Within the Great War - Frank "Tack" Lambier
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November 11, 2013 Quite often Canadians have been taught history through the great stories; the massive undertakings, the remarkable triumphs; and the courage of our soldiers. We often speak of the thousands of men, the millions of bullets, the terrible conditions and all of these "great and massive" things. Yet rarely do we take the time to look deep into the stories; so far down to see the eyes of the individual people making up the tiny pieces of this "great" thing. We hear about the so called nation building battles like the Somme; Vimy; Passchendaele and Arras as if patriotism was at the forefront of each soldiers mind as they prepared themselves for war. This passionate romanticized viewpoint is easy for someone like us who never lived their lives, and never walked a mile in their shoes. When in reality, thoughts like hoping to survive this ordeal so they could get a hot meal was more of a prominent thought then any. Stepping away from the grand scale and putting oneself in the mind of that single element within the "great" thing is difficult but necessary to truly appreciate the human level of any circumstance. The First World War and all of its features is no different; it is the individual human element that made everything happen. When looking at a small town boy and even considering the small town he came from you sometimes find a level of individual greatness that almost seems appropriate considering the environment they came from. The thought of 'well that's where he came from, so sure it makes complete sense that he did what he did' crosses my mind as I write this. Then to consider the fact that this person's name still resonates within the community nearly 60 years after their death and almost 100 years since they achieved that greatness just makes this story that much more tantalizing. While most people may have heard the name, many likely don't know exactly why they've heard it. At this moment as I write these words I have a picture of this man staring at me, he is a man with a strong rigidness of a harden soldier; his eyes pierce your very soul as they scream "I'M EXHAUSTED", and the last glimmers of his youthful face portray an arrogance of invincibility. The man I am describing is Private Francis Russell Reid Lambier #126960. Better known as Frank or "Tack". Despite the war being a year old and the atrocities and horrors of the front lines were starting to slowly make their way into the public realm; patriotism in Palmerston and Canada was being pushed to an all time high. The government of Canada under Robert Borden had promised 500,000 troops to the war effort, |
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by the fall of 1915 recruitment was drying up and Borden's goal was far from a reality. No doubt recruiters, and war supporters were pushing the young men and women to do their part. Between August and November, 23 men from Palmerston enlisted in the Canadian military, including Lambier. Of those 23 men, 12 would never see their homes again. On September 21, 1915, Frank left his job as a printer, and traveled to London to complete his attestation papers.
What possessed Lambier to leave home at this time is hard to say. So many factors, could have played into it, it could have been for "King and Country", it could have been pressure from members of the community, or it could have simply been a sense of adventure. In all likelihood it was a combination of all of these. A picture taken at the time shows Lambier in a brand new uniform with shining buttons and a cut of distinction. The brown hair, blue eyed, fresh faced man must have been stood 10 feet tall in that uniform. His modest smile shows a restrained excitement.
In his splendid new uniform Lambier excelled in his training and was promoted to Lance Corporal on March 10th, 1916 while stationed in Guelph. Shortly after on April 1st, he sailed from Halifax to Liverpool, England on the H.M.T. Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic), which by wars end had carried roughly 132,000 Canadian, American and Chinese troops to war. The 10 day trip must have been quite an experience for the lifelong land locked Palmerston native. While on board with 6,000 other frightened, excited, nervous men, who maintained a level of calm and quiet as the massive boat slipped out of the Halifax harbour in total darkness. The ship immediately enacted a zig-zag pattern to avoid possible submarines lurking in the waters. Unescorted the Olympic would move at a top speed of 22 knots leaving most escorts and convoys long behind. During the trip each man was expected to wear his life preserver at all times; a Private Gray described the conditions on the Olympic in July of 1916 as: "Thousands of canvas hammocks over head. Men just getting out of them and dressing on the tables. We had to stoop all the time under the hammocks. This is where the soldiers sleep, as close as they can pack up to the roof. No place to put their clothes or kits. It nearly chocked me."
