Isaac Lamb was born in Dogmersfield, Hampshire in 1891 to George and Helen Lamb, and was the second eldest of six children. By the age of nine he was living with his three brothers and two sisters in Park Farm Cottages, Waltham St. Lawrence where his father was a cowman and agricultural labourer. In 1907 the family moved to Hatchgate Cottages, Hurst.

Isaac enlisted into the army in Reading on 22nd January 1912 and joined 2nd Battalion of the Royal Berkshire Regiment. The Battalion was stationed at Jhansi, India when war broke out and moved to Deolali on 4th September. Five days later they were on the move again, this time to Bombay, arriving on the 14th September. They then embarked on the troopship S.S. Dongola, sailing for England on 20th September.

The Battalion arrived at Liverpool on 22nd October 1914 and entrained for Winchester, then on to Hursley Park Camp where they joined 25th Brigade, 8th Division. They marched to Southampton on 4th November and Isaac embarked for France on S.S. Kingstonian along with Alfred Maslin, Caleb Winsor and Charles May, arriving at Le Havre the following day. After a short march they reached base camp outside Le Havre with an establishment of 30 officers and 978 other ranks. The Battalion entrained for Strazeele on 9th November and moved from there to billets at Merville, eventually arriving at Estaires on the 14th November.

From Estaires they relieved the 1st East Surreys on the front line trenches, working in rotation with 2nd Rifle Brigade. The Battalion suffered terribly from trenchfoot and illness caused by the damp conditions and abrupt change of climate. Rest periods were taken two miles behind the lines at billets in Laventie. On 27th November 1914 the Battalion returned to the front line after three days in billets and the War Diary briefly recounts the circumstances:

Isaac Lamb was the man killed in action; he was twenty-three years old. Isaac had been a soldier for nearly three years but had only been on active service in France for three weeks. He now rests nearby with thirty of his comrades in Fauquissart Military Cemetery. The cemetery is almost entirely devoted to soldiers of 2nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment and the 2nd Rifle Brigade who were killed while manning the trenches at this time. Alfred Maslin and Charles May were subsequently killed in action and Isaac's younger brother William Lamb also gave his life during the war.

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