A new street in the Palmerston Industrial Park named for local First World War veteran Frank Lambier was dedicated on Oct. 23.
“This is a great honour for all of our family members, many of whom have turned out here, as well as our community,” said Jeff Lambier, service officer of Royal Canadian Legion Frank Lambier Branch 409, Palmerston, which is also named after his grandfather.
According to a biography prepared by local historian Chad Martin, Frank Lambier left his job as a printer and traveled to London, Ontario to begin training for the Great War on Sept. 21, 1915.
In April 1916, he sailed from Halifax to Liverpool, England on the HMT Olympic (sister ship of the Titanic), where he was assigned to further training in a reserve battalion. On May 27, Lambier was attached to the 73rd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, part of the famous Royal Highlanders of Montreal.
Lambier later served in France and in February of 1917, he and 100 other men of ‘A’ and ‘D’ Companies were moved back from the lines to begin practice as raiding parties.
He excelled at raiding action and it proved to be one of his shining successes.
He was awarded the Military Medal for “conspicuous gallantry and determination during a successful daylight raid near Souchez, Feb. 4, 1917.”
Later that year, Lambier’s battalion was charged with attacking and capturing a maze of trenches at Monchy-le-Preux, where he again earned recognition, this time for “conspicuous bravery at the front – that of rescuing a wounded comrade under the deadly fire of the enemy’s batteries.”
Mayor George Bridge noted Frank Lambier Court is the latest road in Minto to be named under a town bylaw requiring all new streets to be named for veterans. Bridge called Lambier’s performance during the Great War “an amazing example of heroic action by a Canadian solider.”