Upon entering the much safer British water they were quickly intercepted by ships of the Royal Navy which would patrol relentlessly around the massive troop carrier. On average at any given time while under escort close to England 100 ships could respond within 20 minutes of danger posed to the Olympic.
After disembarkation Lambier was sent to further training in a reserve battalion. Here they learned the finer intricacies of soldiering in trench warfare, tactics and advanced equipment. On May 27th, Lambier was attached to the 73rd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 73rd was a part of the famous Royal Highlanders of Montreal; originally the 73rd was intended to be a reinforcement battalion for the 13th and 42nd Royal Highlanders, but demand for more troops at the front allowed the 73rd to remain intact.
The next few months of training proved difficult for Lambier, he was bounced around from battalion to battalion. From the 73rd he was transferred to the 54th, then to the 41st and back to the 73rd all in the span of 2 weeks. By mid-June Frank reverted back to the rank of Private at his own request. This after being reported as losing 20 days pay for "neglecting to obey an order, using obscene language and threatening a Non-Commissioned Officer". Whatever caused such a lash out by Lambier who to this point had proven an excellent soldier we may never know.
August 11th, 1916 is when everything became a reality for Lambier, he left England and headed to France with the 73rd and onto the treacherous front lines. Upon landing the Battalion was given 3 days rest and then moved off towards the front lines to act as a reserve unit. Their first taste of action came on the 17th of August when they were shelled by the Germans while scouting near Ypres. Within 2 days of starting out for the front the 73rd Battalion had already lost 3 Officers and 8 men, while 20 were wounded.
En route to Ypres the battalion history describes "the dialects of the troops were proof of the fact that every corner of the Empire was helping to defend the great salient of Ypres". The slow slogging march along that congested road in which for the last two years hundreds of thousands of men had only walked once, was a mass of people and equipment. "In the fields to the side of the road the flashes and roar of the big guns indicated the artillery positions, and to one side, along a narrow gauge railroad, a puffing and jolting train of flat cars moved forward towards the common goal. The train was always heavily laden with human freight for the fiery furnace of war; it came back slowly with the wounded."
The 73rd finally reached the front-lines but were fortunate enough to be a relatively quiet sector, nonetheless the fresh troops were on peak alert at all times. In early September a forward observer saw a thick cloud rolling towards their lines. Throwing up the gas alert the men rushed to put on their gas masks and ready themselves on the firing step. An artillery flare was sent up and a furious barrage was unleashed on the German lines, the mayhem of rifle, machine gun and artillery fire surprised the unsuspecting Germans who thought this was the lead up to an attack, began firing in return. Back in the trenches of the 73rd the men awaited the onslaught of German soldiers, but it never came. Eventually the gas masks were removed and it was discovered the rolling cloud was simply a morning mist.
The next few weeks were almost uneventful for Lambier and the 73rd, daily patrols, training, drills, and parades took place. The battalion diaries even make mention of being issued new gas masks which were tested by marching the men through a cloud of poisonous vapour "without ill effect". Occasional shelling would be encountered as they held the lines, but life in the trenches was a dreary, monotonous affair. Pte. Clarence Ross of the 73rd described in his diary the constant menace of rats and lice, the unyielding struggles to keep clean and finding uninterrupted sleep. The only real pleasure was meagre meals and sporadic letters from home.
October 3rd, 1916 the battalion was on the move again, this time to what was described as the "human cauldron", the Somme. The 73rd remained in reserve and provided work details for much of the month to only be sent to the front lines in the last week of October, there they crept forward to prepare the lines for a counter-attack which was expected. Sporadic shelling continued and casualties occurred. Luckily the counter-attacked never materialized and they were pulled back from the lines for some much needed rest.
It wasn't again until December 23rd when the battalion moved out and occupied the lines at Arras; under strict orders no one was to fraternize with the enemy on Christmas. This must have been a similar instruction to the German troops as they unleashed an artillery barrage on the 73rd at 9:30 that night which continued for some hours. Pte. Ross described in his diary "(T)his bombardment is some Christmas tax for us. Worse than the Somme."
