Two ms diaries kept during his service as an NCO with the 2nd Battalion Wiltshire Regiment (21st Brigade, 7th Division) on the Western Front, December 1914 - March 1915 (46pp) and January - July 1916 (58pp), describing his journey to the frontline and trench warfare, the Christmas truce (December 1914) and burial of the dead, weather conditions, sighting a Zeppelin, and his duties and billets. Also held with the collection are an ms letter (2pp, 10 June 1918) from a relative to the OC 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment, requesting information on Lane who had been reported as missing in action; a birthday card addressed to Lane from his wife, who at that time was unaware of his fate; a page from the DAILY SKETCH including an advertisement for information on his whereabouts (1p, 24 August 1918); 6 postcards and lettercards, August - December 1918, revealing that he was a prisoner of war at Cassel in Germany and referring to the arrival of food parcels; his Soldier's Pay Book (AB64); a blank postcard depicting a church service in the field; and a 25th Division Christmas card from 1915.
Military conflict took place during every year of the 20th Century. There were only short periods of time that the world was free of war. The total number of deaths caused by war during the 20th Century has been estimated at 187 million and is probably higher.