Robert Murray Lyman (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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Biography

Education

Lyman was educated at

Scotch College, Melbourne Scotch College is a private, Presbyterian day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The college was established in 1851 as The Melbourne Academy in a house in Spri ...

and joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

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 academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

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 regularly appears on TV and radio and reviews books for newspapers and magazines. His presentation of the case for Field Marshal Sir

William Slim Field Marshal William Joseph Slim, 1st Viscount Slim (6 August 1891 – 14 December 1970), usually known as Bill Slim, was a British military commander and the 13th Governor-General of Australia. Slim saw active service in both the First and ...

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 (RHS), 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 H ...

. Lyman was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2024 New Year Honours The 2024 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Hono ...

for services to military history and charity work in Nagaland.

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 Scottish actor, writer and presenter. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. He re ...

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''. *In October 2024 he was interviewed by Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster on Triggernometry podcast, with regards to the Pacific in World War 2.

References

External links

The Kohima Educational Trust
{{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 Members of the Order of the British Empire The Light Infantry officers Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 20th-century British Army personnel