Throughout January the battalion traded off for one week at a time as relief to units holding the lines, it was on February 1st, 1917 that began what would be forever noted in our community history. Pte. Lambier along with 100 other men of A and D Companies were moved back from the lines to begin practise as raiding parties. Divided into 4 groups the raiding parties were carefully trained until each man knew his job perfectly. They had 3 objectives:
1. To discover the enemy's method of holding the line of craters;
2. To blow up suspected mine shafts and dugouts; and
3. To capture prisoners and kill Germans.
Each man removed all badges and identification marks from their uniforms, equipment was made as light as possible and those in charge of carrying ammunition discarded their rifles. It was expected that the men wouldn't return until all of their objectives had been achieved, but in the end the raid was to only last upwards of 20 minutes.
The battalion history put it best:
Eventually all was ready, and, during the morning of February 4th, the raiding party moved up from Villers au Bois to Arras Alley, where the men had dinner and were issued with extra ammunition. Zero hour was set for two o'clock sharp, and five minutes before that time our artillery laid down an intensive barrage against the enemy's immediate front. At zero the machine-gun fire from the 72nd Seaforths of Canada on the flank and from the balance of the 73rd in our line, the raiding party mounted the parapet and dashed out into No Man's Land under cover of a smoke barrage, the shells of the supporting artillery and trench mortars, and the fast spitting bullets of the machine-gunners.
In a few seconds the raiding squads shook out and reached the German line. 'A' Squad dropped into Gunner Crater,' B' and' C' moved against Love Crater in the centre, and 'D' against Montreal Crater on the right. All of these enemy positions were on the right half of the Battalion's frontage. During the actual raid the enemy's artillery retaliation was slight, but our own barrage did not completely cow the men in their line and at various points stiff resistance was met by the raiders. At a cost this was overcome, and before the allotted time expired the raiders were back in the Canadian line. They had successfully and fully accomplished all three of the objectives of the raid.
This action proved to be one of Lambier's shining successes; a despatch was sent out stating the following:
For conspicuous gallantry and determination during a successful daylight raid near Souchez, Feb; 4th 1917.
This man was the first Bayonet man of a bombing squad. He displayed much coolness and bravery and although a bomb exploded just in front of his face nearly blinding him, he carried on until the objective was reached. He insisted on remaining on duty after returning to our lines.
It is considered that this man displayed great determination in sticking to his position in the bombing Squad after being wounded and is deserving of Immediate Reward.
For his action Pte. Francis Lambier received the Military Medal, which is awarded for individual acts of bravery and devotion under fire.
Due to his injuries Lambier was sent to hospital for recovery, during which time he was sent to a Non-Commissioned Officer training course. Upon completion he was promoted again to Lance Corporal on April 7th, 1917 at which time he rejoined the 73rd. The timeliness of his return would again test his resolve as a leader and as a human being. On April 9th, 1917, Lance Corporal Lambier took part in what has become known to Canadians as the defining moment in our nationhood. Lambier along with the 73rd Battalion and the 4th Canadian Division took part in the attack on Hill 145, which was the highest point and most heavily fortified position along Vimy Ridge. Today the Vimy Memorial stands on the very spot Lambier and the 73rd struggled to such a victory.
The heavy number of casualties and wounded men devastated the 73rd Battalion. The remaining troops couldn't adequately form a full battalion. Despite their continued success to this point the 73rd was disbanded and the men were dispersed amongst the remaining Royal Highlanders Battalions. Lambier was transferred to the 42nd Battalion where he would once again prove himself.
It is interesting to note that in August of 1917, Lambier once again at his own request demoted himself back to Private. It is quite obvious he wanted to be with his fellow men and not work his way up in the ranks. If he had allowed himself he quite easily would have made the rank of Sergeant if not higher.
