17304 Gunner Trevor Greek Lane, NZFA, 24/4/1890-4/2/18.

Trevor Greek Lane was the son of Josiah Pearce Lane, the owner of Lane's soft drink company.  After his education at High Street school, Dunedin, he became a commercial traveller, first for Sargood, Son and Ewing of Dunedin and then as the North Island representative of F H King and Co, Warehousemen.

High St School Memorial Gate

                                     

In June of 1916 he enlisted in the New Zealand Field Artillery and was shipped out to the UK, arriving in January of 1917.  He was in action at the Battle of Messines, serving on the crew of an 18-pounder gun.  He experienced a lot of retaliatory fire from German lines during the Messines Battle  and also during the Battle of Passchendaele later in 1917.

18-pounder gun in action "somewhere in France"

Trevor Lane's death would seem to have been described in the Official History of the NZ Field Artillery - it seems that the incident below was the only one of note at that time:

"Events in February followed their course without notable change, except that the much-discussed German offensive was regarded as being increasingly imminent, and every precaution was taken to detect signs of unusual activity behind the enemy lines. When it was ascertained that the trenches opposite the Divisional sector were held by a German division newly transferred from the Eastern Front, it was decided to accord it a reception calculated to increase the disfavour with which these transferred divisions were said to regard service on the Western Front. This took the form of a creeping barrage, fired by the Divisional Artillery in co-operation with the heavy artillery and the guns of the 66th Division on the left. Fire was maintained for forty minutes, and so far as could be judged the results were considered to have been very satisfactory.

"The enemy, who invariably made good use of his observation balloons when conditions were favourable, effectively engaged some of the battery positions during this shoot. At the 11th Battery's position he secured a direct hit on one gun just as the battery was firing its last round, completely destroying the gun and killing all five members of the gun crew."

Trevor Lane was 28 years old.

Lane Family grave, Southern Cemetery, Dunedin