RICHARD ERNEST LANE (RAMMELL 1961)

26/9/1943 – 15/9/2023

Born in Chester, Richard was the middle child of three siblings. In 1944, his parents moved to Bromley, where he started his education at the Keston Village School before going on to Bickley Park Prep School and then Cranbrook, where he became a member of Rammell House in September 1957.

He was very active throughout his time at the school. He particularly enjoyed the sport and was Secretary of the Film Appreciation Group, member of the Crane, Choral, Dramatic, Scientific and Arts and Craft Societies, while still finding time to be Editor of the school newspaper (the “Saturday Morning Post”). Apparently, he was warned about being too radical. The Cranbrookian of Summer 1961 reports that Richard effectively won the Bond Cup for Rammell on his own, taking 5 wickets as Crowden were bowled out for 50.

Richard qualified as an accountant after training with Deloitte’s and subsequently joined Crane and Partners in Bromley, where he was a partner for 25 years.

Since 1976 Richard had been an Insulin dependant Type 1 Diabetes sufferer. In 2004 and 2005 he benefitted substantially from Islet Cell transplants, pioneered by Kings College Hospital, being the first person to be treated successfully. Largely as a result of this experience, Richard then took on a variety of roles with Diabetes UK, becoming President in 2008. Later he was to become the inaugural Ambassador for the charity. Richard’s work with Diabetes UK involved over 600 speaking engagements (many of them to raise funds) and more than 35,000 miles of travelling.

In his busy life, Richard held over 50 different positions – in voluntary care and hospice organisations, health authorities, youth music trusts, school governance and Bromley Young Enterprise, for example. In 1997 he was awarded a well deserved O.B.E. and in 2004 he was granted the Freedom of the Borough of Bromley.

Over many years Richard contributed hugely to the administration of the Bromley Cricket and Hockey Club, where he was elected President in 2014. Before that he had been a keen player of both sports and he co-founded The Noddymen, a cricket team whose tours in Kent over the past 50 years included several matches against the Cranbrook Lynxes.  

In spite of his poor health, Richard had huge energy. He was always a willing participant, prepared to take on responsibility and “get things done”. He was a people man who never forgot the friendships he made at Cranbrook. In the last stages of his full life he showed remarkable bravery and stoicism. He will be missed by many.