William Fairlie Lambert

In 1914 he came to the University of Glasgow to study the Arts and continued his success in the Classics, winning a prize for Greek translation and a first class certificate in the subject. However he was only to study at the university for a single academic year.

William had been a member of the Officer Training Corps at university and so was gazetted to the 3rd Cameronians, Scottish Rifles as a 2nd Lieutenant. There are various reports around his death, one states that he was shot twice by rifle bullets during a a reconnoitring patrol in front of the trenches and ordered his men to leave him. Another says that a German patrol carried out a raid on his trench near Armentières and took him prisoner. It is known that he died, aged 21 on 23rd March 1916, behind enemy lines where he was initially buried. Due to the circumstances behind his death he was first reported missing and so his family did not hear the news of his death until December, told by friends in Denmark who had been told by the Red Cross. He was later buried in a Commonwealth grave.

William's brother, George, also fought in the war and died a year later.