George Edward Lambert
Memorial: Thornbury - St Mary's Church
Regiment: Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Medals: British War Medal, Next of Kin Memorial Plaque 1914 - 1921, Victory Medal
Rank and number: Private 242641
Parents: Emily Lambert
Marital status: Single
Home address: Crossways, Thornbury, Bristol
Date of birth: 1895
Place of birth: Thornbury, Bristol
Date of death: 19/08/1917
Buried/Commemorated at: Tyne Cot Memorial (Panel 23 to 28); Thornbury United Reformed Church Memorial Tablet
Age: 19
Further information:
Bronze Tablet and Wooden Memorial Board
George Edward Lambert was born in Thornbury in 1895 and baptized on 13th November 1898, the son of Emily Lambert of Morton. At the time of the1901 census his mother was employed as a cook for Dr Wilde of Rackley House, Portishead. George had two younger brothers. The three boys were living with their grandmother at Duckhole, Lower Morton. The youngest boy died that year before his first birthday. In 1904 Emily married Frank Bennett in the Bristol area and by 1911 the family were living at Ebley, near Stroud. Frank worked as a blacksmith’s striker at a brass foundry. George had three more siblings, two half sisters and a half brother. Aged 15, George was employed at a gig mill in a cloth manufactory
The Gazette reported that George was in Canada before the war, had joined up and come over to Europe with the Canadian Contingent. He was discharged because of his bad eyesight. At some point he re-enlisted in the Gloucestershire Regiment (Private 3746), giving his residence as Crossways. At the time of his death George was serving with the 1st/6th Battalion Royal Warwickshire Regiment
George had served in France and Flanders for 20 months when he caught enteric fever and was invalided home. On recovering, he returned to his company. The Battalion took part in an attack near Ypres, the day after the Battle of Langemarck, which took place from 16th to 18th August 1917. On the 19th the British tried to advance on the Gheluvelt Plateau but were held back by strong German resistance. Both sides struggled in the heavy August rain, which turned the bombarded ground into deep mud. George was Killed in Action when a shell burst close to him
2nd Lt. Musgrave wrote to his mother, ‘I would like to express my personal regret at the loss of your son. He had been in my Company for a considerable time, and had always done his duty in a brave and fearless manner
George has no known grave. One officer and four of his comrades were killed in the same attack. All are named on the Tyne Cot Memorial, one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. The Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
Thornbury Roots Website. Thornbury and District Museum Research Group. Forces War Records and the CWGC