Frederick George Stewart Lamb

Frederick George Stewart Lamb was born at Methven, Canterbury on 22 February 1918 and grew up in Christchurch, where he was educated at Christchurch Boys’ High School, studied accountancy, and worked as a clerk with the Canterbury Seed Company. A capable sportsman and qualified lifesaver, he showed early signs of discipline and leadership. In December 1939, shortly before embarking overseas, he became engaged to Thelma Short, a moment of personal happiness set against the gathering momentum of war. He enlisted in the New Zealand Army in September 1939 and advanced quickly, serving first as Company Sergeant Major before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant with the 26th (Canterbury and Otago) Battalion.

His service took him across Egypt, Palestine, Greece, and finally Libya. Letters and diary entries trace a steady progression from curiosity and excitement to exhaustion and loss, particularly during the Greek campaign of early 1941. He recorded the long night marches, air attacks, and hurried withdrawals through the Olympus Pass, but also the growing absence of familiar faces. As casualties mounted, his writing became more restrained and factual, noting men killed or wounded and the quiet impact this had on those who remained. These losses followed him into the desert war, where months of training and movement culminated in the fighting around Tobruk during Operation Crusader.

In November 1941 Stewart took part in the battle for the Sidi Rezegh escarpment, one of the hardest-fought actions involving the New Zealand Division. With his battalion already worn by earlier fighting, he was left in charge of A Company during intense shelling and machine-gun fire as enemy infantry pressed forward. The battalion suffered heavy casualties but held its ground and withdrew after nightfall. Stewart was mortally wounded on 25 November 1941 during the capture of Sidi Rezegh and died shortly afterward, aged 23. His surviving letters and service record reflect a young officer shaped quickly by war, carrying both responsibility and loss in a campaign that demanded everything and allowed little time to grow old.

World War Two

Sources

• Birth Registration of Frederick George Stewart Lamb. New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registration no. 1918/12244.
• Lamb Family Bible. Family Register and Deaths pages. Printed by University Press, London and Oxford University Press, New York.
• World War Two Military Record of Frederick George Stewart Lamb. New Zealand Defence Force.
• Will of Frederick George Stewart Lamb. Lamb, Frederick George Stewart. Code R19655359, Record CH22308/1942. Pages 1, 4–7, 11.
• Grave Record of Frederick George Stewart Lamb. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Including Commemoration Certificate, Graves Registration and Concentration Reports, List of Corrections no. 57, and burial register for Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya.
• Diary and Letters from the Second World War. Lamb, Frederick George Stewart. Diary entries dated January–February 1940. Letters to “Mum & Dad” dated 23 October 1940 and 4 May 1941.
• Timaru Herald, 24 December 1937, Page 12. Volume CXLIII, Issue 20919.
• Timaru Herald, 16 December 1939, Page 12. Volume CXLVII, Issue 21529.
• Timaru Herald, 20 December 1941, Page 8. Volume CL, Issue 22151.
• Star (Christchurch), 16 December 1931, Page 12. Volume XLIV, Issue 298. National Library of New Zealand.
• Star (Christchurch), 15 December 1932, Page 11. Volume XLIV, Issue 637. National Library of New Zealand.
• Star (Christchurch), 26 March 1935, Page 11. Volume LXVI, Issue 20573. National Library of New Zealand.
• The Press (Christchurch), 26 December 1936, Page 3. Volume LXXII, Issue 21975.
• The Press (Christchurch), 24 December 1938, Page 22. Volume LXXIV, Issue 22593.
• Middle East Troopship Convoys 2NZEF 1939–1945. Ward, Michael. Page 6. First published 24 September 2020, updated 6 October 2022.
• World War Two Appointments, Promotions, Transfers and Resignations. New Zealand Gazette. 17 February 2016, Page 434.
• Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45: 26 Battalion. Norton, Frazer D. Historical Publications Branch, Wellington, 1952. Chapters 3–5 and Roll of Honour, Page 535.
• Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45: New Zealand Engineers, Middle East. Cody, J. F. War History Branch, Department of Internal Affairs, 1961. Chapter 4, Page 108.
• Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–45: The Relief of Tobruk. Murphy, W. E. Historical Publications Branch, 1961. Chapters 1–21, especially Chapter 21, Page 379.