Charles Laverock Lambe

Charles Laverock Lambe
Air Vice Marshal Lambe
Born	10 May 1875
Died	25 April 1953 (aged 77)
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy  Royal Air Force
Years of service	c. 1891–1931
Rank	Air Vice Marshal
Commands held	No. 5 Group 7th Brigade HMS Hermes
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George Distinguished Service Order

Air Vice Marshal Sir Charles Laverock Lambe KCB, CMG, DSO, RAF was born on 10 May 1875. He joined the Royal Navy in (or around) 1891 and following a distinguished career, he transferred to the Royal Air Force on its creation in 1918. Lambe was one of the most senior officers with naval experience to serve in the 1920s RAF.

Joining the Royal Navy in or before 1891, Lambe attended the Britannia Naval College. In 1897 he was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard HMS Magpie, taking part in Rear Admiral Rawson's punitive expedition to Benin. Lambe later served at the Naval Ordnance Department. He gained a promotion to commander in 1908 and was appointed Assistant of Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes in 1913.

In August 1914, Lambe took up the post of Officer Commanding the seaplane carrier HMS Hermes, which was sunk after being torpedoed in October of the same year. At the start of August 1916, having just been promoted to Wing Captain, Lambe took up appointment as the Officer Commanding the Royal Naval Air Service's Dover Command which included RNAS units at Dunkirk. During his time at the Dover Command, Lambe's aircraft carried out bombing raids on the German submarine harbours at Bruges.^[1] On 1 April 1918, Lambe was appointed General Officer Commanding the VII Brigade of the RAF. On 23 April, Lambe's VII Brigade carried out air attacks as part of the blocking of Zeebrugge and Ostend.^[2] On the 9 May, Lambe was once again the air commander in a naval action, this time for the Second Ostend Raid.^[3]

In 1919 Lambe was selected by Sir Hugh Trenchard to sit on the Air Council and in 1924 he was appointed commandant of the RAF’s No. 1 School of Technical Training. In 1928 Lambe was appointed Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area (the forerunner of Coastal Command) from where he retired in the rank of Air Vice Marshal in 1931. Charles Laverock Lambe died on 25 April 1953.

Honours and awards

• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath - 3 June 1931 (CB - 3 June 1919),
• Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George - 1 January 1918
• Distinguished Service Order - 12 May 1917
• Officer of the Legion of Honour - 14 September 1917 (France)
• Commander of the Order of Leopold (Belgium) - 15 Apr 1921 (Officer - 20 Jul 1917)
• Chevalier of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) - 5 Apr 1919
• Croix de Guerre - 21 Sep 1918 (Belgium)
• Croix de Guerre with Palms - 8 Nov 1918 (France)
• Distinguished Service Medal (United States) - 16 Dec 1919
• Mentioned in Despatches - 11 Dec 1917.

References

• Air of Authority—A History of RAF Organisation—AVM Lambe
• Profile

1. ^ Jellicoe, John, Admiral of the Fleet, 1st Earl Jellicoe (1920). The crisis of the naval war. pp. 72, 73. 
2. ^ "AIRCRAFT in the ZEEBRUGGE AND OSTEND BATTLES". Flight. The Royal Aero Club of the U.K.. 27 February 1919. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%200268.html. Retrieved 4 July 2011. 
3. ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30870. p. 10088. 27 August 1918.

Military offices
Preceded by Unknown	Officer Commanding RNAS Dover Command 1 August 1916 – 31 March 1918	Command disbanded Responsibilities transferred to VII Brigade
Vacant Title last held by T I Webb-Bowen On 26 March 1918 (Italian operations)	General Officer Commanding VII Brigade (Dover and Dunkirk operations) 1 April – May 1918	Brigade disbanded Responsibilities transferred to No. 5 (Operations) Group
Preceded by F C Halahan As Officer Commanding	General Officer Commanding No. 5 (Operations) Group May 1918 – January 1919	Vacant Title next held by W B Callaway In 1937 As Air Officer Commanding
Preceded by J F A Higgins	General Officer Commanding Midland Area January – February 1919	Succeeded by B H H Cooke
Preceded by Unknown or none	Director of Equipment 1919 – 1922	Succeeded by D le G Pitcher
Preceded by F R Scarlett	Commandant, No. 1 School of Technical Training 28 February 1924 – 31 March 1928	Succeeded by I M Bonham-Carter
Preceded by F R Scarlett	Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area 1928 – 1931	Succeeded by R H Clark-Hall

Persondata
Name	Lambe, Charles Laverock
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	10 May 1875
Place of birth
Date of death	25 April 1953
Place of death