The 42nd Battalion was just as famous and successful as the 73rd, the Royal Highlanders had proven themselves time and time again throughout the war. For the next year Lambier slogged through the trenches occasionally relieving other battalions for a period of time at the front. He faced battles like Passchendaele, Amiens, Breaking the Hindenburg Line and the Pursuit to Mons. Death and fear was unrelenting; life would have been miserable, maintaining your sanity virtually impossible. Periodic leaves to Paris helped, but in one case being granted 10 days leave and returning 12 days later, Lambier was punished by losing pay. Most certainly he did not help his defence when his records show that he "created a disturbance" upon receipt of his punishment.
It was in August of 1918 that the 42nd and Lambier returned again to Arras and were tasked with attacking and capturing a maze of trenches at Monchy Le Preux. The 42nd War Diaries described this for the 25th of August:
The operation was carried out with the utmost dash and gallantry by all ranks and tested the endurance of every man. For six and a half hours the Companies were heavily engaged at close quarters pressing home the attack with bomb and bayonet. There was heavy shelling during the early stages while the whole area was swept by intense Machine Gun fire from the front and both flanks. The attack resulted in the capture of a heavily wired and stubbornly defended enemy trench system to a depth of one thousand yards on a front of nearly a mile and was of vital importance to the success of the operation planned for the following morning.
Within the attack on Monchy le Preux it was stated in a despatch that:
Pte. Lambier be awarded for conspicuous bravery at the front - that of rescuing a wounded comrade under the deadly fire of the enemy's batteries. In the stress of battle, with the enemy's batteries booming and death lurking everywhere, Pte. Lambier rose to the true greatness of his heroic resolve to bring relief and assistance to a wounded soldier in the peril of his own life. His magnificent display of tenacity and courage at a critical moment has written the word "Hero" in letter of fire.
For his acts on that day in 1918 Pte. Lambier was awarded a bar to his Military Medal, only 848 other Canadians have ever achieved such reward.
It must have seemed like bitter sweet irony running out the last days of the war; when during the last month of fighting the 42nd Battalion participated in pursuing the retreating German forces through the very area that was the sight of the first battle between the British and Germans in August of 1914. The Canadian forces successfully captured the town of Mons on November 11th, 1918 when the guns fell silent. Lambier and so many people had waited so long to witness such a deafening silence. Little is recording of what Lambier did afterwards, he was bounced around from depot to depot awaiting his turn to finally go home. Not until March 10th, 1919 did he finally set sail from England for home. Almost three full years had passed since he first arrived in Liverpool on the Olympic.
Three years of what can only be described as unimaginable chaos, something we shall hopefully never know again. To have seen what he must have seen would shake most to the very root of their souls. To have witnessed the despair and anguish, but seeing the endurance of human beings in the face of absolute madness must have been astonishing. Considering the greatness of what an individual person can do shows why the Canadian Expeditionary Force was so successful in this "grand adventure".
Frank Lambier showed how a small town boy raised with a hard work ethic could have the determination to get the job done, and help his fellow man no matter what the odds. There truly is no possible argument against why he was honoured with having the Royal Canadian Legion in Palmerston named the Frank Lambier Legion. Francis "Tack" Lambier holds every right to be considered a Canadian hero, and we hold every right to consider him a great part of our community; not because he fought in a Great War, but because of what he did within that Great War.
What possessed Lambier to leave home at this time is hard to say. So many factors, could have played into it, it could have been for "King and Country", it could have been pressure from members of the community, or it could have simply been a sense of adventure. In all likelihood it was a combination of all of these. A picture taken at the time shows Lambier in a brand new uniform with shining buttons and a cut of distinction. The brown hair, blue eyed, fresh faced man must have been stood 10 feet tall in that uniform. His modest smile shows a restrained excitement.
