Thomas Stanton Lambert was the son of the Rev. R U Lambert, Vicar of Christ Church, Bradford-on-Avon. He was commissioned in the East Lancashire Regiment in 1891 and served in India. When the war broke out he was DAAG at the War Office with the rank of major. He assumed command of the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment in September 1914 after its CO had been killed on the Aisne. Lambert was himself wounded a fortnight later. The wound was severe, causing him to lose the use of his right lung. Following his recovery, in March 1915, he was successively DAAG 37th Division, CO 2nd Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, and acting AAG at GHQ. On 8 March 1916 he was promoted GOC 69th Brigade, 23rd Division. He commanded this formation during the capture of Contalmaison (July 1916) and the actions at Le Sars (October 1916), Hill 60, Menin Road (September 1917) and Polygon Wood (September-October 1917). He also commanded the brigade in Italy during the winter of 1917-18 until recalled to the Western Front, on 31 May 1918, to command 32nd Division in succession to Major-General R J Bridgford. He was 47. 32nd Division achieved its best attacking results under Lambert’s command, spearheading Fourth Army’s attacks alongside the Australians between August and October 1918. It was Lambert who informed Field-Marshal Haig of mounting German resistance at Amiens, intelligence that persuaded Haig to refuse Foch’s order to continue the offensive and to switch the axis of advance to Byng’s Third Army on the Scarpe. http://www.firstworldwar.bham.ac.uk/donkey/lambert.htm He is mentioned in the book ...... Lions Led By Donkeys ..... which is a phrase popularly used to describe the British infantry of the First World War and to condemn the generals who commanded them. The contention is that the brave soldiers (lions) were sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders (donkeys). The phrase was the source of the title of one of the most scathing examinations of British First World War generals, The Donkeys by British historian Alan Clark Clark attributed the phrase to a conversation between German generals Erich Ludendorff and Max Hoffmann. Ludendorff - The English soldiers fight like lions Hoffmann - True. But don't we know that they are lions led by donkeys
