For the Red Bee Hums the Silent Twilight’s Fall
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit (Provoke Me Not With Impunity)
End theme “Tumbledown”; cue The Corries, the Garten Mother’s Lullaby
Every once in a while you come across a person, who you have never met and never known. Yet the story is there, at first hinted at by the accidental discovery of an image, a page or two from the internet. Then you discover this story became a film, and though you have not seen it – it is now placed on that list of must-sees. The film is 1988’s Tumbledown the story of a Scots Guards Lieutenant during the 1982 campaign in the Falklands.
The Flickr image of Robert Lawrence shows a man with longish hair, moustache and beard, a fine coat, shirt and tie with a glove about his left hand. At first it seems he could be the lad in the band, and perhaps he is that too? Upon his chest the Military Cross.
During the engagement, for which that honour was granted, Lieutenant Lawrence was shot by a sniper and severely wounded. Penetrating the base of his skull and exiting at the hairline above his right eye, the speeding metal could have taken his life but in this instance, though the metal claimed much, it did not take the man. It created a new voice one that first found its way through his book, When the Fighting is Over: A Personal Story of the Battle for Tumbledown Mountain and its Aftermath.
Mr. Lawrence has recently become a spokesman again, especially during and since the 25th anniversary of the Falklands War. Though partially paralyzed and having lost 43% of his brain, he remains a leader whose commentary is candid and insightful with no holds barred. He is an advocate for the returned soldier, the wounded and injured, both physically and mentally. His charitable organization Global Adventure Plus takes British veterans on a path towards rehabilitation, leading them on expeditions through foreign lands, such as the Himalayas. His is a voice that needs to be heard, a voice that speaks of what he has done in battle and a voice that speaks to the battle when the fighting is over.
Some of you will be familiar with The Crags of Tumbledown composed and first played by Pipe Major James Riddell of 2 SG atop that site of hand-to-hand combat in 1982. Others may recall the film Tumbledown and the end theme of the Garten Mother’s Lullaby as performed by The Corries, “…for the red bee hums the silent twilight’s fall”. When Tumbledown first aired more than 10,000,000 people viewed the BBC production.
Thank you Mr. Lawrence…Captain Lawrence, a virtual hand-shake from many miles away, I fall silent in deep respect for all that you have done for your fellow veterans and all you will continue to do.
For your enjoyment: The Corries, “Garten Mother’s Lullaby”.
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