Robert Lyman
British military historian (born 1963)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert Murray Lyman MBE FRHistS (born 13 June 1963) is a British military historian. He has published a number of popular books on the Second World War.[1][2]
Robert Lyman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 January 1963 New Zealand |
| Occupation | Military historian |
| Language | English |
| Education | Scotch College Melbourne, University of York (BA), King's College London (MA), University of Wales (MA), Cranfield University (BA), University of East Anglia (PhD) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |
| Subject | Modern history |
| Website | |
| www | |
Biography
Education
Born in New Zealand,[3] Lyman was educated at Scotch College, Melbourne and joined the British Army at the age of 18. He was commissioned into the Light Infantry from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1982 and left the army as a Major.[4]
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 regularly appears on TV and radio and reviews books for newspapers and magazines.[5] His presentation of the case for Field Marshal Sir William Slim 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.[6][7] Lyman regularly gives lectures at organisations such as the National Army Museum, and he is also a battlefield guide.[8][9]
Lyman has been a trustee of the Kohima Educational Trust since 2004, and chairman between 2008 and 2016.[10]
He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Lyman was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to military history and charity work in Nagaland.[11]
Published works
| Book | Year | Published | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slim, Master of War | 2004 | Constable & Robinson | ISBN 9781845292263[12] |
| First Victory | 2006 | Constable & Robinson | ISBN 9781845291082[13] |
| Iraq 1941 | 2006 | Osprey | ISBN 9781841769912[14] |
| The Generals | 2008 | Constable & Robinson | ISBN 9781845294915[15] |
| The Longest Siege: Tobruk, the Battle that Saved North Africa | 2009 | Macmillan | ISBN 9780230710245[16] |
| Kohima, 1944 | 2010 | Osprey | ISBN 9781846039393[17] |
| Japan's Last Bid for Victory | 2011 | Praetorian | ISBN 9781848845428[18] |
| Bill Slim | 1994 | Osprey | ISBN 9781849085281[19] |
| Operation Suicide | 2012 | Quercus | ISBN 9780857382405 [20] Translated into French |
| Into the Jaws of Death | 2013 | Quercus | ISBN 9781471239809[21] |
| Jail Busters | 2014 | Quercus | ISBN 9781471275029[22] |
| The Real X-Men | 2015 | Quercus | ISBN 9781784294748[23] |
| Among the Headhunters | 2016 | Da Capo | ISBN 9780306824678[24] |
| The Rise of the Third Reich | 2018 | Amberley | ISBN 9781445687261[25] |
| Under a Darkening Sky | 2018 | Pegasus | ISBN 9781681777368[26] |
| A War of Empires | 2021 | Osprey | ISBN 1472847148[27] |
| Operation Jericho | 2022 | Osprey | ISBN 1472852060[28] |
| Victory to Defeat | 2023 | Osprey | ISBN 1472860861[29] |
| Korea: War Without End | 2025 | Osprey | [30] |
Other contributions
- Wrote a chapter in Professor Gary Sheffield's book The Challenges of High Command (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003).[31]
- Wrote the foreword to David Rooney's Stilwell, The Patriot.[32]
- Contributed to General Sir Richard Dannatt's biography Leading from the Front.[33]
- Contributed to Jeffrey Archer's second volume of the Clifton Chronicles, The Sins of the Father.[34]
Broadcasts
- Historian on Who Do You Think You Are documentaries for Alan Cumming and Nicky Campbell.[35]
- He was the historical consultant to the BBC for the VJ Day ceremonies in 2015 and 2020.[36]
- He contributed to the documentary series Narrow Escapes of WW2.[37]
- In October 2024 he was interviewed by Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster on Triggernometry podcast, with regards to the Pacific in World War 2.[38]