A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Lamb, John
LAMB. (Retired Commander, 1846. f-p., 12; h-p., 34.)
John Lamb entered the Navy, in 1801, as Fst.-cl. Vol., on board the Port Mahon sloop, Capt. Wm. Buchanan, on the Mediterranean station, where, in the course of the same year, he became Midshipman of the Northumberland 74, Capt. Geo. Martin. Between 1803 and the date of his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant 20 June, 1808, he presents himself to our notice as serving in the Channel and off the coast of Ireland in the St. Alban’s 64, Capt. John Temple, Warrior 74, Capts. Wm. Bligh, Sam. Hood Linzee, and Michael Seymour, and Amethyst, of 42 guns and 261 men, Capt. M. Seymour. While in the latter ship we find him contributing to the capture, 11 Nov. 1808, off L’Orient, of the French frigate La Thétis, of 44 guns and 436 men, including troops, which was boarded and carried at the close of a furious contest of more than three hours, in which the British lost 19 men killed and 51 wounded, and the enemy 135 killed and 102 wounded. His last appointments were – 23 June, 1808, to the Leviathan 74, Capt. John Harvey, under whom, after serving off Flushing and Cadiz, he witnessed the self-destruction, in Oct 1809, of the French ships of the line Robuste and Lion, off Cape Cette – in 1810, to the Perlen frigate, Capt. Norbome Thompson, in the West Indies – 11 Oct. 1811, to the Fantome brig, Capt. John Lawrence – 27 April, 1812, to the Union 98, Capts. Sam. Hood Linzee, Wm. Kent, and Robt. Rolles, in which ship he witnessed Sir Edw. Pellew’s partial actions of 5 Nov. 1813, and 13 Feb. 1814, with the Toulon fleet – and, 29 March, 1814, to the Hibernia 120, bearing the flag of Sir Wm. Sidney Smith. He returned to England in the following Aug., and accepted his present rank 7 May, 1846.
During his servitude afloat Commander Lamb was presented, we are informed, with a gratuity from the Patriotic Fund. He married, in March, 1823, Emma, daughter of J. Robinson, Esq., of Holloway, co. Middlesex.