Lucy Lewis - A Memoir
Lisvane Old School Community Centre, Cardiff, CF14 0SX
Friday 5th June 2026
Lucy Lewis joined the British Army on a whim and went on to make history. After training at Sandhurst, she was selected in 1989 as the first woman to serve as an operational Bomb Disposal Officer with the Royal Engineers. Her groundbreaking military career continued with service in Germany and Northern Ireland with the Royal Military Police, before she retired with the rank of Major to begin a new chapter as a parent.
In 2018, Lucy became the first woman to be appointed University Marshal at the University of Cambridge, a role dating from 1620. As Marshal, she leads one of the oldest constabularies in the world, combining centuries-old tradition with modern leadership.
Lucy’s bestselling memoir, Lighting the Fuse (Orion, 2021; paperback 20 22), offers a vivid, candid account of life in high-risk, male-dominated environments. By turns humorous, reflective and gripping, it charts her experiences from climbing volcanoes in Ecuador to searching for Second World War mines, battling seasickness aboard a brigantine off Brazil, navigating the rituals of the Officers’ Mess, and facing the pressure of her first emergency call-out as the Duty Bomb Disposal Officer. Her writing explores courage, resilience and what it truly means to lead under pressure.
Watch Lucy Lewis on You Tube: www.alumni.cam.ac.uk
In 2018, Lucy became the first woman to be appointed University Marshal at the University of Cambridge, a role dating from 1620. As Marshal, she leads one of the oldest constabularies in the world, combining centuries-old tradition with modern leadership.
Lucy’s bestselling memoir, Lighting the Fuse (Orion, 2021; paperback 20 22), offers a vivid, candid account of life in high-risk, male-dominated environments. By turns humorous, reflective and gripping, it charts her experiences from climbing volcanoes in Ecuador to searching for Second World War mines, battling seasickness aboard a brigantine off Brazil, navigating the rituals of the Officers’ Mess, and facing the pressure of her first emergency call-out as the Duty Bomb Disposal Officer. Her writing explores courage, resilience and what it truly means to lead under pressure.
Watch Lucy Lewis on You Tube: www.alumni.cam.ac.uk
