JOHN LAWRENCE AND ROBERT LAWRENCE MC WITH CAROL PRICE - When the Fighting is Over. A Personal Story of the Battle for Tumbledown Mountain and Its Aftermath

London England, Bloomsbury, 1988. First Edition, Binding: Cloth, Fine/Very Good/fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall 0747501742 Hardback Liutenant Robert Lawrence of the Scots Guard led his platoon in a brave attack on an Argentinian machine-gun position during the battle for Tumbledown Mountain, one of the last and fiercest encounters of the 1982 Falklands conflict. As they approached an area of prominent rocky crags, Lawrence and his men were caught in machine-gun fire, but pressed on with the attack until Lawrence was close enough to lob a grenade into the enemy position. Moving beyond, to an area riddled with snipers, Lawrence came under gunfire from three different directions and, along with many of his platoom, was severly wounded. The injury to his head was so terrible that it was assumed he would die. In fact, Robert Lawrence made an incredible recovery, coming to terms with the paralysis that was his wound's legacy with a courage that in many ways was equalled the courage that had led him so fearlessly into battle. This is his story. It is also the story of Wing Commander John Lawrence and his wife Jean, Roberts parents - the unbearable mixture of pride and fear they felt when they saw their son off to war; the anguish of not knowing how badly he had been injured, or whether he had survived at all; and the long months of heartache together with sheer hard work as Robert struggled to rebuild his life. The authors' forthright account of the true strengths and weaknesses of the two armies in the war deviates markedly from the generally accepted view of a tinpot army massively defeated by far superior British forces. The picture painted by the Lawrences, showing just how close run the victory was, is bound to provoke controversy. Indeed, many aspects of Britain's Armed Forces that are often suppressed elsewhere are dealt with boldly in this book. Told by Robert and his father John, this book is a proud and moving testimony to the men who liberated the Falklands and to their families who lived through the war and its aftermath. Illustrated.