The Kohima Educational Trust is delighted to present this webinar event with Dr Robert Lyman and guest speaker Bishop Nigel Stock.
The 2nd Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry was part of the 'Forgotten Army’ who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in India and Burma. The 2nd Battalion was the only Durham battalion who fought in the Burma Campaign and they took part in the savage battle at Kohima in 1944. Their heroic efforts helped ensure that the Japanese invasion of India was halted.
Bishop Nigel Stock is a trustee of the KET. He is a British Church of England bishop. Ordained in 1976 he served in the Diocese of Durham then spent five years with the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea before returning to serve in two parishes in the Diocese of Newcastle.
After a time as a residentiary Canon of Durham Cathedral he became suffragan bishop of Stockport and then diocesan bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. From 2013 until his 2017 retirement, he was Bishop at Lambeth, Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands.
Bishop Nigel’s uncle was Major Roger Stock of the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry who was killed aged 25 on 23rd April 1944 in action at Garrison Hill during the battle for Kohima.
He has meticulously researched the part that the battalion played at Kohima and will tell us about individual stories of heroism as well as the fascinating detail his research has uncovered.
Speakers:
Dr Robert Lyman - 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
Bishop Nigel Stock - Bishop Nigel is a British Church of England bishop.
Ordained in 1976 he served in the Diocese of Durham then spent five years with the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea before returning to serve in two parishes in the Diocese of Newcastle.
After a time as a residentiary Canon of Durham Cathedral he became suffragan bishop of Stockport and then diocesan bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.
From 2013 until his 2017 retirement, he was Bishop at Lambeth, Bishop to the Forces and Bishop for the Falkland Islands. Bishop Nigel’s uncle was Major Roger Stock of the 2nd Battalion Durham Light Infantry who was killed aged 25 on 23rd April 1944 in action at Garrison Hill during the battle for Kohima.
Sylvia May - CEO 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 Queens 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.