In his splendid new uniform Lambier excelled in his training and was promoted to Lance Corporal on March 10th, 1916 while stationed in Guelph. Shortly after on April 1st, he sailed from Halifax to Liverpool, England on the H.M.T. Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic), which by wars end had carried roughly 132,000 Canadian, American and Chinese troops to war. The 10 day trip must have been quite an experience for the lifelong land locked Palmerston native. While on board with 6,000 other frightened, excited, nervous men, who maintained a level of calm and quiet as the massive boat slipped out of the Halifax harbour in total darkness. The ship immediately enacted a zig-zag pattern to avoid possible submarines lurking in the waters. Unescorted the Olympic would move at a top speed of 22 knots leaving most escorts and convoys long behind. During the trip each man was expected to wear his life preserver at all times; a Private Gray described the conditions on the Olympic in July of 1916 as: "Thousands of canvas hammocks over head. Men just getting out of them and dressing on the tables. We had to stoop all the time under the hammocks. This is where the soldiers sleep, as close as they can pack up to the roof. No place to put their clothes or kits. It nearly chocked me."
Upon entering the much safer British water they were quickly intercepted by ships of the Royal Navy which would patrol relentlessly around the massive troop carrier. On average at any given time while under escort close to England 100 ships could respond within 20 minutes of danger posed to the Olympic.
After disembarkation Lambier was sent to further training in a reserve battalion. Here they learned the finer intricacies of soldiering in trench warfare, tactics and advanced equipment. On May 27th, Lambier was attached to the 73rd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The 73rd was a part of the famous Royal Highlanders of Montreal; originally the 73rd was intended to be a reinforcement battalion for the 13th and 42nd Royal Highlanders, but demand for more troops at the front allowed the 73rd to remain intact.
The next few months of training proved difficult for Lambier, he was bounced around from battalion to battalion. From the 73rd he was transferred to the 54th, then to the 41st and back to the 73rd all in the span of 2 weeks. By mid-June Frank reverted back to the rank of Private at his own request. This after being reported as losing 20 days pay for "neglecting to obey an order, using obscene language and threatening a Non-Commissioned Officer". Whatever caused such a lash out by Lambier who to this point had proven an excellent soldier we may never know.
August 11th, 1916 is when everything became a reality for Lambier, he left England and headed to France with the 73rd and onto the treacherous front lines. Upon landing the Battalion was given 3 days rest and then moved off towards the front lines to act as a reserve unit. Their first taste of action came on the 17th of August when they were shelled by the Germans while scouting near Ypres. Within 2 days of starting out for the front the 73rd Battalion had already lost 3 Officers and 8 men, while 20 were wounded.
En route to Ypres the battalion history describes "the dialects of the troops were proof of the fact that every corner of the Empire was helping to defend the great salient of Ypres". The slow slogging march along that congested road in which for the last two years hundreds of thousands of men had only walked once, was a mass of people and equipment. "In the fields to the side of the road the flashes and roar of the big guns indicated the artillery positions, and to one side, along a narrow gauge railroad, a puffing and jolting train of flat cars moved forward towards the common goal. The train was always heavily laden with human freight for the fiery furnace of war; it came back slowly with the wounded."
The 73rd finally reached the front-lines but were fortunate enough to be a relatively quiet sector, nonetheless the fresh troops were on peak alert at all times. In early September a forward observer saw a thick cloud rolling towards their lines. Throwing up the gas alert the men rushed to put on their gas masks and ready themselves on the firing step. An artillery flare was sent up and a furious barrage was unleashed on the German lines, the mayhem of rifle, machine gun and artillery fire surprised the unsuspecting Germans who thought this was the lead up to an attack, began firing in return. Back in the trenches of the 73rd the men awaited the onslaught of German soldiers, but it never came. Eventually the gas masks were removed and it was discovered the rolling cloud was simply a morning mist.
The next few weeks were almost uneventful for Lambier and the 73rd, daily patrols, training, drills, and parades took place. The battalion diaries even make mention of being issued new gas masks which were tested by marching the men through a cloud of poisonous vapour "without ill effect". Occasional shelling would be encountered as they held the lines, but life in the trenches was a dreary, monotonous affair. Pte. Clarence Ross of the 73rd described in his diary the constant menace of rats and lice, the unyielding struggles to keep clean and finding uninterrupted sleep. The only real pleasure was meagre meals and sporadic letters from home.
