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Tumbledown The True Story | Cpt Robert Lawrence MC Scots Guards

Posted on 27 April 202227 April 2022 by Luke Pepper

Tumbledown the true story, features Captain Robert Lawrence of the Scots Guards, who lost 43% of his brain from a sniper’s bullet.

Tumbledown The True Story | Cpt Robert Lawrence MC Scots Guards

Captain Robert Lawrence MC, is a former British Army officer with the Scot’s Guards. Whilst fighting in the battle for Mount Tumbledown, Robert was severely wounded by a bullet going through his skull. The Argentine sniper then fired shots at a Scout Helicoptor which was evacuating the wounded. Awarded the Military Cross for bravery, he spent a year in a wheelchair, being almost completely paralyzed.

Robert had lost 43% of his brain. Doctors predicted he would never walk again, but to their amazement, he eventually regained most movement. Robert retains a slight limp and a paralyzed left arm. The story was adapted into a BBC television play, starring Colin Firth.

Transcript from ‘Tumbledown The True Story’ podcast

Robert – At the time in the battle, I ran out of ammunition. I’d already taken the decision to throw my mags and I took to picking up Argentinian F.N.’s.

The trouble with that is because you never know what’s in it when you bring it. Could be completely empty so I wasn’t going to throw away my S.L.R. I had the misfortune of stupidly thinking I could change the mag on an F.N. It looks so like an S.L.R. but it has a different magazine clip. When people are shooting at you, you don’t stop and start examining the weapon you’re holding. So that’s how I ended up with the two weapons. They translated that into some sort of ‘True-Grit’ firing with both hands, which was pretty much bollocks. Myself on a ridge with my arms in the air shouting, ‘Isn’t this fun?’, well that’s bollocks as well.