Bonny Lunch with Rob Lyman
Tuesday 8th September at 12.30 for 13:00 | Pall Mall | £75.00
The next Bonny Lunch open to all members of the Club and their guests features a talk by Rob Lyman MBE FRHistS, a former Light Infantry officer, and now author, broadcaster and battlefield guide. His presentation of the case for Field Marshal 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. Rob has published many well-received books on WW2 and Korea. He is particularly known for his definitive biographical books on Slim and his style of leadership.
“Uncle Bill” Slim is regarded one of Britain’s greatest military leaders: a great strategic thinker, a good delegator, a caring leader, and remaining resolute and calm in crises. Slim was a primary school teacher in the years before WW1. Commissioned into the Royal Warwicks in 1914, he was badly wounded twice and won the MC in WW1. He transferred to the Indian Army, 6 Gurkha Rifles, in 1919. When appointed to command the newly created 14th Army in late 1943, Slim held the substantive rank of Colonel with a war substantive rank of Major-General and the acting rank of Lieutenant-General.
Field Marshal The Right Honourable The Viscount Slim KG GCB GCMG GCVO GBE DSO MC PC
LCpl John Harman VC, Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment, who died on 9 Apr 1944 after storming two Japanese machine gun nests in the desperate defence of Kohima. This battle from 3 Apr to 22 Jun 1944 was the start of Slim turning “Defeat into Victory” (the title of his 1956 memoirs).