Helen Lane was born August 9, 1920 to Sidney David Lane and Elsie Margrett Norman Lane in the Lullingworth estate house in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. Her elder brothers were Peter Graham Lane, John Lane and Anthony Winter Lane. As a young child she lived at the 900-acre family estate, Cliffordine in Rendcomb, Cirencester, Gloucester, England. Her mother preferred the social life so her father sold Cliffordine and they moved to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. After Elsie died of tuberculosis October 21, 1930, Sidney bought 300 acres of his former estate back, built a house across the road from Cliffordine, and dubbed the new estate, Northmoor. In January 1932, Sidney remarried to Elsie Margaret McLellan, and they had Rosalie, Jennifer and Roderick.
Elsie was not kind to Helen and packed her off to boarding school until she was seventeen. Helen released her frustrations by playing classical piano at school and in her music room in the guest house at Northmoor. From 1937 to 1940 Helen attended the Royal College of Music in London focusing on piano and French language. Her goal was to be a concert pianist.
In 1941, Helen's brother, John, flying officer for the Royal Air Force died in battle, and her brother, Peter, pilot officer, perished during a test flight, both at Malta. In 1942 Helen joined the Special Operations Executive, a wartime intelligence service, and might have worked in India as a cipher clerk. She was translating SOE message in French and English. In January 1943, she lost her brother, Anthony, a flight lieutenant, to a domestic test flight.
Later that year, Helen met U.S. Army Lieutenant, John Wright Bell. After a whirlwind romance, they married November 27, 1943 at Saint Peter's Church in Rendcomb. Their first child, John Lane Bell was born March 25, 1945.
At the end of the war, the Bells moved to an apartment in Berkeley, California then settled in a house at 1401 East Juana Street, San Leandro. They socialized with John's brothers, George and Richard, and his cousins, Alice and George Medina, and their daughter, Judith Anne Medina.
Daughter Lynette Bell was born October 11, 1947. The Bells lived in Fresno, San Diego and New York in 1950 and 1951. John's new position for Aramco took his family to Rome, Italy where son, Peter Wright Bell was born October 26, 1952. In late 1953 the family settled in The Hague, Holland until the late summer of 1955. They lived in San Francisco until New Year's Day, 1956 when the Bells moved to Bangkok, Thailand where Helen's husband, John allegedly designed wastewater systems. (This was his first assignment as a CIA NOC.) By the fall of 1956 they were living at 266 Denslowe Drive, San Francisco, then they bought a home at 703 Tennessee Avenue near Mill Valley, Marin County in 1957. The Bells lived in Libya, Tripoli in 1958, and in Quito, Equador in 1959. These were John's second and third assignments as a CIA NOC.
Helen and John's marriage had become troubled years previously. Back at home in Tam Valley, Helen died June 24, 1960 under very suspicious circumstances which law enforcement dismissed as as an accidental hit-and-run accident. Her husband, Joh, his cousin, Alice Medina, and very few others attended her memorial service. Her children were not permitted to attend. Some family members accept that Helen was murdered. She was cremated. John sent her remains sent to her father in England. Helen's ashes are scattered over her favorite meadow at her childhood home at Northmoor. A memorial to her lies in a shady dell nearby.
Elsie was not kind to Helen and packed her off to boarding school until she was seventeen. Helen released her frustrations by playing classical piano at school and in her music room in the guest house at Northmoor. From 1937 to 1940 Helen attended the Royal College of Music in London focusing on piano and French language. Her goal was to be a concert pianist.
In 1941, Helen's brother, John, flying officer for the Royal Air Force died in battle, and her brother, Peter, pilot officer, perished during a test flight, both at Malta. In 1942 Helen joined the Special Operations Executive, a wartime intelligence service, and might have worked in India as a cipher clerk. She was translating SOE message in French and English. In January 1943, she lost her brother, Anthony, a flight lieutenant, to a domestic test flight.
Later that year, Helen met U.S. Army Lieutenant, John Wright Bell. After a whirlwind romance, they married November 27, 1943 at Saint Peter's Church in Rendcomb. Their first child, John Lane Bell was born March 25, 1945.
At the end of the war, the Bells moved to an apartment in Berkeley, California then settled in a house at 1401 East Juana Street, San Leandro. They socialized with John's brothers, George and Richard, and his cousins, Alice and George Medina, and their daughter, Judith Anne Medina.
Daughter Lynette Bell was born October 11, 1947. The Bells lived in Fresno, San Diego and New York in 1950 and 1951. John's new position for Aramco took his family to Rome, Italy where son, Peter Wright Bell was born October 26, 1952. In late 1953 the family settled in The Hague, Holland until the late summer of 1955. They lived in San Francisco until New Year's Day, 1956 when the Bells moved to Bangkok, Thailand where Helen's husband, John allegedly designed wastewater systems. (This was his first assignment as a CIA NOC.) By the fall of 1956 they were living at 266 Denslowe Drive, San Francisco, then they bought a home at 703 Tennessee Avenue near Mill Valley, Marin County in 1957. The Bells lived in Libya, Tripoli in 1958, and in Quito, Equador in 1959. These were John's second and third assignments as a CIA NOC.
Helen and John's marriage had become troubled years previously. Back at home in Tam Valley, Helen died June 24, 1960 under very suspicious circumstances which law enforcement dismissed as as an accidental hit-and-run accident. Her husband, Joh, his cousin, Alice Medina, and very few others attended her memorial service. Her children were not permitted to attend. Some family members accept that Helen was murdered. She was cremated. John sent her remains sent to her father in England. Helen's ashes are scattered over her favorite meadow at her childhood home at Northmoor. A memorial to her lies in a shady dell nearby.
