He was the son of Edward Lake (d. 1829), major in the Madras engineers, who served with distinction in the Mahratta war of 1817, and was author of ‘Sieges of the Madras Army.’ Sent to England with a sister at an early age, Edward was left an orphan when six years old by the foundering at sea of the ship Guildford, in which his parents with their four younger children were on passage home.

On the outbreak of the Sikh war in the same year he was ordered to the Sutlej, and joined Lord Hardinge in time to be present at the battle of Moodkee on 20 December, when he had a horse shot under him and was himself severely wounded in the hand.

When Sir Harry Smith's camp equipage fell into the hands of the enemy just before the battle of Aliwal, Lake was able to replace it, and received the commendation of the governor-general for his zeal and promptness.

On the restoration of peace in March 1846, the trans-Sutlej territory of the Jalundhur Doab was made over to the British as a material guarantee.

John Lawrence was appointed commissioner for the newly acquired territory, and Lake was nominated one of his assistants and placed in charge of the Kangra district, with headquarters at Noorpoor, whence he was soon moved to Jalundhur.

Herbert Edwardes, who was in political charge of the Dera Ismail Khan district and nearest to Mooltan, hastily collected a body of Pathans and managed to hold his own against Mulraj.

He accompanied General Gilbert to the Indus in his pursuit of the Afghans, and was present at Rawul Pindee when the Sikh army laid down its arms.

Going to Batala, he next had charge, under John (afterwards Lord) Lawrence, for two years of the northern portion of the country between the rivers Beas and Ravee.

In 1867 ill-health again compelled him to go to England, and subsequently to decline Lord Lawrence's offer of the much-coveted appointment of resident of Hyderabad.

After he left India the ‘Lake Scholarship’ was founded by public subscription in January 1870 in his honour at the Lahore High School.