The Barry Hobbs Collection of Great War Medals

Three: Private W. E. Lane, 6th Dragoon Guards (Carabiniers), attached 1st Life Guards, who was present at the action on Zandvoorde Ridge on 30 October 1914 and was subsequently killed in action near Zwarteleen during the First Battle of Ypres on 6 November 1914 1914 Star, with clasp (8345 Pte. W. E. Lane. 6/D.Gds:); British War and Victory Medals (D-8345 Pte. W. E. Lane. 6-D.Gds.); Memorial Plaque (William Edward Lane) in card envelope, extremely fine (4) £300-£400 --- William Edward Lane was born in 1894 at Leytonstone and attested for the Corps of the Dragoons of the Line at Stratford, London in September 1913. He was posted to the 6th Dragoon Guards on 17 January 1914 but following the outbreak of the Great War, he was attached to the 1st Life Guards, entering the Western Front with them at Zeebrugge on 7 October 1914 to form part of the 7th Household Cavalry Brigade, 3rd Cavalry Division. Lane would have been present during the famous action at Zandvoorde Ridge on 30 October, described in the War Diary by Captain the Hon. E. H. Wyndham in the following understated fashion: ‘Zandvoorde - Oct. 30. 6am - Heavy bombardment of position opened. At 7.30am position was attacked by large force of infantry. This attack proved successful owing to greatly superior numbers. Regiment retired in good order about 10am except C Squadron on left flank from which only about 10 men got back. Remainder of Squadron missing.’ the Marquess of Anglesey, in Volume 7 of A History of the British Cavalry, gives the following account of the action at Zandvoorde Ridge on 30 October 1914: ‘Kavanagh’s 7th Cavalry Brigade was at the very centre of a most determined attack, supported by some 250 guns, delivered by the first of the new German Reserve divisions. These consisted in large part of ‘the flower of the youth of Germany, middle- and upper class students’, under military-age volunteers, hardly trained but burning with patriotism. Their assault fell chiefly upon the Household Cavalry’s elementary trench lines at Zandvoorde. The artillery barrage dropped on these and on the zone immediately behind them from 6.45 till 8 a.m. It and the following onslaught were so ferocious and concentrated that two squadrons and a machine-gun section suffered almost total extinction. Ernest Hook, a surviving Lifeguardsman, recalled that there was ‘no protection from the shelling as our trenches were on the forward slope and in full view of the enemy and although our gunners put up a great show, they were no match for Jerry’s heavy stuff. We could see their infantry in great masses about 1,000 yards away. Just about then I was hit by a shell that nearly took my left arm off and my officer sent me to the rear. It was the end of the war for me.’ Private Lane was killed in action on 6 November 1914 during an operation to support the 4th (Guards Brigade) near Zwarteleen following the retirement of some French in occupation of a section of trenches in the Brigade line. On this date, Wyndham’s War Diary contains the following entry: ‘3.15pm - ...Regiment advanced with D Squadron on left, 2 Troops of A Squadron on right, and 2 Troops of A Squadron in support. M.G. Section remained in reserve, the wooded nature of the country not lending itself to the successful employment of machine-guns in the advance. The advance was successfully carried out on left across open to within 150 yards of wood through first E in Zwarteleen. The right did not advance quite so far. Great difficulty was experienced by all units in keeping touch with Troops on either flank. This was due to thickly-wooded nature of the country. D Squadron were finally forced to retire to South edge of woods by machine-gun fire.’ Wyndham names 1 officer and 4 men (including Lane) killed during the action on 6 November and 21 officers and men wounded. The officer killed was his own brother, Lieutenant the Hon. W. R. Wyndham. William Edward Lane was the son of Mr and Mrs Frederick Lane of 7 Gladstone St., Leytonstone, London and having no known grave, is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.