Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

FLIGHT SERGEANT THOMAS HENRY TESTON LANE 408285 RAAF

Thomas Lane was born in Devonport Tasmania on the 13th of December 1913, the son of Henry and Vida Lane.  Thomas, a solicitor enlisted in the RAAF on the 15th of August 1941 as an Observer. He trained at Bradfield Park in Sydney before proceeding overseas to complete his training in Edmonton and Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

He was awarded his Observers Brevet (Half Wing) in April 1942 before crossing the Atlantic to the UK in the June, where he converted to Catalina Flying Boats. On the 21st of June 1943 he travelled by air to the St Lucia Flying Boat base in Natal South Africa to join a Anti-submarine patrol squadron.

Five days later on the 26th of June 1943, Thomas was the navigator in a crew commanded by Australian Acting Flying Officer Frederick RAAF on a Anti-submarine patrol.  The heavily laden Catalina attempted to depart St Lucia Lake at night on an operational mission, there was no moon, and the lake surface was flat calm. The aircraft crashed on take off and Thomas and the entire crew, including fellow Australians Frederick White, Sergeant Albert Soady and Flight Sergeant, Ronald Jenkins were killed.

Thomas Lane, Frederick White and Albert Soady’s bodies were recovered from the lake and they are buried in the Stellawood CWGC plot in Durban South Africa. Ronald Jenkins body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.