b. 1967 Street, near Plymouth, Devon.
DATE OF CGC ACTION: 11/2004 Fallujah, Iraq.
Matthew R Tomlinson CGC MC
Matthew Tomlinson was born and raised in Street, near Plymouth, Devon. He enlisted in the Royal Marines at the age of 22 in 1989, and would serve for 28 years, until retiring in 2017. During his time in the Royal Marines, he completed tours in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, the Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
During his time in the Royal Marines, he became one of the most decorated soldiers in their history, with the award of both the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross in Iraq in 2004, and the Military Cross in Afghanistan in 2010.
In 2004, he was attached to a United States Marine Corps team in northern Iraq. He had originally been to the US for an exchange programme but persuaded his counterparts to let him join them in Fallujah. He joined as a tactical adviser to Captain Dan Wittnam. In November, 2004, the team were raiding a weapons cache near the Euphrates River when they were ambushed. When interviewed about what happened that day, he was quoted as saying “I was talking to Capt Wittnam on the back of our craft and, for some reason, I looked down. There was green tracer coming right between the two of us at about chest height.”
The attackers used rifles, machine guns and grenades on CSgt Tomlinson’s team. He said: “We’d agreed that if we got attacked we would get straight in. I started for the front of the boat. I think we’d taken the attackers by surprise because the fire was going over our heads and to the sides. I jumped off and started running forwards. I knew the rest of my guys would be behind Capt Wittnam so didn’t even stop to look for them.”
Cpt Tomlinson, who came across a network of trenches full of attackers, said the ambush was ‘well-prepared’. “I’d been on the ground about 10 seconds when I reached the first of the insurgents,” he said. “I ran out and there he was. He had been firing but at that moment he was sort of frozen. If he’d had time to get over the shock, I think he would have either legged it or fired at me. I shot him several times before he had time to do the same to me.”
CSgt Tomlinson came across another trench with two men firing at him. He said: “I managed to shoot both of them, too. The enemy were knocked back and confused. In taking the fight to them, we’d caught them off hook. Sometimes the best thing to do is to do the total opposite of what the enemy expects.”
Despite killing many insurgents the team’s position became untenable as the numerically superior enemy regrouped.
CSgt Tomlinson said: “The weight of fire was increasing. At some point you have to turn and run for the boats. At the end there was just me kneeling down with the last man in our team. We needed to get out of there. Eventually, I convinced myself that everyone was accounted for, and we could leave. Just as we were leaving our forward air controller called in two Harriers and they dropped some ordnance, including two 500lb bombs.”
For this action he was awarded the CGC. Later, on a tour of Helmand Province in Afghanistan, in 2010, he as a member of 3 Commando Brigade, Warrant Officer Tomlinson braved grenades and gunfire to rescue an injured soldier and retrieve the body of another comrade killed in an explosion.
Matt Tomlinson left the Royal Marines in 2017, and became a paramedic assistant. He has a distinctive tattoo on his back depicting the silhouette of a bugler from the Royal Marines, the tattoo on his back includes the names of ten fallen Royal Marines and US Marines with whom he served and commanded in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
It also includes the name of Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, who was killed while commanding the Welsh Guards during an operation in Afghanistan in 2009, just after Tomlinson and his Royal Marines had left. He is often asked by interested parties to view the tattoo and discuss the men who are depicted.
Matthew returned to Street, where he was given the Freedomship in 2010, where he lives with his wife and three children.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: WITH RECIPIENT.
