In 1897 he was promoted to lieutenant and served aboard HMS Magpie, taking part in Rear Admiral Rawson's punitive expedition to Benin.

In August 1914, Lambe was appointed as captain of the seaplane carrier HMS Hermes, which sank after being torpedoed in October of the same year.

During his time at the Dover Command, Lambe's aircraft carried out bombing raids on the German submarine harbours at Bruges.

On 23 April, Lambe's VII Brigade carried out air attacks as part of the blocking of Zeebrugge and Ostend.

[4] In 1919 Lambe was selected by Sir Hugh Trenchard to sit on the Air Council and in 1924 he was appointed commandant of the RAF's No.