Tributes paid to dedicated Royal Navy sailor and 'family man' who died after 'short illness'

Warrant Officer Class 1 Charles ‘Charlie’ Lambert died following a short illness, leaving his family, friends and colleagues heartbroken.

The dedicated sailor had served within the Senior Service for a whopping 42 years, with a distinguished career spanning six decades.

Born the son of a railwayman in York, in July 1963, Charlie joined the navy as a Junior Weapons Engineering Mechanic (Radio) aged 16.

His huge stint in the military saw the father-of-three serving across the globe, operating in everything from Leander-class and Type 23 frigates, to the latest Type 42 destroyers.

In 1999 joined the Nato response to the Kosovo crisis, serving in HMS Iron Duke. Four years later, he sailed into the Iraq War in 2003 on board HMS Richmond before later serving in HMS Liverpool off Libya in 2011.

Ashore, he worked at communications establishments, including Harrogate, Gibraltar and Naples, and as an instructor at HMS Collingwood in Fareham.

More recently, Charlie played a pivotal role in improving safety standards across the fleet, bringing his considerable naval and engineering experience to the navy’s safety centre, where he worked as an assistant to the fleet safety, health and environmental officer.

The role would see him coaching and mentoring officers and ratings, sharing his wealth of knowledge at sea to keep the men and women of the Royal Navy safe.

Lieutenant Commander Richard Woodbridge, fleet safety, health and environmental officer, was full of praise for Charlie and said: ‘Charlie brought considerable breadth of experience and knowledge to my team.

‘He was committed to the Royal Navy and its health and safety, seeing clear value in what we did to improve safety across the fleet.

‘He supported me greatly, acting as a sounding board and contributing to ensure our team’s effectiveness.

‘It is with sadness that I learnt of his passing and I offer both my own and the whole team’s sincere condolences to his widow and family.’

As well as being a dedicated sailor, Charlie was also a talented athlete, often showing his younger colleagues a ‘clean pair of heels in the gym’.

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He had particular passion for one of the navy’s most dangerous, traditional sports – the field gun.

The sporting spectacle sees teams of military personnel rushing to lift, move and set up antiquated field guns weighing almost half a tonne as fast as possible.

Charlie started running in the Brickwoods Field Gun Competition in the 1980s and he was still running with the Portsmouth Naval Base team at the competition held in 2019, where they were the joint champions.

As well as his passion for the field gun, Charlie’s naval career also introduced him to the love of his life – his wife, Louise. They married in 1989 and had three children together.

Paying tribute to Charlie, colleague WO1 Graham Cooke said: ‘Charlie was a gentleman, a dedicated family man and the perfect “oppo”. He was always very supportive, both professionally and as a friend; it was a pleasure to work so closely with him for his last few years in the Royal Navy.’

Adrien Bayne, who worked with Charlie in the navy’s safety centre, added: ‘Although I only knew Charlie for a few years within his immense career within the Royal Navy, I got to know him as a warm person who was a caring family man and a true gentleman to all whom had the privilege to work alongside him and now him through his many activities within the Royal Navy.’

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