Robert Lawrence (British Army officer)
Encyclopedia
Robert Alasdair Davidson Lawrence MC
(born 3 July 1960) is a former British Army
officer who fought and was severely wounded in the Falklands War
. His account of his experiences during and after the war was later adapted into the controversial television play
Tumbledown
, and his book co-written with his father, John Lawrence, When the Fighting Is Over: A Personal Story of the Battle for Tumbledown Mountain and Its Aftermath
. Lawrence was educated at Rose Hill School, Alderley
and then Fettes College
, but left at the age of 16, some accounts state that he was expelled. He decided to join the army, largely to placate his father. After attending Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
he was commissioned into the Scots Guards
as a second lieutenant
with a short service commission on 4 August 1979. He was promoted to lieutenant
on 4 August 1981.
.
Lawrence wrote about his experience in the Scots Guards at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown
and the injury he sustained at the hands of an Argentine
sniper. A 7.62x51 mm round passed through the rear of his skull, emerging at his hairline above his right eye. He lay on the thin cover of snow on the exposed mountaintop for six hours. Airlifted off Tumbledown, Lawrence was left outside a makeshift operating theatre
without painkillers. Two days from his 22nd birthday, he assumed he was the last to be operated on because he was the least likely to survive (triage
).
on 11 October 1982. He was discharged from the army on 14 November 1983.
His story was adapted into the BBC television
play Tumbledown
by Charles Wood, starring Colin Firth
as Lawrence, which was viewed by more than 10 million people on its first showing.
Lawrence married and emigrated to Australia
where he worked in the film industry. He subsequently divorced, returned to England and re-married. He was interviewed by several British newspapers on the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. He has since established and now runs Global Adventure Plus, a project to help rehabilitate British ex-servicemen through expeditions to foreign countries.
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(born 3 July 1960) is a former British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer who fought and was severely wounded in the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
. His account of his experiences during and after the war was later adapted into the controversial television play
Television play
From the 1950s until the early 1980s, the television play was a popular television programming genre in the United Kingdom, with a shorter span in the United States. The genre was often associated with the social realist-influenced British drama style known as "kitchen sink realism", which depicted...
Tumbledown
Tumbledown
Tumbledown is a 1988 BBC Television drama film set during the Falklands War.-Synopsis:The film centres on the experiences of Robert Lawrence MC , an officer of the Scots Guards during the Falklands Campaign of 1982. While fighting at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown, Lawrence is shot in the head by...
, and his book co-written with his father, John Lawrence, When the Fighting Is Over: A Personal Story of the Battle for Tumbledown Mountain and Its Aftermath
Early life and career
Lawrence was born on 3 July 1960, his father had served in the Royal Air ForceRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. Lawrence was educated at Rose Hill School, Alderley
Rose Hill School (Alderley)
Rose Hill School, Alderley was a co-educational, boarding and day, Pre-preparatory and Preparatory School for children aged 2-14 years old. It was situated in Cotswold countryside in the village of Alderley, near to Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, England. Its motto, 'conando floreamus',...
and then Fettes College
Fettes College
Fettes College is an independent school for boarding and day pupils in Edinburgh, Scotland with over two thirds of its pupils in residence on campus...
, but left at the age of 16, some accounts state that he was expelled. He decided to join the army, largely to placate his father. After attending Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
he was commissioned into the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
with a short service commission on 4 August 1979. He was promoted to lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
on 4 August 1981.
Falklands
Second Battalion, Scots Guards were part of the second wave of British land forces committed to the Falklands WarFalklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
.
Lawrence wrote about his experience in the Scots Guards at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown
Battle of Mount Tumbledown
The Battle of Mount Tumbledown was an engagement in the Falklands War, one of a series of battles that took place during the British advance towards Stanley.-Overview:...
and the injury he sustained at the hands of an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
sniper. A 7.62x51 mm round passed through the rear of his skull, emerging at his hairline above his right eye. He lay on the thin cover of snow on the exposed mountaintop for six hours. Airlifted off Tumbledown, Lawrence was left outside a makeshift operating theatre
Operating theatre
An operating theater was a non-sterile, tiered theater or amphitheater in which students and other spectators could watch surgeons perform surgery...
without painkillers. Two days from his 22nd birthday, he assumed he was the last to be operated on because he was the least likely to survive (triage
Triage
Triage or ) is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. The term comes from the French verb trier, meaning to separate,...
).
Aftermath
Lawrence lost 43% of his brain and was paralysed down one side of his body. He was awarded the Military CrossMilitary Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
on 11 October 1982. He was discharged from the army on 14 November 1983.
His story was adapted into the BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
play Tumbledown
Tumbledown
Tumbledown is a 1988 BBC Television drama film set during the Falklands War.-Synopsis:The film centres on the experiences of Robert Lawrence MC , an officer of the Scots Guards during the Falklands Campaign of 1982. While fighting at the Battle of Mount Tumbledown, Lawrence is shot in the head by...
by Charles Wood, starring Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
as Lawrence, which was viewed by more than 10 million people on its first showing.
Lawrence married and emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
where he worked in the film industry. He subsequently divorced, returned to England and re-married. He was interviewed by several British newspapers on the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. He has since established and now runs Global Adventure Plus, a project to help rehabilitate British ex-servicemen through expeditions to foreign countries.