Helen Lane was born August 9, 1920 to Sidney David Lane and Elsie Margrett Norman Lane in the Lullingworth estate house in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. Her elder brothers were Peter Graham Lane, John Lane and Anthony Winter Lane. As a young child she lived at the 900-acre family estate, Cliffordine in Rendcomb, Cirencester, Gloucester, England. Her mother preferred the social life so her father sold Cliffordine and they moved to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. After Elsie died of tuberculosis October 21, 1930, Sidney bought 300 acres of his former estate back, built a house across the road from Cliffordine, and dubbed the new estate, Northmoor. In January 1932, Sidney remarried to Elsie Margaret McLellan, and they had Rosalie, Jennifer and Roderick.
Elsie was not kind to Helen and packed her off to boarding school until she was seventeen. Helen released her frustrations by playing classical piano at school and in her music room in the guest house at Northmoor. From 1937 to 1940 Helen attended the Royal College of Music in London focusing on piano and French language. Her goal was to be a concert pianist.
In 1941, Helen's brother, John, flying officer for the Royal Air Force died in battle, and her brother, Peter, pilot officer, perished during a test flight, both at Malta. In 1942 Helen joined the Special Operations Executive, a wartime intelligence service, and might have worked in India as a cipher clerk. She was translating SOE message in French and English. In January 1943, she lost her brother, Anthony, a flight lieutenant, to a domestic test flight.
Later that year, Helen met U.S. Army Lieutenant, John Wright Bell. After a whirlwind romance, they married November 27, 1943 at Saint Peter's Church in Rendcomb. Their first child, John Lane Bell was born March 25, 1945.
At the end of the war, the Bells moved to an apartment in Berkeley, California then settled in a house at 1401 East Juana Street, San Leandro. They socialized with John's brothers, George and Richard, and his cousins, Alice and George Medina, and their daughter, Judith Anne Medina.
Daughter Lynette Bell was born October 11, 1947. The Bells lived in Fresno, San Diego and New York in 1950 and 1951. John's new position for Aramco took his family to Rome, Italy where son, Peter Wright Bell was born October 26, 1952. In late 1953 the family settled in The Hague, Holland until the late summer of 1955. They lived in San Francisco until New Year's Day, 1956 when the Bells moved to Bangkok, Thailand where Helen's husband, John allegedly designed wastewater systems. (This was his first assignment as a CIA NOC.) By the fall of 1956 they were living at 266 Denslowe Drive, San Francisco, then they bought a home at 703 Tennessee Avenue near Mill Valley, Marin County in 1957. The Bells lived in Libya, Tripoli in 1958, and in Quito, Equador in 1959. These were John's second and third assignments as a CIA NOC.
Helen and John's marriage had become troubled years previously. Back at home in Tam Valley, Helen died June 24, 1960 under very suspicious circumstances which law enforcement dismissed as as an accidental hit-and-run accident. Her husband, Joh, his cousin, Alice Medina, and very few others attended her memorial service. Her children were not permitted to attend. Some family members accept that Helen was murdered. She was cremated. John sent her remains sent to her father in England. Helen's ashes are scattered over her favorite meadow at her childhood home at Northmoor. A memorial to her lies in a shady dell nearby.
Elsie was not kind to Helen and packed her off to boarding school until she was seventeen. Helen released her frustrations by playing classical piano at school and in her music room in the guest house at Northmoor. From 1937 to 1940 Helen attended the Royal College of Music in London focusing on piano and French language. Her goal was to be a concert pianist.
In 1941, Helen's brother, John, flying officer for the Royal Air Force died in battle, and her brother, Peter, pilot officer, perished during a test flight, both at Malta. In 1942 Helen joined the Special Operations Executive, a wartime intelligence service, and might have worked in India as a cipher clerk. She was translating SOE message in French and English. In January 1943, she lost her brother, Anthony, a flight lieutenant, to a domestic test flight.
Later that year, Helen met U.S. Army Lieutenant, John Wright Bell. After a whirlwind romance, they married November 27, 1943 at Saint Peter's Church in Rendcomb. Their first child, John Lane Bell was born March 25, 1945.
At the end of the war, the Bells moved to an apartment in Berkeley, California then settled in a house at 1401 East Juana Street, San Leandro. They socialized with John's brothers, George and Richard, and his cousins, Alice and George Medina, and their daughter, Judith Anne Medina.
Daughter Lynette Bell was born October 11, 1947. The Bells lived in Fresno, San Diego and New York in 1950 and 1951. John's new position for Aramco took his family to Rome, Italy where son, Peter Wright Bell was born October 26, 1952. In late 1953 the family settled in The Hague, Holland until the late summer of 1955. They lived in San Francisco until New Year's Day, 1956 when the Bells moved to Bangkok, Thailand where Helen's husband, John allegedly designed wastewater systems. (This was his first assignment as a CIA NOC.) By the fall of 1956 they were living at 266 Denslowe Drive, San Francisco, then they bought a home at 703 Tennessee Avenue near Mill Valley, Marin County in 1957. The Bells lived in Libya, Tripoli in 1958, and in Quito, Equador in 1959. These were John's second and third assignments as a CIA NOC.
Helen and John's marriage had become troubled years previously. Back at home in Tam Valley, Helen died June 24, 1960 under very suspicious circumstances which law enforcement dismissed as as an accidental hit-and-run accident. Her husband, Joh, his cousin, Alice Medina, and very few others attended her memorial service. Her children were not permitted to attend. Some family members accept that Helen was murdered. She was cremated. John sent her remains sent to her father in England. Helen's ashes are scattered over her favorite meadow at her childhood home at Northmoor. A memorial to her lies in a shady dell nearby.
Inscription
In loving memory of Helen
Wife of John Wright Bell
Died 24 June 1960 in California USA
The only daughter of Sidney David Lane and Elsie Margrett Lane
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
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