John Lane

John Lane spent 35 years in the Royal Navy where he saw operational service on a number of ships including the guided missile destroyer HMS Devonshire, the Commando carrier HMS Albion and the Royal Yacht, Britannia. In addition, he saw active field service in Malaya (with the 1st Loyals - the North Lancashire Regiment), Aden and North Borneo. He commanded naval establishments in Gibraltar and Oman before then serving with the British diplomatic mission in Libya. Further appointments included service on the staff of Commander in Chief The Nore (HM Naval Base Chatham) and as Commander of the Haslar Royal Navy Hospital in Gosport. He was awarded the OBE in 1985. / Upon leaving the naval service, he served as a Senior Hospital Administer during the First Gulf War and then worked for the Ryder Cheshire Foundation and the International Red Cross in trouble spots across the world including; Croatia, Rwanda and Armenia. In 1992 he was Head of Mission in Afghanistan for the landmine and Unexploded Ordnance clearance agency, the HALO Trust. With British Executive Service Overseas and VSO, he has undertaken humanitarian assignments in Peru, Bangladesh, Somaliland, Pakistan and Ethiopia. / An accomplished athlete, John Lane ran the RN Bobsleigh team for five seasons, has completed numerous marathons and is often seen riding penny-farthing bicycles. / Currently based in London, John lane plays his trombone and tends allotments with his wife, the delightful Bella. Chicken Street is his fifth book.