Francis Lane Fox
| Francis Lane Fox | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Francis Gordon Ward Jackson |
| Nickname(s) | Joe |
| Born | 14 October 1899 |
| Died | 31 July 1989 Bramham Park, West Yorkshire, England, UK |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1919-1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commands held |
Household Cavalry Training Regiment 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment Yorkshire Hussars |
| Battles/wars | Second World War (North West Europe) |
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Gordon Ward Lane Fox (formerly Jackson), (14 October 1899–31 July 1989) was a British Army officer and prominent Yorkshire landowner.
Francis Lane Fox was the son of Claude Ward Jackson (1869–1937) and Una Whiting (née Wilcox). He was educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards on 16 July 1919.
After service as a young officer of the Household Cavalry, 'Joe' Ward-Jackson (as he was then known) was appointed aide-de-camp to the Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, in 1928. He met Lord Irwin's niece, Marcia Agnes Mary Lane Fox (1904–1980), eldest daughter and heiress of Lt-Col George Lane Fox (soon to be created Lord Bingley) when she visited India. They were married on 3 October 1929 and In 1937 Jackson changed his surname by deed poll to Lane Fox. In 1947 he was granted the Royal licence to bear the coat of arms of Fox.
Lane Fox was promoted to lieutenant-colonel on 26 June 1941, and took command of the Household Cavalry Training Regiment. On 20 September 1943 he assumed command of 43rd (Wessex) Reconnaissance Regiment (43 Recce) in 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division, which was training for the Normandy Landings.
Soon after D-Day, 43 Recce embarked on a transport named the MV Derrycunihy, which arrived off Sword Beach on the evening of 20 June. High seas and enemy shelling prevented unloading for three days and it was decided to move to Juno Beach for disembarkation. As the ship started engines on the morning of 24 June it detonated a mine dropped by a Luftwaffe raider. The mine explosion split the ship in two, and the after part, packed with soldiers, sank rapidly. Worse still, an ammunition lorry caught fire, and oil floating on the water was set alight. Landing craft and gunboats quickly came alongside and picked up survivors. The Regimental War Diary records that 'Great gallantry was displayed by all troops in the two aft holds'. Over 180 men of the regiment and 25 ships' crew and gunners were lost, and about 120 wounded of 43 Recce were evacuated. The disaster represented the biggest single loss of life off the invasion beaches.
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