Francis John Lamb

W.W.2.
1923 to 1944

War Memorial at All Saints Church, Thorney Hill, Christchurch displaying Francis’ name
Born: Christchurch, Hampshire 1923
Died: - Myanmar – 6th March 1944Age at death: 21
Number: 14250707Rank: Gunner
Unit: - 178 Field Regt.
Regiment: Royal Artillery
Died: in Service
Burried: Taukkyan War Cemetery
Parents: Albert and Emily Lamb
Resident of: Thorney Hill, Christchurch, Hampshire

It is said that Francis was sadly killed by Japanese Bayonet Francis was the son of Albert Lamb and Emily Gregory and was brought up in a traditional bender tent in the Thorney Hill compound in Bransgore. Before joining the Royal Artillery as a gunner Francis was employed by a local coal merchant in Burley called Mr Wort. Francis was fondly known as Uncle Kelly and was often referred to as this by all that he knew. Francis joined the Royal Artillery when war was declared and was posted to 178th Field Regiment, which was formed in January1942 in England as part of the 49th Infantry Division. August 1943 and equipped with 25-pdr guns they were sent to India. Here self-propelled guns were acquired.

At the end of 1943 Francis’s unit was stationed at Khafkvasla in India and after a year’s training the whole of the regiment was sent on leave to rest camps from 1-20th January 1944, this is where is was inspected by Lord Louis Mountbatten. 14th February 1944 the regiment moved to Calcutta and embarked for Burma arriving at Chittagong on the 18th February.The unit was now to serve on the Southern Front in Arakan which was a broken coast of jungle-covered hills and deep river valleys. Japanese attacked begun on 3rd February 1944 and an early success ensured that 5th Indian Division was soon separated from the 7th.

However, a relief force of the Indian Divisions soon replaced those that had been separated.Francis’s Division were given a task to capture the best citadel of all in the Tunnells area, this battery moved forward into action on 2nd March 1944. There were four days of fighting and much firing had been done which had inflicted much damage and the Japanese ordered a counter battery raid.

On 6th March in early hours of the morning Francis battery was attacked and 7 gunners were killed one sadly being Francis, who was killed in action. His eldest brother James Valentine Lamb was also fighting in the same regiment at the same time, James was one of the survivors.Francis was buried where he fell, but after the war his body was reburied in Taukkyan War Cemetery in Burma in Grave 5.G.12

Letter Francis wrote to Amelia Rose not long before he was in killed in action