Arras Memorial
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Lamb was born 1894 at Hendon, near Sunderland, County Durham, the son of Henry Lamb 1869 and Annie Rush 1871, both natives of Sunderland who were married in the district of Sunderland in 1890. They had 5 children together, 4 sons and 6 daughters. Annie died in 1901 when John was 6 years old, his father remarried in 1905 to Amelia Gray and went on to have a further 4 children, 2 sons and 2 daughters. The family in 1911 were living at 4, Regent Terrace, Henry Lamb working as a dock labourer, John now aged 17 was a pit lad on the belts.
In 1914 at the outbreak of War the potential of the machine gun was not fully appreciated, each infantry battalion and cavalry regiment had only 2 machine guns. A year of war on the Western Front proved that to be fully effective machine guns had to be used in larger units and crewed by especially trained men. Thus, the Machine Gun Company was formed in October 1915 with Infantry, Cavalry and motorised branches, followed in 1916 by the Heavy Branch.
John Lamb enlisted at Sunderland and was assigned to the 101st Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) as Private 88387. Training took place at Belton Park, Grantham, Leicestershire and once in France at a base depot near Camiers. The 101st M.G.C. was attached to the 34th Division as of April 27th 1916 and fought extensively on the Western Front. The M.G.C. in general gained an enviable record for heroism in front line fighting.
Private 88387 John Lamb was killed in action June 15th 1917. His sacrifice is recorded on the Arras Memorial bay 10, within Faubourg d’Amiens British Cemetery, Arras, France, one of the 34,785 names of servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the sector and have no known grave. Private Lamb was 23 years old and single.
His sister Margaret, known as Maggie, posted a tribute to him in the Sunderland Echo, March 16th 1919 which reads, ‘In affectionate remembrance of my brother, Pte John Lamb, Machine Gun Corps, who was killed action June 15th 1917, aged 23 years. Death divides still memory clings. Ever remembered by his sister Maggie”.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Lamb is remembered at Hendon on H123.02