Lambert, R(ichard) S(tanton) (1894-?)

Broadcasting official and author who explored the field of parapsychology and published books and articles on the subject. He was born on August 25, 1894, at Kingston-on-Thames, England, and studied at Oxford University (M.A., 1921). He tutored at the University of Sheffield (1919-23), then at the University of London (1923-28). He was editor of the Listener, published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (1928-39), then moved to Canada where in 1943 he became supervisor of school broadcasts for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He won the Governor General of Canada Medal for Juvenile Literature in 1949. Lambert wrote over 30 books dealing with biography, children's adventure, travel, art, crime, radio, films, propaganda, and various school textbooks.

In the field of parapsychology he investigated poltergeist phenomena with Harry Price, with whom he was joint author of The Haunting of Cashen's Gap (1936). The publicity around this celebrated case nearly cost Lambert his career as editor of the Listener, when one of the governors of the BBC concluded that an interest in the supernatural was a reflection on Lambert's competence. Lambert challenged him by suing him for defamation. Lambert tells the story of this case in his biographical works Ariel and All His Quality (1940). Lambert's Exploring the Supernatural (1955) also deals with parapsychology.

(See also Cashen's Gap )

Sources:

Lambert, Richard Stanton. Areil and all His Quality. London: V. Gollancz Ltd., 1940.

——. Exploring the Supernatural. London: A. Barker, 1955.

Price, Harry, and R. S. Lambert. The Haunting of Cashen's Gap. N.p., 1936.

Pleasants, Helene, ed. Biographical Dictionary of Parapsychology. New York: Helix Press, 1964.