William Lambton

William Lambton (4 December 1863 – 11 October 1936) was a senior officer in the British Army who held command of the 4th Division during the First World War.

He was born as the son of George Lambton, 2nd Earl of Durham. Lambton received his education at Eton College, a boarding school in England, followed by training at the Royal Military College at Sandhurst. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Coldstream Guards on 6 February 1884 and was promoted to the rank of captain on 18 May 1892. In August 1893, he served as aide-de-camp to the governor-general of Ireland. Between 1897 and 1898, he attended the Staff College, Camberley.

After completing his staff education, Lambton was seconded to serve with the Egyptian Army. During this period, he participated in the Nile expedition of 1898, fighting at the Battle of Atbara and the Battle of Omdurman. He was promoted to the rank of major on 29 September 1898.

With the outbreak of the Second Boer War in late 1899, Lambton’s battalion was sent to South Africa. As part of the Kimberley Relief Force, he fought at the Battle of Magersfontein on 10 and 11 December 1899. During this engagement, his unit suffered heavy casualties, and Lambton was wounded but refused to be carried off the battlefield. He was mentioned in dispatches by Paul Methuen, who described Lambton’s steadfastness. After recovering from his wounds, Lambton continued his service as military secretary to the commander-in-chief of the Transvaal and later as military secretary to Alfred Milner, the high commissioner for Southern Africa, from December 1900. During this period, he held the local rank of lieutenant colonel and was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order in April 1901.

In October 1906, Lambton was promoted to lieutenant colonel and, by May 1907, was commanding the 1st Battalion of the Coldstream Guards. In August 1910, following his promotion to colonel, he succeeded Brigadier General Ivor Maxse in commanding the Coldstream Guards and the regimental district. He became the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards in 1912 and served as Assistant Adjutant and Quartermaster-General for London District in 1913.

At the outbreak of the First World War, Lambton served as military secretary to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) from August 1914. He was promoted to temporary brigadier general in September 1914 and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in February 1915. In June 1915, he was promoted to major general in recognition of his distinguished service in the field. Later that year, in September, he was appointed general officer commanding (GOC) of the 4th Division, a position he held for nearly two years.

During his command, the 4th Division was actively involved in key battles of 1916, including the Battle of the Somme, participating in the Battle of Albert and the Battle of Le Transloy. In 1917, the division took part in the Battle of Arras, specifically in the First Battle of the Scarpe. Lambton's leadership in these battles reflected his tactical capabilities. His tenure as GOC ended following a riding accident in September 1917. He retired from military service in April 1920.

In 1921, Lambton married Lady Katherine de Vere Somerset, née Beauclerk, daughter of William Beauclerk, 10th Duke of St Albans. They did not have children. William Lambton died in Cap-d'Ail on 11 October 1936.