Robert Lyman
Robert Lyman, FRHistS is a British military historian. He has published a number of popular books on the Second World War.
Biography
Education
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. He has obtained five degrees, including a PhD, from as many universities.Career
Following his career in the British Army, Lyman has published over 14 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 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. He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.Lyman has been a trustee of the Kohima Educational Trust since 2004, and Chairman between 2008-2016.
Personal life
He lives in Shurlock Row in rural Berkshire, England with his wife Hannah and their children.Published works
| Book | Year | Published | Other |
| Slim, Master of War | 2004 | Constable & Robinson | |
| First Victory | 2006 | Constable & Robinson | |
| Iraq 1941 | 2006 | Osprey | |
| The Generals | 2008 | Constable & Robinson | |
| The Longest Siege: Tobruk, the Battle that Saved North Africa | 2009 | Macmillan | |
| Kohima, 1944 | 2010 | Osprey | |
| Japan's Last Bid for Victory | 2011 | Praetorian | |
| Bill Slim | 1994 | Osprey | |
| Operation Suicide | 2012 | Quercus | Translated into French |
| Into the Jaws of Death | 2013 | Quercus | |
| Jail Busters | 2014 | Quercus | |
| The Real X-Men | 2015 | Quercus | |
| Among the Headhunters | 2016 | De Capo | |
| The Rise of the Third Reich | 2018 | Amberley | |
| Under a Darkening Sky | 2018 | Pegasus |
Other contributions
- Wrote a chapter in Professor Gary Sheffield’s book The Challenges of High Command.
- 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 documentaries for Alan Cumming and Nicky Campbell.
- He was the historical consultant to the BBC for the VJ Day ceremonies in 2015.
- He contributed to the documentary series Narrow Escapes of WW2.