Soham Grammarians - Brian Malcolm Lane 1937-2017

In Loving Memory
of
Brian Malcolm Lane
10th May 1937 - 22nd May 2017

Fenland Crematorium
Thursday 15th June 2017 at 10.30pm

Order of Service
led by Reverend John Sansom

Entry Music: Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Hymn: Amazing Grace
Address
Reading: verses from 1 Corinthians 15
Prayers and The Lord's Prayer
Hymn: Morning Has Broken
Commendation & Farewell: Final Prayer: Blessing
Exit Music: We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn

In this service and as you gather together afterwards, we remember Brian and the life he lived when he was fit and well.

We give thanks for all that he meant and he will remain in your hearts and minds as the husband, father, grandfather, friend or colleague he was.

Brian was born in 1937 at the family home in Hills Lane. Aged only two weeks, Brian moved to West End. His parents were Walter and Gladys; there were three children - Brian, Russell and Janet (who sadly died in 2014). Brian remained in Ely all his life. He went to Silver Street School and then Soham Grammar School.

His consuming interest started while he was at school and remained with him all his life - photography. He took his first photo when he was five years old. At school he recorded school events, Sports Days and so on. When only 12 years old he was the official photographer for a wedding. At 16 years old he opened his own studio, becoming well known for his portraiture especially of children. As a freelance photographer he provided pictures for the Evening News and Ely Standard. He also did work for Standens Agricultural Engineering, providing photographs of their machinery for displays and catalogues .

But it was because of his speciality - wedding photography, he must have done hundreds - that Brian met Beth. Her parents had provided materials for his sister Janet who was marrying Colin Tucker. Janet had become friendly with Beth due to her many visits to Beth's father's shop. Brian took the photos round to show them and the rest, as they say, is history. Brian and Beth married in 1962. They had Belinda, Tim and Chris.

Brian's two great interests were cameras and cars. He was the first person in Cambridgeshire to own a Mini and was proud of his open top Ford Escort. He was also good at repairing cars and would always stop and help other motorists. Tim remembers how he Brian helped him to maintain his motorbikes.

Brian had a large collection of Leica equipment and was always on the lookout for more. He repaired cameras for other people and started a camera club at Centre E. He was known as 'Mr Leica'.

One of Brian's hidden talents was story-telling to his children and their friends at birthday parties. He was also kind and caring and good with the elderly.

Brian with his grandaughter Elisha

His open top Ford Escort

Brian SG48 and his elder brother Russell SG46 the sons of Walter Lane, a gents outfitters manager in Ely and a keen amateur photographer.

Their cousins Roger Lane SG49 and Rex Lane SG43 were the sons of Walter's brother Archie Lane, always called Arch.
The last of the SGS Lanes still with us is now Roger's son Philip SG70.

Brian was always the photographer at events and as stated in his eulogy a significant part of what is preserved on the SG and EHS websites is based on photos that he took. Of the photographer himself there is little, and his long period of illness took him from our sight before his time.