RAF in 1936 and was posted to No. 66 Squadron when his training was completed. Days after the Second World War broke out, he was transferred to No. 19 Squadron as a flight commander. Flying the Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he shot down a number of German aircraft during sorties to support the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk during the period late May to early June 1940. He also briefly commanded the squadron during this time. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in July, he became the squadron's permanent commander two months later, by which time it was engaged in the Battle of Britain. He claimed further aerial victories during the aerial campaign over England. He was on staff duties for a year from mid-1941 during which time he wrote Spitfire!, published under a pseudonym in 1942. He returned to operations with command of No. 167 Squadron in late 1942. He went missing on a sortie to Holland on 13 December.

Bio from Wikipedia