On 28 August 1914, the Harwich Force, supported by light cruisers and battlecruisers of the Grand Fleet, carried out a raid towards Heligoland with the intention of destroying patrolling German torpedo boats. "Lawford" formed part of the 3nd Division of the Third Flotilla during this operation. "Lawford" launched a torpedo against the German light cruiser , but it missed. She fired 238 lyddite and 52 common shells out of a total allocation of 360 rounds In total, three German light cruisers (, and ) and one destroyer () was sunk at the cost of damage to the British cruiser and three destroyers. On 2 November "Lawford" accompanied the light cruiser and the destroyers and on a search for German submarines on the Broad Fourteens. "Lawford" was forced to return to Harwich during the day owing to Condenser leaks. On 16 December 1914, German cruisers shelled the coastal towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool, West Hartlepool and Whitby. The British were warned of the German attack by the codebreakers of Room 40, and deployed ships from the Grand Fleet and from the Harwich Force (including "Lawford") to counter the Germans. While there was a brief clash between destroyers supporting the Grand Fleet detachment and the Germans, the Harwich Force was not engaged.