211799 Sgt. Eric Arthur Lane Royal Air Force 405 Squadron from:Lydbrook (d.14th January 1944) Eric Arthur Lane was my father's cousin who, had it not been for a passing comment by my father about "wanting to pay a visit to Eric's grave "before his days were up", I would have known nothing about him. This has led me into a field of research I never even realised existed which has brought a whole new world, and many new friends, into my life.
As Eric was an Englishman attached to the RCAF Pathfinders, very little is documented about him as an individual although, through various research avenues, I have managed to piece together information relating to the flight and raid in which he lost his young life.
Eric was the Flight Engineer of a crew piloted by Gordon Drimmie DFC (RCAF), that took off from Gransden Lodge at 16:57 on 14th January, 1944. They were part of a large raid of c.650 aircraft on the Brunswick/Braunschweig area of NW Germany.
The raid was far from successful and resulted in the loss of c.36 Lancasters with minimal damage to the intended targets.
Eric's Lancaster was intercepted en route at 18:45 by a Night Fighter, believed to be that of Oberst Helmut Lent of NJG3 based on Luftwaffe claims for that date, and crashed at Uepsen in the district of Diepholz. All seven members of the crew were KIA and were buried in Hoya Cemetery before being interred in Hannover War Cemetery after the War.
Eric's plane, Lancaster III ND423, was transferred to 405 squadron on 8th January, 1944 and this was it's maiden operational flight.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of my Uncle's passing, I and my father will be travelling to Germany to pay our respects to Eric at his grave and will also be visiting the reported crashsite in Uepsen.
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