Say hello to the Lamb family. 8 siblings and an astonishing tale of Victorian public service

As a historian of women's lives in the UK in WW1, I usually photograph any church memorials that I come across. of women who nursed in the Great War.  However. while visiting St James' Church, Clapham in Yorkshire, I came across a lovely memorial to a nurse who died in a drowning accident in China in 1903. The memorial gave a tremendous amount of  information about Florence Westhall Lamb. Most notably that she was a "trained nurse" and that she had been a missionary in China at the time of her death, aged 29.  

 

Florence's memorial. 

It states that it is a "facsimile" of her memorial stone in China

It gives a tremendous amount of information and is also a beautiful bronze. 

 

The story on the memorial intrigued me, so I decided to not only research Florence's life, but also the missionary organisation - "CEZMS" - that is mentioned on the memorial. While researching Florence, I wanted to see if she had any brothers and sisters who might also have served. Little did I know what I would discover! Her parents were Canon Benjamin Lamb and Louisa, nee Whythead. They had 8 children who excelled themselves in public service and the professions. They were:-

 

• Florence Lamb - trained nurse and missionary to China
• Gilbert Henry Lamb ordained priest, Chaplain and missionary who worked in India for 45 years. 
•  Dr Jessie Lamb -qualified doctor whose mission was in helping women and girls in India
•  Maud Lamb - trained nurse and missionary in  India
•  Dr Harold Victor Lamb - Hospital surgeon and GP who also served with the RAMC in WW1
•  Percy Hutchinson Lamb - A qualified Agriculturalist who was a  high ranking Civil Servant in India who also served in the Nigerian Carrier Corps in WW1
•  Charles Edward Lamb - solicitor and notary public. The 1939 register show he volunteered for several organisations on the Home Front (as indeed did his wife, Alice, who carried out nursing duties)
•  Last, but definitely not least, is Louisa Lamb, who never married or took up a profession  but whose role in carrying out "domestic" duties no doubt included helping her father in his ministry and selflessly looking after the family and their home.  

 After doing much research, I belatedly found this helpful newspaper obituary of Benjamin!

 

 

 

 

 

What an incredible family! Not only did 7 of them achieve professional success, they all dedicated their lives to public service either in the medical profession abroad as  missionaries or at home,  serving their country in world wars or as Civil Servants abroad.

 

I thought Florence's story would be covered in one blog. I did not, however, reckon on finding such an illustrious bunch in her family! So I will leave the Lambs for the time being and return with the story of the three medical sisters - two nurses and one doctor - who worked tirelessly on behalf of women and girls in India and China. 

 

 

 

St James Church Clapham. The Lamb siblings will have been very familiar with the

church that their father preached at.