Ron Lane

(January 1, 1924 – July 9, 1954)

Ron Lane was a UK fan from Manchester active in the 1940s. Eric Needham described him as 'chemist, photographer, motor-cyclist' in the Supermancon combozine. He was a member of the British Fantasy Society (BFS) and attended Midvention, Norcon, the 1944 Eastercon, Norcon II, and the Whitcon.

In a self-introduction in Nonesuch for FAPA 33 in 1945 he said:

Fandom I first contacted in the early war days, my interest therein being of slow growth, and now being largely social. I've done most of the things fans usually do, however, even publishing four mags including this'n, one even reaching six issues, which in retrospect is rather amazing.

Physically I'm of medium build, my height being about 5' 7". This I know because at my first, medical it was 5' 7", while at my second it was 5’7¼". Science is wonderful. My eyes are brown, my hair after washing is blonde, and I hate shaving. This is obviously sexual.

My hobbies are numerous, chief being books, of which I have some 650. I like music, wherein my tastes are middle-brow – swing I find rarely amusing, usually annoying, while I love Beethoven's quartets but find symphonies in general too long for their themes...

I subscribe enthusiastically to the creed: that most SF is tripe, but think highly of Stapledon and Blackwood and a few others, while I place what I shall loosely term the 'literary' content of a work before its fantasy content. Were I to subscribe to any religion, it would be Buddhism, and as things are my own synthesis of life is largely that of the Buddhist. From which it follows that I still have some faith in mankind, despite the atomic bomb.

Futurian War Digest #10 reported that Lane met fellow Mancunian Harry Turner in the summer of 1941 and they discussed forming a local club. In 1943 he was one of the sponsors for the proposed British Fantasy Amateur Press Association that seemingly never came to anything. Ron Holmes styled him the 'director' of Norcon, a convention of eight people held in his (Lane's) Manchester home over New Year 1944–5.

In April 1944 Futurian War Digest reported that:

Ron Lane has received his calling up papers and, now that he has successfully qualified as a chemist, Mr. Bevin gives him the opportunity to become the first fan coal-miner. Yes, Ron goes down the pit and is he happy.

This allowed him to continue his fan activity as he was able to go home at weekends. He did however resign from the BFS at around the same time for unknown reasons.

In August 1945 he attended the first known post-war fan meeting, a gathering of 'near-conference proportions' in London according to Rob Hansen in Then. Sam Youd described him as:

medium-built, spectacled Northerner, who spent the weekend getting lost and buying colossally-priced books devoted to such people as Henry Moore and Turner (not HETurner, I am informed).

It seems the Whitcon of 1948 was his last convention.

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Gemini
• Nonesuch (for FAPA)
• Parnassus

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Person

1924—1954

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