Brian John Edward "
Sandy"
Lane DFC (18 June 1917 – 13 December 1942) was a fighter pilot and
flying ace of the
Royal Air Force (RAF) during the
Second World War. He also wrote the book
Spitfire!, an account of his experiences as a fighter pilot during the
Battle of Britain.
Born in
Harrogate, Lane joined the RAF in 1936 and was posted to
No. 66 Squadron when his training was completed. Days after the Second World War broke out, he was transferred to
No. 19 Squadron as a
flight commander. Flying the
Supermarine Spitfire fighter, he shot down a number of German aircraft during
sorties to support the
evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from
Dunkirk during the period late May to early June 1940. He also briefly commanded the squadron during this time. Awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross in July, he became the squadron's permanent commander two months later, by which time it was engaged in the Battle of Britain. He claimed further aerial victories during the aerial campaign over England. He was on staff duties for a year from mid-1941 during which time he wrote
Spitfire!, published under a pseudonym in 1942. He returned to operations with command of
No. 167 Squadron in late 1942. He went missing on a
sortie to Holland on 13 December.
