Robert Lyman,

FRHistS The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

(born 13 June 1963) is a British military historian. He has published a number of popular books on the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Biography

Education

Lyman was educated at

Scotch College, Melbourne (For God, for Country, and for Learning) , established = , type = Independent, day and boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Presbyterian , slogan = , ...

and joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

at the age of 18. He was commissioned into the

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

from the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

in 1982 and left the army as a Major.

Career

Following his career in the British Army, Lyman has published over 16 books on the Second World War in Europe, North Africa and Asia. He is widely regarded to be authoritative on the war in the Far East, in particular the Burma Campaign. He regularly appears on TV and radio and reviews books for newspapers and magazines. His presentation of the case for Field Marshal Sir

William Slim William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

won a National Army Museum debate in 2011 for Britain's Greatest General and his case for Kohima/Imphal won a National Army Museum debate in 2012 for Britain's Greatest Battle. Lyman regularly gives lectures at organisations such as the National Army Museum, and he is also a battlefield guide. Lyman has been a trustee of the Kohima Educational Trust since 2004, and chairman between 2008 and 2016. He is a fellow of the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

Personal life

He lives in Shurlock Row in rural

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

, England with his wife Hannah and their children.

Published works

Other contributions

*Wrote a chapter in Professor Gary Sheffield's book ''The Challenges of High Command'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003). *Wrote the foreword to David Rooney's ''Stilwell, The Patriot''. *Contributed to General Sir Richard Dannatt's biography ''Leading from the Front''. *Contributed to Jeffrey Archer's second volume of the Clifton Chronicles, ''The Sins of the Father''.

Broadcasts

*Historian on ''

Who Do You Think You Are Who Do You Think You Are may refer to: Television series * ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (British TV series), a genealogy documentary with many adaptations: ** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' (American TV series) ** ''Who Do You Think You Are?'' ...

'' documentaries for

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

and

Nicky Campbell Nicholas Andrew Argyll Campbell, OBE (born Nicholas Lackey, 10 April 1961) is a Scottish broadcaster and journalist. He has worked in television and radio since 1981 and as a network presenter with BBC Radio since 1987. Early life Campbell wa ...

. *He was the historical consultant to the BBC for the VJ Day ceremonies in 2015 and 2020. *He contributed to the documentary series ''Narrow Escapes of WW2''.

External links

The Kohima Educational Trust

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyman, Robert 1963 births Living people People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne Alumni of the University of York Alumni of the University of Wales Alumni of Cranfield University Alumni of King's College London Alumni of the University of East Anglia British military historians