Brian Bond


Brian James Bond is a British military historian and professor emeritus of military history at King's College London.

Early life and education

The son of Edward Herbert Bond and his wife, Olive Bessie Sartin, Bond was born in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, where he attended Sir William Borlase's Grammar School from 1947–1954. He was raised in Buckinghamshire where his father was the gardener for the military historian Sir Basil Liddell Hart. Hart took a great interest in the boy and encouraged his academic interests. From 1952 to 1954, Bond served in the Royal Artillery, being commissioned a second lieutenant in the British Army. In 1959, he took an honours degree in history at Worcester College, Oxford and then went on to take his Master of Arts degree in war studies at King's College London in 1962. He married Madeleine Joyce Carr in 1962.

Academic career

Bond's first academic post in 1961 was as lecturer in history at the University of Exeter. In 1962 he moved to become lecturer in history at the University of Liverpool, where he remained for four years. In 1966, he became lecturer in war studies at King's College London. He was promoted to reader in war studies in 1978, professor of military history in 1986, and professor emeritus in 2001.
Bond served as visiting professor at the University of Western Ontario in 1972–73 and was visiting lecturer at the U.S. Naval War College in 1972–74. He was made a Fellow of King's College London in 1996 and served as Liddell Hart Lecturer. He was visiting fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1992–93 and, in 2000, was visiting fellow at All Souls College, Oxford and Lees Knowles Lecturer at Cambridge University.
Bond served as a member of council of the Society for Army Historical Research and as President of the British Commission for Military History.

Published works