October 3rd, 1916 the battalion was on the move again, this time to what was described as the "human cauldron", the Somme. The 73rd remained in reserve and provided work details for much of the month to only be sent to the front lines in the last week of October, there they crept forward to prepare the lines for a counter-attack which was expected. Sporadic shelling continued and casualties occurred. Luckily the counter-attacked never materialized and they were pulled back from the lines for some much needed rest.
It wasn't again until December 23rd when the battalion moved out and occupied the lines at Arras; under strict orders no one was to fraternize with the enemy on Christmas. This must have been a similar instruction to the German troops as they unleashed an artillery barrage on the 73rd at 9:30 that night which continued for some hours. Pte. Ross described in his diary "(T)his bombardment is some Christmas tax for us. Worse than the Somme."
Throughout January the battalion traded off for one week at a time as relief to units holding the lines, it was on February 1st, 1917 that began what would be forever noted in our community history. Pte. Lambier along with 100 other men of A and D Companies were moved back from the lines to begin practise as raiding parties. Divided into 4 groups the raiding parties were carefully trained until each man knew his job perfectly. They had 3 objectives:
1. To discover the enemy's method of holding the line of craters;
2. To blow up suspected mine shafts and dugouts; and
3. To capture prisoners and kill Germans.
Each man removed all badges and identification marks from their uniforms, equipment was made as light as possible and those in charge of carrying ammunition discarded their rifles. It was expected that the men wouldn't return until all of their objectives had been achieved, but in the end the raid was to only last upwards of 20 minutes.
The battalion history put it best:
Eventually all was ready, and, during the morning of February 4th, the raiding party moved up from Villers au Bois to Arras Alley, where the men had dinner and were issued with extra ammunition. Zero hour was set for two o'clock sharp, and five minutes before that time our artillery laid down an intensive barrage against the enemy's immediate front. At zero the machine-gun fire from the 72nd Seaforths of Canada on the flank and from the balance of the 73rd in our line, the raiding party mounted the parapet and dashed out into No Man's Land under cover of a smoke barrage, the shells of the supporting artillery and trench mortars, and the fast spitting bullets of the machine-gunners.
In a few seconds the raiding squads shook out and reached the German line. 'A' Squad dropped into Gunner Crater,' B' and' C' moved against Love Crater in the centre, and 'D' against Montreal Crater on the right. All of these enemy positions were on the right half of the Battalion's frontage. During the actual raid the enemy's artillery retaliation was slight, but our own barrage did not completely cow the men in their line and at various points stiff resistance was met by the raiders. At a cost this was overcome, and before the allotted time expired the raiders were back in the Canadian line. They had successfully and fully accomplished all three of the objectives of the raid.
This action proved to be one of Lambier's shining successes; a despatch was sent out stating the following:
For conspicuous gallantry and determination during a successful daylight raid near Souchez, Feb; 4th 1917.
This man was the first Bayonet man of a bombing squad. He displayed much coolness and bravery and although a bomb exploded just in front of his face nearly blinding him, he carried on until the objective was reached. He insisted on remaining on duty after returning to our lines.
It is considered that this man displayed great determination in sticking to his position in the bombing Squad after being wounded and is deserving of Immediate Reward.
For his action Pte. Francis Lambier received the Military Medal, which is awarded for individual acts of bravery and devotion under fire.
Due to his injuries Lambier was sent to hospital for recovery, during which time he was sent to a Non-Commissioned Officer training course. Upon completion he was promoted again to Lance Corporal on April 7th, 1917 at which time he rejoined the 73rd. The timeliness of his return would again test his resolve as a leader and as a human being. On April 9th, 1917, Lance Corporal Lambier took part in what has become known to Canadians as the defining moment in our nationhood. Lambier along with the 73rd Battalion and the 4th Canadian Division took part in the attack on Hill 145, which was the highest point and most heavily fortified position along Vimy Ridge. Today the Vimy Memorial stands on the very spot Lambier and the 73rd struggled to such a victory.
