Charles Oman

Sir Charles William Chadwick Oman was born in India during January 1860. He was destined to become one of Britain’s most noted historians, his many fine and highly respected works including A History of the Art of War in the Middle Ages, History of the Peninsular War, The Great Revolt of 1381, England Before the Norman Conquest and Studies in the Napoleonic Wars. Oman was elected to the Chichele chair of modern history at Oxford in 1905, and during the 1914-18 war his military knowledge was used by the Press Bureau and the Foreign Office. His work was recognised by a knighthood in 1920. From 1919 to 1935 Sir Charles sat in the House of Commons as burgess for the University of Oxford. He was elected FBA in 1905, served as president of the Royal Historical and Numismatic societies and of the Royal Archaeological Institute. He became an honorary fellow of New College in 1936 and received honorary degrees of DCL (Oxford, 1926) and LL.D (Edinburgh, 1911 and Cambridge, 1927). He died in Oxford during June 1946.-Print ed.