Robert Lanman Mitchell M.L.M.

Due to the power of the internet I have at last found a relative of Allan John Lanman, it is his nephew and he saw his uncle once, when he was 6 years old in 1926!  He had changed his name by Deed Poll for the reasons that you will read in the following narrative.  He mentioned to his son, who now lives in Norway, about the reason for the change of name and as they were going to the library his son put in the name Lanman and up came my web site.  I went to his house in Kent to chat to him and this is his story.  I think you will agree with me that he was as much a pioneer in aviation, and allied subjects that his career paralleled his uncle's.

Robert Lanman Mitchell

Member of the Order of the Legion of Merit (M.L.M.)

Robert Lanman Mitchell M.L.M.

Robert Lanman Mitchell M.L.M. with the Rhodesian Medals.

Born in Middlesex on 21st August 1920, he was the son of Mr. Albert Henry Lewis LANMAN of Quala Lumpur and of Mrs. Ethel Florence (Heather) LANMAN, nee MITCHELL.  An Uncle was Allan John LANMAN M.B.E. A.F.C. who was Regimental number 13 in the Royal Flying Corps.  He received the Royal Aero Club Aeronaut Certificate number 23 and the Royal Aero Club Airship Certificate number 9.

His Great Uncle and Godfather was Major Robert MITCHELL C.B.E. J.P. K.St.J. Also of the Royal Flying Corps.  He was responsible for the establishment of the Regent Street Polytechnic and its myriad offshoots under Lord Hailsham.  Another uncle, George MITCHELL F.R.I.B.A. achieved great fame as the author of the standard work "Building Construction".

Educated at the Quintin School, he read for his B.Sc. (Eng) at University College, London and served as a pupil with a small consultant and finally with Sir Robert McAlpine.  In 1942 he was commissioned into the Airfield Construction Branch of the Royal Air Force.  A little later was given special training at the Road Research Laboratory, where he compiled the standard manual "Soils, Concrete, Bituminous Materials" (H.M.S.O.) before serving on the construction of Advanced Landing Grounds.  Taking part in the Normandy invasion, he was invalided home and recuperated whilst serving as a staff Flight Lieutenant at the Air Ministry.

In 1946 he was released at the request of the Southern Rhodesia Government to research and apply the new construction techniques on the construction of many new airports (including the pavements for Salisbury Airport, which, when constructed had the World's longest civil runway of more than 5 Km.) and of some 10,000 Km of 2 lane motor roads.

Having seen his father (who had died in the notorious Changi concentration camp, his father having worked for the Malay Government on the railways) only on his very occasional leaves, he had been brought up in the Mitchell family, and, as few could "understand" the name Lanman, he had reversed the order of his surname by Deed Poll.

In 1953 he was awarded a U.N. Fellowship, and spent nearly half a year studying at Federal and numerous state highway laboratories, and visiting the Royal Canadian Air Force at the request of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force.  As his responsibilities developed he was advanced to Assistant Commissioner in the Ministry of Roads and Road Traffic, as director of research and training, and read for a B.A. in Economics to further his work.  He published almost a hundred papers, mostly on pavement design and transport, presenting many, not only in Eastern, Southern, and South Western region, but also in Britain, Norway, Sweden and the USA, and was awarded one of the first M.L.M. decorations, which had replaced the British M.B.E & O.B.E.  The Officer of the Order replaced the C.B.E. & K.C.B. after Rhodesian Independence, this for his contribution to Engineering.  In 1975 he took an early retirement to accept an appointment to the newly established Faculty of Engineering at the University of Rhodesia, receiving the first M. Phil in the faculty for a thesis on the Economics of Pavement Design, becoming the first Reader, he became advisor to the Rhodesia, and later the Zimbabwe Governments on urban transport, and on professional qualifications.  He again resigned in 1982 to return to Britain with his family.  He then spent half a year in Bandung, Indonesia, as transport economist to University College London, and a further 6 months, this time to Bangladesh to advise on transport funding, leading a multi-disciplinary team.  Both these were on United Nations Development Programme funding.

During his career he married Elly, formerly of the Netherlands Indies, this in 1966, and has a surviving son and daughter.

He served on many professional committees, and became President of the Rhodesian Institution of Engineers, and Vice President for Africa of the International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, being later honoured with appointment as Hon. Fellow of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers.

Whilst at school he was an oarsman, which precluded other sports, but he designed, built and crashed a hang glider.  This was followed by a Flying Flea, which he sold on completion.  However in 1950 he resurrected the Salisbury Gliding Club, and formed the Central Africa Soaring Association.  A pioneer glider pilot in Central Africa, he became, at 45 the impossible - an OLD and BOLD pilot, so he sold his aircraft and took up yachting in a 5 Metre sloop, a sport he was later able to enjoy with his family.  However, before leaving Zimbabwe he did publish a final text book "An Introduction to Engineering Economics" (John Wiley) which he managed to write in such spare time he had whilst serving at night over 20 years in the Special Reserve of the British South Africa Police.

His medals and awards are as follows:

  1. Member of the Order of the Legion of Merit.
  2. Long Service and Good Conduct Medal.  (This was for 20 years in the British South Africa Police Special Reserve)
  3. General Service Medal
  4. Zimbabwe Independence Medal
  5. France and Germany Star
  6. Defence Medal
  7. War Medal

Also a decoration worn on formal occasions was his "Medal" for being a Past President of the Professional Bodies, in Robert's case as President of the Rhodesian Institution of Engineers.