4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps
William Alfred Lane was born in Gloucester, the son of William, sometime gardener at Dursley Rectory, and Anne Lane.
William was a member of St James’ Church Lads’ Brigade and worked at R A Lister & Co. He enlisted in the 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle Corps in November 1914.
The following article appeared in the Dursley, Berkeley & Sharpness Gazette dated 22 May 1915:
“The sad news has been received by Mr & Mrs W Lane, of Tibbiwell Lane, Painswick, and formerly of the Rectory Cottage, Dursley, of the death of their son, Wilfred Alfred Lane, aged 19, who was killed in action on the Western Front on Monday May 10th. He joined the King’s Royal Rifles on November 7th last, and had not been in France quite three weeks. He was the youngest of three sons who have joined the Colours; the other two brothers are at the Front, one in the 1st/5th Gloucesters and one in the RAMC.“
Private Lane is listed as ‘Died of Wounds’ but his body was never found.
He is remembered on the Menin Gate, the War Memorial Gates at the Church of St James the Great, Dursley and the Painswick War Memorial.