Hamilton Lamb
{{short description|Australian politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name = Hamilton Lamb
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Lt Hamilton Lamb MLA.jpeg
|alt =
|caption =
|constituency_AM = Lowan
|assembly = Victorian Legislative
|term_start = 2 March 1935
|term_end = 7 December 1943
|predecessor = Marcus Wettenhall
|successor = Wilfred Mibus
|birth_date = {{Birth date|1900|1|1|df=y}}
|birth_place = Epsom, Victoria
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1943|12|7|1900|1|1|df=y}}
|death_place = Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi, Siam
| death_cause = * Malaria
|restingplace = Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery, Burma
|restingplacecoordinates =
|birthname = George Hamilton Lamb
|citizenship =
|nationality = Australian
|party = Country Party
|spouse = {{marriage|Marie Christine Schultz|16 April 1929|20 February 1941|reason=died}}
|relations =
|children = Winston, Tony and Ainslie Lamb
|residence =
|alma_mater = University of Melbourne
|occupation = Schoolteacher
|profession =
|cabinet =
|committees =
|portfolio =
|nickname = Hammy
|allegiance = Australia
|branch = Australian Imperial Force
|serviceyears = 1940–1943
|rank = Lieutenant
|unit = 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion
|commands =
|battles =
{{tree list}}
{{tree list/end}}
|awards =
}}
George Hamilton Lamb (1 January 1900 – 7 December 1943) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1935 until his death in 1943, representing the electorate of Lowan for the Country Party.
Early life and teaching career
George Hamilton Lamb and his twin sister Florence were born in Epsom, a suburb of Bendigo, to William Edward Lamb (an auctioneer and schoolteacher) and his wife, Sarah Victoria Lamb (née Irwin), also a teacher. Lamb was educated at Stawell High School, and then graduated in arts and law from the University of Melbourne in 1921. In 1923, he became the headmaster of the Preparatory Geelong Grammar School where he stayed until 1927. He lectured in English at the Gordon Institute of Technology from 1927 to 1931, and was then principal of Kyneton College from 1931 to 1933.[http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=1219 Lamb, (George) Hamilton], Re-Member, Parliament of Victoria.
Political career
Lamb was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly at the 1935 Victorian state election, representing the electorate of Lowan for the Country Party.
In 1940, Lamb was one of four Country backbenchers who opposed their leader, Premier of Victoria Albert Dunstan, in what was known as the Hocking dispute. Albert Hocking was a businessman and orchardist who was a powerful political organiser in the Country Party of Victoria. In 1935, Dunstan appointed Hocking as a commissioner of the State Savings Bank of Victoria. In 1939, Hocking opposed the pre-selection of Dunstan's son, Arthur, leading to a bitter dispute between the two. Dunstan then used a questionable legal pretext to introduce legislation to force Hocking from his position in the State Bank.Costar, B. J., [http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/hocking-albert-edward-10512/text18655 'Hocking, Albert Edward (1885–1969)'], Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, accessed 28 April 2012. Lamb called Dunstan's action "a gross betrayal and political perfidy".{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73145347 |title="GROSS BETRAYAL AND POLITICAL PERFIDY". |newspaper=The Horsham Times |location=Vic. |date=26 January 1940 |accessdate=28 April 2012 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Military service
On 19 June 1940, during World War II, Lamb enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force, and was posted to the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion. The battalion sailed for the Middle East in April 1941, where they engaged the forces of Vichy France in Syria.
In early 1942, Lamb's battalion and several other units were returning to Australia on board the SS Orcades, but once the ship landed at Batavia, they were ordered to defend Java against Japanese forces which had begun to move through the Dutch East Indies. The Japanese landed on Java on 28 February, and were engaged at Leuwiliang by a combined American–British–Australian formation called "Black Force". On 8 March, the Dutch surrendered, and Black Force was ordered to surrender the next day.[http://www.2nd2ndpioneerbattalion.com/ 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion Webpage], 2/2 Pioneer Battalion Association.Lamb, Tony: [http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/aspg/papers/ASPG_TonyLamb_FromWimmeraToWar.pdf From Wimmera to War], Australasian Study of Parliaments Group in Victoria, 11 November 2009.
Lamb was captured as a prisoner of war and was sent to work on the Burma Railway in Thailand. Lamb was still listed as missing in action at time of the Victorian state election on 12 June 1943, however he was re-elected unopposed to the seat of Lowan.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11331671 |title=HARD TO RECONCILE, PREMIER SAYS. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=24 May 1943 |accessdate=28 April 2012 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}[http://www.awm.gov.au/exhibitions/fiftyaustralians/29.asp Hammy LAMB], Fifty Australians, Australian War Memorial. On 14 September, Lamb's twin sister received a letter from him stating that he was in "excellent health" and was being treated well by the Japanese.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article73106925 |title=CARDS FROM PRISONERS OF WAR. |newspaper=The Horsham Times |location=Vic. |date=17 September 1943 |accessdate=28 April 2012 |page=2 |via=National Library of Australia}}
On 7 December 1943, Lamb died at the Japanese work camp 131 Kilo in Thailand, suffering from malaria, dysentery and malnutrition. Official notification of his death was not received in Australia until nearly nine months later on 1 September 1944.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article42430812 |title=SOLDIER M.L.A. DEATH IN THAILAND |newspaper=The Cairns Post |location=Qld. |date=2 September 1944 |accessdate=30 April 2012 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}} Lamb is buried at the Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery in Burma (Myanmar).[http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/2090291/LAMB,%20GEORGE%20HAMILTON LAMB, GEORGE HAMILTON], Commonwealth War Graves Commission. A memorial hall in Horsham was named the Hamilton Lamb Memorial Hall in his honour.{{cite news|last=Bertok|first=Nina|title=Hall anniversary|url=http://www.mailtimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/hall-anniversary/1234454.aspx|accessdate=28 April 2012|newspaper=The Wimmera Mail-Times|date=4 August 2008}}
Confirmation of Lamb's death triggered a by-election in the seat of Lowan, with the writ issued on 28 September 1944, and polling on 4 November.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11363036 |title=CP CANDIDATE FOR LOWAN. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=28 September 1944 |accessdate=30 April 2012 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}} Wilfred Mibus retained the seat for the Country Party.
Personal life and family
Lamb married Marie Christine Schultz on 16 April 1929. They had two sons, Winston and Tony, and a daughter, Ainslie. Marie Lamb died in a private hospital in Melbourne after a long illness on 20 February 1941, aged 38. Lamb was serving in the AIF at the time of his wife's death, but was still stationed in Australia.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article8175383 |title=Obituary MRS. HAMILTON LAMB. |newspaper=The Argus |location=Melbourne |date=22 February 1941 |accessdate=27 April 2012 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}
His son, Tony Lamb, would also go into politics, representing the federal seats of La Trobe (1972–1975) and Streeton (1984–1990) for the Australian Labor Party.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|au-vic-la}}
{{s-bef|before=Marcus Wettenhall}}
{{s-ttl|title=Member for Lowan|years=1935–1943}}
{{s-aft|after=Wilfred Mibus}}
{{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Hamilton}}
Category:Australian schoolteachers
Category:Australian Army officers
Category:Australian prisoners of war
Category:Military personnel from Victoria (state)
Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Category:National Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria
Category:Melbourne Law School alumni
Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Japan
Category:Australian military personnel killed in World War II
Category:Burma Railway prisoners