The heavy number of casualties and wounded men devastated the 73rd Battalion. The remaining troops couldn't adequately form a full battalion. Despite their continued success to this point the 73rd was disbanded and the men were dispersed amongst the remaining Royal Highlanders Battalions. Lambier was transferred to the 42nd Battalion where he would once again prove himself.
It is interesting to note that in August of 1917, Lambier once again at his own request demoted himself back to Private. It is quite obvious he wanted to be with his fellow men and not work his way up in the ranks. If he had allowed himself he quite easily would have made the rank of Sergeant if not higher.
The 42nd Battalion was just as famous and successful as the 73rd, the Royal Highlanders had proven themselves time and time again throughout the war. For the next year Lambier slogged through the trenches occasionally relieving other battalions for a period of time at the front. He faced battles like Passchendaele, Amiens, Breaking the Hindenburg Line and the Pursuit to Mons. Death and fear was unrelenting; life would have been miserable, maintaining your sanity virtually impossible. Periodic leaves to Paris helped, but in one case being granted 10 days leave and returning 12 days later, Lambier was punished by losing pay. Most certainly he did not help his defence when his records show that he "created a disturbance" upon receipt of his punishment.
It was in August of 1918 that the 42nd and Lambier returned again to Arras and were tasked with attacking and capturing a maze of trenches at Monchy Le Preux. The 42nd War Diaries described this for the 25th of August:
The operation was carried out with the utmost dash and gallantry by all ranks and tested the endurance of every man. For six and a half hours the Companies were heavily engaged at close quarters pressing home the attack with bomb and bayonet. There was heavy shelling during the early stages while the whole area was swept by intense Machine Gun fire from the front and both flanks. The attack resulted in the capture of a heavily wired and stubbornly defended enemy trench system to a depth of one thousand yards on a front of nearly a mile and was of vital importance to the success of the operation planned for the following morning.
Within the attack on Monchy le Preux it was stated in a despatch that:
Pte. Lambier be awarded for conspicuous bravery at the front - that of rescuing a wounded comrade under the deadly fire of the enemy's batteries. In the stress of battle, with the enemy's batteries booming and death lurking everywhere, Pte. Lambier rose to the true greatness of his heroic resolve to bring relief and assistance to a wounded soldier in the peril of his own life. His magnificent display of tenacity and courage at a critical moment has written the word "Hero" in letter of fire.
For his acts on that day in 1918 Pte. Lambier was awarded a bar to his Military Medal, only 848 other Canadians have ever achieved such reward.
It must have seemed like bitter sweet irony running out the last days of the war; when during the last month of fighting the 42nd Battalion participated in pursuing the retreating German forces through the very area that was the sight of the first battle between the British and Germans in August of 1914. The Canadian forces successfully captured the town of Mons on November 11th, 1918 when the guns fell silent. Lambier and so many people had waited so long to witness such a deafening silence. Little is recording of what Lambier did afterwards, he was bounced around from depot to depot awaiting his turn to finally go home. Not until March 10th, 1919 did he finally set sail from England for home. Almost three full years had passed since he first arrived in Liverpool on the Olympic.
Three years of what can only be described as unimaginable chaos, something we shall hopefully never know again. To have seen what he must have seen would shake most to the very root of their souls. To have witnessed the despair and anguish, but seeing the endurance of human beings in the face of absolute madness must have been astonishing. Considering the greatness of what an individual person can do shows why the Canadian Expeditionary Force was so successful in this "grand adventure".
Frank Lambier showed how a small town boy raised with a hard work ethic could have the determination to get the job done, and help his fellow man no matter what the odds. There truly is no possible argument against why he was honoured with having the Royal Canadian Legion in Palmerston named the Frank Lambier Legion. Francis "Tack" Lambier holds every right to be considered a Canadian hero, and we hold every right to consider him a great part of our community; not because he fought in a Great War, but because of what he did within that Great War.