Douglas "Dan'l" Lambert (4 October 1883 – 13 October 1915) was an English rugby union footballer for Harlequins, , and the

Barbarians A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less c ...

. He won 7 caps for England between 1907 and 1911, notably scoring 5 tries on debut against France (not bettered until 1995), and 22 points in another match against France. Lambert was all round sportsman: he was a scratch golfer, played football (soccer) for Corinthian Casuals, and kept wicket (cricket) for Hertforshire. He was killed in action at the

Battle of Loos The Battle of Loos took place from 1915 in France on the Western Front, during the First World War. It was the biggest British attack of 1915, the first time that the British used poison gas and the first mass engagement of New Army units. Th ...

on 13 October 1915.

Early life

Douglas Lambert was born on 4 October 1883 in Cranbrook. He went to school at St Edward's in Oxford and then

Eastbourne College Eastbourne College is a co-educational independent school in the British public school tradition, for day and boarding pupils aged 13–18, in the town of Eastbourne on the south coast of England. The College's headmaster is Tom Lawson. Over ...

Rugby career

Lambert, standing 6'4", was big, strong and fast, and played for Harlequins A XV until he was selected to play wing for the first team in 1905. Being large, he joined as a forward.

Adrian Stoop Adrian Stoop (27 March 1883 – 27 November 1957)
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, who had been selected for Harlequins in 1901 while still at school at

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, was appointed club secretary in 1905 and was captain the following year. He brought about a transformation at the club, attracting exceptional back line players such as

John Birkett John Birkett may refer to: * John Birkett (rugby union), English rugby union player * John Birkett (surgeon), English surgeon See also * John Burkett John David Burkett (born November 28, 1964) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. ...

, Ronnie Poulton, Herbert Sibree and Lambert: Harlequins became the leading club in England. It was Stoop who brought Lambert into the first team as a threequarter after Lambert had demonstrated his speed and strength by tackling Stoop in practice. After his first season with the first team, Lambert was invited on the

' Easter tour of Wales in 1906, but he was on the losing side in the three matches in which he played, against Penarth, Cardiff and Plymouth. Lambert's debut for was against in January 1907. Selected to play on the wing only after the original choice had pulled out, Lambert scored five tries, a record for any nation, which stood until Marc Ellis scored six tries for against in the

1995 Rugby World Cup The 1995 Rugby World Cup was the third Rugby World Cup. It was hosted and won by South Africa, and was the first Rugby World Cup in which every match was held in one country. The World Cup was the first major sporting event to take place in Sou ...

. Lambert was subsequently dropped from the England team for the remainder of the season. In the meantime, he continued to play for Harlequins and was again invited to tour with the Barbarians, winning two of the three matches. England XV v France 1911

In 1908, Lambert was the first choice for left wing. He played against Wales (18 January), France (28 January) and was selected to play against Ireland on 8 February (at Richmond) but missed the game having been injured in a club match a few days before. He returned to the England team for the final match against Scotland (21 March). Lambert did not play for England during either the 1909 or 1910 international seasons, but in 1911 he was recalled and played three matches. In the game against Wales (21 January) he scored a single try. In the next game, however, against France (28 January), Lambert scored an unprecedented 22 points, a record for England that stood until 1990 when

Simon Hodgkinson Simon Hodgkinson (born 15 December 1962) is a former international rugby union player. He represented England at fullback between 1989 and 1991, gaining 14 Test caps. Career Hodgkinson made his debut against Romania in Bucharest in 1989 and w ...

scored 23 points against . Yet Lambert's tally of two tries, five conversions and two penalties that earned him 22 points in 1911, would have scored 24 points in 1990 and 26 points in 1991. The game against France was also noteworthy for being England's first at its new home ground of

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the boroug ...

., Four of the England backline that day were Harlequins players: John Birkett, who captained England, Adrian Stoop and his brother Frank, as well as Douglas Lambert. Lambert appeared for England for the last time against (11 February 1911) at Lansdowne Road. He was dropped for England's final game against Scotland. According to contemporary newspapers, Lambert was out of form during the first part of 1911-1912. The "hammer of the French" was nevertheless recalled to the England team for final match of the championship against France on 7 April 1912. Although selected, after arriving in Paris he suffered an injury and consequently did not play. Lambert remained unable to play for most of the following season. Not until the end of 1913 did he at last fully recover his fitness and his form. In January 1914, Lambert was back in favor with the England selectors, though picked only as the reserve three-quarter. In what proved to be his last Rugby game (for Harlequins against the United Services on 18 April 1914) he ran in 6 tries and kicked 3 conversions.

International appearances

Military service

At the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Lambert volunteered for the army and on 23 November 1914 was commissioned

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 6th Battalion of

The Buffs (East Kent Regiment) The Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), formerly the 3rd Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army traditionally raised in the English county of Kent and garrisoned at Canterbury. It had a history dating back to 1572 and ...

, assigned to the 12th Division. Before departing for France he was married to Joyce, his childhood girlfriend, and she fell pregnant. His battalion took part in the

in September 1915. On 13 October, in an attempt to break through German lines, The Buffs were decimated, losing more than 400 men in just a few minutes, Lambert amongst them. Two months after his death, his son was born.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lambert, Douglas 1883 births 1915 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment) officers Military personnel from Kent British military personnel killed in World War I England international rugby union players People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford People educated at Eastbourne College Harlequin F.C. players Barbarian F.C. players Rugby union players from Kent Rugby union wings