Lucy Betteridge-Dyson is a military historian specialising in the First and Second World Wars, with particular expertise in animals in warfare, military logistics, and the British and imperial armies.
A Burma Star Memorial Fund scholar, she is currently completing a PhD at King’s College London examining how horses and mules shaped military operations and the development of the British and imperial armies between 1918 and 1945.
She regularly contributes to television and radio programmes and has appeared on the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and PBS.
Research Areas
Lucy’s research explores:
- Animals in twentieth-century warfare
- Military logistics and mobility
- The Burma Campaign
- Human-Animal relationships in war
Publications
Lucy is the author of Jungle Commandos: The Battle for Arakan, Burma 1945 (Osprey, 2025) which examines the role of 3 Commando Brigade in the final Allied offensive in Arakan, Burma. Drawing on previously unpublished first-hand accounts, the book explores the experiences of the Commandos and their Indian and West African allies in a series of combined operations to retake Arakan from the Japanese 28th Army.
The book reflects Lucy’s wider research on the Burma campaign and the role of imperial forces in the Second World War.
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Talks & Public Engagement
Lucy regularly gives public talks and lectures on military history, drawing on her research into the First and Second World Wars, the Burma campaign, and the role of animals in modern warfare.
- Animals in twentieth-century warfare
- Horses and mules in the First and Second World Wars
- Human-animal relationships in war
- The Burma campaign and the ‘Forgotten War’
- Commandos and imperial forces in the Burma Campaign
Media & Broadcast Work
Lucy regularly works with broadcasters, producers, and journalists to bring military history to wider audiences.
Her media work includes contributions to television and radio programmes on the First and Second World Wars.
Lucy Betteridge-Dyson 