Michael 'Bronco' Lane: The SAS veteran who cheated death and lost 15 digits on Everest
There aren't many people whose fingertips and toes are on display in a museum.
Nicknamed 'Bronco' after the cowboy-themed TV show of the 1950s and 1960s, the late Major Michael Lane made history when he and fellow SAS soldier John 'Brummie' Stokes reached the summit of Mount Everest.
However, while the expedition was a success, Maj Lane had to have five fingertips and all his toes amputated due to severe frostbite.
But there was more to this extraordinary military man than just eye-catching headlines.
The veteran SAS soldier, whose digits are on display at the National Army Museum, also played a vital role in the operations room during the 1980 Iranian embassy siege, took part in the Aden Emergency and served in Northern Ireland.
Maj Lane, who died on 22 March at the age of 79, joined the Army in 1961 and following a career in the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, the adventure-seeking soldier was selected to join 22 Special Air Service Regiment in 1967.
Just a few years later, the SAS soldier was deployed to Oman to help the Sultan's armed forces defeat a rebellion that had broken out in the Dhofar region.
As another former SAS officer who took part in the campaign said: "The adoo [Arabic for enemy] were the most heavily armed fighters we were up against since the Korean War."
Maj Lane served for many months in Oman and, along with his colleagues, was involved in several fierce battles with the enemy.
Of the estimated 200 Special Air Service soldiers who served during the Dhofar War, about 20 were killed in action and 60 wounded – a heavy toll for the SAS.
Stick it, stick it, stick it
The SAS soldier was once described by General Michael Rose, the former Commanding Officer of 22 SAS during the Falklands conflict, as an "exceptional soldier with a spirit of adventure and readiness, the embodiment of the rousing SAS motto who dares wins".
On 16 May 1976, it was this who dares wins attitude that helped keep both himself and John 'Brummie' Stokes alive when, while descending from the summit of Mount Everest, they were forced to bivouac because of the extremely bad weather.
Without the necessary shelter to fend off the impending overnight freezing conditions, the men had to dig a temporary shelter in the snow, sit on their packs and somehow stay awake and hope for rescue in the morning.
The veteran spoke of the life-or-death night in 2009 for Mount Everest The British Story, saying: "Both of us experienced hallucinations and rubbed each other's backs and legs to stimulate circulation, as we slipped in and out of unconsciousness – fortunately never both of us together.
"Around about midnight, the storm died down and it became a cold, clear but luckily a windless night, which was our salvation."
Maj Lane credits his military training for ensuring he never lost hope that they would make it back down the mountain.
He said: "Possibly soldiers have that part of their psyche removed early in basic training, as there will be lots of times on active operational service when all that goes through the mind is, 'stick it, stick it, stick' to keep you alive."
Following the removal of all Maj Lane's toes and five fingertips by surgeon Charles Renton at Hereford County Hospital three months after the incident, it took a further six months of healing for him to be able to return to active service with the unit.
Thanks to some specially made boots designed to support his toeless feet, Maj Lane continued scaling absurdly high mountains.
The Telegraph reports one colleague saying of the late SAS soldier: "At least with no toes and his special boots we were now just about able to keep up with him."
Bronco's bravery during The Troubles
Following the news of Maj Lane's death in March 2024, Lord Ashcroft, former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, wrote a tribute to the SAS legend in the Daily Express saying: " In the SAS there are legends, absolute legends, and then there is… Major 'Bronco' Lane."
The former politician wrote of the SAS veteran's time serving in Northern Ireland where – just three years after losing his toes and fingertips on Mount Everest – he earned himself a Military Medal for bravery during a battle with "IRA gunmen who were embarked upon a murder mission".
In 1979, the then staff sergeant and his colleagues were sent undercover in County Derry to retrieve weapons that were to be used by the IRA.
A vicious gun battle between the SAS and four members of the IRA ensued killing one soldier and wounding Maj Lane in the arm.
However, the SAS soldiers managed to return fire and shot one of the IRA men, who was captured the next day.
While the remaining IRA men managed to escape, the weapons and a parcel bomb were recovered from the IRA's abandoned car.
To celebrate Maj Lane's bravery, Brigadier Colin Shortis wrote in a letter to the SAS soldier: "I am very satisfied by the overall result; not only have you dented the ASU's [IRA Active Service Unit's] confidence very considerably, but you have made a very positive contribution to the morale of the more vulnerable civilians, UDR [Ulster Defence Regiment] and reservists in the area.
"As well as that we have four traced weapons with intelligence potential and one man charged, with hopefully more to come.
"Finally, at least one life and possibly more were saved.
"Whatever way you look at it this adds up to a very considerable success."
Rather uniquely, Maj Lane was publicly recognised for his bravery on 23 October 1979 in the London Gazette.
It is rare for those who serve in the SAS to be publicly praised and named due to the secrecy of the operations.
During the Falklands War in 1982, the SAS soldier was sent to Chile on a top-secret mission to monitor the activity of Argentinian aircraft that were taking off and heading towards the islands.
After 25 years of service, Maj Lane left the Armed Forces in February 1987, but his passion for adventure never waned and he found himself continuing to climb some of the tallest mountains in the world.
The SAS veteran died due to complications of Alzheimer's disease and, at his funeral, his daughter Catherine paid tribute to her extraordinary father with a poignant poem.
She said: "Thank you for being honest and teaching me that life should always be fun.
"Thank you for making me proud and that obstacles can be overcome.
"Now go and climb that final mountain, dad, for the battle has now been won."
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