Aviator, businessman.
Born at Grand Rapids in 1898, he was educated by his father, an English ex-Guardsman. He was a mechanic on flying boats in 1921-1922, and he hauled the first whitefish from Manitoba to market by air in 1932. Sometimes called “Mr. North,” he became Manitoba’s first flying trapper and the founder of Lamb Air. He received a Manitoba Golden Boy Award (1962) and an honorary law degree from the University of Manitoba (1968).
He and wife Jenny (?-?) had nine children, including Thomas Gregory “Greg” Lamb (1930-2023) and John Armstrong “Jack” Lamb.
He died in December 1969, while on vacation in Hawaii, and his cremains were scattered on Moose Lake. His “Reminiscences of Grand Rapids and The Pas, 1892-1967,” as well as his papers, are in the Archives of Manitoba. He is commemorated by the Tom Lamb Wildlife Management Area. He was inducted posthumously into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame (2009).
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Skippy L (Devon Park, The Pas)
“Manitoba’s pioneer bush pilot, Tom Lamb, dies,” Winnipeg Tribune, 29 December 1969.
“Service for Lamb Saturday,” Winnipeg Tribune, 31 December 1969.
Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, December 1999, 288 pages.
Obituary [Greg Lamb], Gilbart Funeral Home.
We thank Ralph McLean, Lindsey Bylo, and Rick Mutton for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 20 June 2025
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