Royal Garrison Artillery, 3rd Brigade, Service no. 217328
Born: 28th January 1896. Died 1968
Story
Thomas was the fifth of eight children born to James Joseph Lambert (1860-1928) and Annie Beecroft (1860-1931). Before the War, the family were living on Kippax High Street, and Thomas was working as a Belt Boy at Ledston Luck Colliery. He enlisted on 11th December 1915, and it will be noticeable that many men from Kippax enlisted on this particular day. The significance is that they were enlisting under the Derby Scheme, proposed by Lord Derby as an attempt to increase recruitment and avoid the need for conscription by allowing men to voluntarily attest for service at a later date. Men who attested under the scheme would be paid 1 day’s salary, placed in the Class B army reserve and released to civilian life until needed by the military. The scheme was originally intended to run only from 16 October 1915 to 30 November 1915, but it was later extended to midnight of 11th December 1915. The number of men trying to enlist was such that those who had made themselves known at the recruiting office before the end of 11 December 1915 were allowed to return to complete the process up to the end of 15 December 1915. Many recruitment offices were so overwhelmed that medical examinations were dispensed with, this was done on the basis that men would be examined once they called up for service in any case. To identify those men who had attested to serve at a later date a khaki armband was issued. A man who had attested under the Derby Scheme was free to voluntarily enlist at a later date if he wished to so, assuming he hadn’t already been called up.
Thomas was only called up for service on the 5th June 1918. He was 5 ft 7½ inches tall, a coal miner, and he was hospitalised for two days on 4th July 1918 with influenza, but his army papers show that he was in good health, and his character was also noted to be good. However he was discharged from the Army on 14th December 1918, as surplus to military requirements, having suffered no injury whilst on active service, and was released back to work at Ledston Luck Colliery. He married Mabel Owen in 1918 in Lancashire, and they had two sons: Roland in 1921 and Harry on 17th February 1924. In 1939, the family were living at 86 Moorgate. Thomas was still working as a Coal Hewer. Thomas passed away in Lancashire in 1968, at the age of 72.
Pictured below: The Lambert Family in 1908
Standing (L-R): Ethel May, Annie, George, Emma and Peter
Sitting (L-R): Mary Jane, James Joseph, Annie holding Margaret and Thomas
Peter Lambert on the far right of the above picture was killed in a cycling accident which was reported on the 8th August 1935 (left). He was buried in Kippax on 10th August 1935.
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