Henry Taylor Lamb MC RA (1883 – 1960)

Henry Lamb self portrait

Henry Lamb was born in Adelaide, Australia, on 21st June 1883.  He was the son of Sir Horace Lamb FRS, professor of mathematics at Adelaide University. When Sir Horace was appointed to the Chair of Mathematics at the Victoria University of Manchester in 1885, the family moved back to England. 

Henry was educated at Manchester Grammar School, before studying medicine at Manchester University Medical School and Guy's Hospital in London. He abandoned his medical studies in 1906 to study painting at the Chelsea School of Art, which, at that time, was run by William Orpen and Augustus John. 

In 1907, Henry went to Paris to study at the Académie de La Palette - an art academy where stidemts were taught by artists Jean Metzinger, André Dunoyer de Segonzac and Henri Le Fauconnier.

When war broke out in 1914, Henry returned to his medical studies and qualified as a doctor at Guy's Hospital.  He saw active service in the First World War in the Royal Army Medical Corps as a battalion medical officer with the 5th Battalion, The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and was awarded the Military Cross. 

Henry served in Palestine and on the Western Front and was badly gassed not long before the end of the war. In February 1918, before he was demobilised, Henry was approached by British War Memorials Committee of the Ministry of Information to produce a large painting for a proposed national Hall of Remembrance. After he was demobilised in March 1919, Lamb began work on the painting, "Irish Troops in the Judaean Hills Surprised by a Turkish Bombardment", which is now in the Imperial War Museum. 

Henry died on 8th October 1960.

Two of his paintings are:  Advanced Dressing Station on the Struma in  1916, 1921 

and

Irish Troops in the Judaean Hills Surprised by a Turkish Bombardment (1919), (Art.IWM ART 2746)

With thanks to AC Benus for finding this artist for us.