The Kohima Educational Trust is delighted to announce our next webinar with Dr Robert Lyman MBE who will introduce our guest speaker, historian and author Dr Andrew Kilsby.
The air war over Burma and in the wider theatre over Indo-China, the former Netherlands East Indies, the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, Singapore and Malaya, Thailand, China and India saw hundreds of fatal casualties among Allied airmen between December 1941 and 1945. The air war was fought against a relentless enemy, unforgiving terrain including mountains and jungles, an oppressive tropical climate and monsoonal weather.
Air crew who were forced to land away from their bases due to mechanical failure, enemy action or misadventure faced very uncertain outcomes. Many were killed or died of wounds in unforgiving crash landings or accidents, some were never heard of again or were never recovered, including those lost at sea, some were murdered by anti-British Burmese, others taken prisoner by the brutal Japanese, or died in attempts to return to friendly lines. Yet among those aircrew forced down for whatever reason, there were also some amazing escapes from death.
In this webinar, Robert Lyman will discuss with Australian historian Andrew Kilsby some of the stories of downed airmen that he came across during the research for his recently published book (with Daryl Moran) Resolute; The Australian Air War in Burma 1942-1945.
To register and book your free place for this online event on Thursday 23rd October at 8pm, please click the button below:
Speakers:
Dr Robert Lyman MBE - Military Historian, Author and Trustee of KET Born in New Zealand in January 1963 and educated in Australia, Robert Lyman was, for twenty years, an officer in the British Army. Educated at Scotch College, Melbourne he was commissioned into the Light Infantry from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in April 1982. In addition to a business career he is an author and military historian, publishing books in particular on the war in the Far East. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Robert is married to Hannah, has two sons, and lives in Berkshire. For information about Robert's publications please visit his website: robertlyman.com
Dr Andrew Kilsby is an Australian professional historian with a focus on military, business and biographical history, and holds a PhD in history from UNSW. A graduate of RMC Duntroon, Andrew completed 20 years of military and diplomatic service in Australia and South East Asia before moving into the corporate sector.
He was a co-founder of Military History and Heritage Victoria Inc. and is a member of the Victorian Military Society (UK). Among a number of histories, his most recent military titles include In the Fight: Australians and the War in Burma 1942-1945 (as editor and contributor, with Daryl Moran - 2024) and Resolute: The Australian Air War in Burma 1942-1945 (with Daryl Moran) which went on sale 1 October 2025. Andrew’s current project is A Remarkable Gamble: The Biography of Lieutenant-Colonel W.F.M. Gamble MC OBE incorporating Gamble's wartime manuscript from Burma, 'Jungle Venture', expected to be published in the UK in mid-2026.
Sylvia May - Managing Trustee of The Kohima Educational Trust Sylvia May was born in New Jersey, USA in 1957. Her parents moved to England in 1963. Educated at High Wycombe School for Girls, she decided to pursue a career in the world of books. Sylvia worked for HarperCollins for 37 years, the last eleven of which she headed up their UK-based International Sales team. Sylvia May is the daughter of the late Gordon Graham, Founder and President of the Kohima Educational Trust. She is proud that her father has inspired many people to share his vision to commemorate those who fought and died in Kohima, and the wonderful Naga people who have done so much for the British in the past. She first visited India in 1994 with her husband Robert, and has returned on numerous occasions, staying in Kohima several times. In 2000, they followed the WWII route of the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders, her father’s regiment. The regiment’s first main engagement in this theatre of war was at Zubza shortly before the Battle of Kohima.
