Trafford

Born on the 10th October 1885, the birth being registered during the birth
being registered during the December quarter 1885 in the Chorlton R.D. -
ref: 8c/842, the son of John Anson & Sarah Ann Lamb.   Baptised at St.
Michael's P.C. Hulme, Manchester on the 1st November 1885.

1891 Census - 159 Great Jackson Street, Hulme, Manchester.  Son - aged: 5 -
born: Manchester.    Head of household - John A. Lamb - Married - aged: 29
- occ: Tailor - born: Manchester.  Also Sarah A. Lamb - Wife - aged:31 -
born: Ashton upon Mersey.   Plus 3 younger sisters, the two youngest being
twins.

His father - John Anson Lamb died in 1892, aged: 30.   His mother - Sarah
Ann Lamb died in 1900, aged: 43.

1901 Census - 28 Hesketh Road, Sale, Sale.   Relative - aged: 15 - occ:
Coal Office Boy - born: Hulme, Manchester.   Residing with his uncle -
James & Sarah A. Smith.

1911 Census - 8 Dalton Street, Sale.   Nephew - aged: 25 - occ: Labourer -
born: Hulme, Manchester.   Still residing with his uncle - James & Sarah A.
Smith.

Member of the Old Order of Rechabites and of Ashton on Mersey
Congregational Church.

SDGW lists him as a Private.    Attd 155th Bde Light Trench Mortar Bty.

Enlisted September 1914 and drafted to the front in the Autumn of 1915,
just in time for the Battle of Loos. - Badly Wounded (Gassed) in May 1916
and spent 10 months in hospital in Scotland.   Subsequently torpedoed
whilst on the S.S. "Arcadian" en route from Salonika to Palestine 1917,
carrying 1,335 troops and crew.  Shortly after completing a life-boat
drill, 28 miles north-east of the Island of Milos she was hit by a single
torpedo from a German submarine and sank within 6 minutes with the loss of
279 lives.

In 1917 embarked on SS Arcadian for passage to Palestine. On 15 April 1917
SS Arcadian was en route from Thessaloniki to Alexandria with a company of
1,335 troops and crew and escorted by a Japanese Navy destroyer. Shortly
after completing a boat drill, while 26 miles north east of the Greek
island of Milos, SS Arcadian was hit by a single torpedo from the German
submarine SM UC-74 and sank within six minutes with the loss of 279 lives.
A contemporary newspaper article described how four of SS Arcadian's
overcrowded lifeboats were successfully lowered before she sank. Some of
the dead were cooks and stokers who were working below decks. The escorting
destroyer had two torpedoes launched at her while she was attempting to
rescue men from the water; survivors reported that she had lowered three of
her own boats while going "at full speed". More survivors, who had been
clinging to a raft, were rescued at midnight by the Q-ship HMS Redbreast.

In April 1918, he left Alexandria for France and found himself in the front
line near to Vimy from May to the 23rd July 1918 when they moved closer to
Arras attached to a Trench Mortar Battery.  Killed when he was struck by a
shell whilst carrying his trench mortar forward.

Spent 12 months in "another theatre" (censored) eventually being struck by
a shell whilst carrying forward his Trench Mortar and killed instantly.

His sister - Mrs. F. Gledhill, 15 Church Lane, Ashton on Mersey.

Death reported in the 11/10/1918 edition of the Altrincham Guardian.

Commemorated on the family gravestone in Sale Cemetery - J.460.

CWGC - Son of the late John A. & Sarah A. Lamb.  Enlisted in September
1914, wounded (Gas)  May 1916.  Torpedoed on the S.S. Arcadian en-route to
Palestine 1917.