Reverend Sidney Lambert: Soldier, Survivor and Advocate
1886–1971
Prospect Cemetery
Section 7 Lot 1237
Born in Motcombe, Dorset, England, Sidney Elijah Lambert immigrated to Canada in 1913 and soon answered the call to serve in the First World War. Enlisting with the 50th Battalion in 1915, Lambert fought bravely until April 1916, when he was gravely wounded at Ypres. The injuries led to the amputation of his left leg, a life-altering moment that sparked a movement.
While recovering at Toronto’s College Street Military Hospital, Lambert envisioned a national support network for amputee veterans. In 1920, he founded The War Amps, becoming its first Dominion President. Under his leadership, the organization championed pensions, rehabilitation and peer support, transforming the lives of thousands of Canadian veterans. His tireless advocacy earned him the Order of Canada Medal of Service in recognition of decades of humanitarian work.
Lambert also served as an Army Padre and later as a hospital chaplain at Christie Street and Sunnybrook Hospitals, offering spiritual care and hope to wounded soldiers. He passed away on May 5, 1971, and his headstone reads simply: “Our Dear Pastor”, a fitting tribute to a man whose courage and compassion shaped Canada’s veteran community.
Sources:
• The War Amps – Official Biography of Sidney Lambert
• Canadian Great War Project – Military Service Record (Sidney Elijah Lambert)
• Broadview Magazine – “How a Methodist Minister Started War Amps”
• Shaftesbury Remembers – Historical Biography (UK origins & emigration)
• Maryboro Lodge – Kawartha Virtual Museum: “Colonel Sidney Lambert”
