Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Leading Aircraftman Reginald Walter Lane (Service No:58168) enlisted in the RAAF on 25 June 1942 at No 1 Recruiting Centre Melbourne as an Aircraftman I - mustered as General Hand Works, re mustered as Butcher. Promoted to Leading Aircraftman on 9 January 1943, he was attached to No 4 WMU Ascot Vale and HQ Tocumwal, and AFHQ (DPU) WAAF Barracks at Discharge on 24 November 1945.

Reg was born in Maldon, Victoria in 1897, eleventh of twelve children of Benjamin Lane (b1855 in Auckland, New Zealand) and Ellen Avery Rickard (b1859 in Adelaide, South Australia). Benjamin (a Miner) and Ellen married in 1878 in Maldon, where they settled and raised their family, and Benjamin worked as a Miner until his death in 1909. 

Reg worked in Maldon as a Miner, serving in the Militia from 1912 to 1922 and applying to enlist in the AIF in 1915. He was a Driver in 1916 in Port Melbourne, where he married Eleanor Mary McMillan (b1898 in Port Melbourne, Victoria). Reg and Eleanor settled in Melbourne, where they raised their family and Reg worked as a Driver and Butcher. Following his Discharge from the RAAF, he and Eleanor remained in Melbourne until the mid 1950's, when they moved to Barwon. Reg worked as a Butcher until retirement in the mid 1960s. Reg and Eleanor both died in 1971 - Eleanor in September and Reg in December.