Gerard Rupert Laurie Anderson (15 March 1889 – November 1914), universally known as "Twiggy", was a British hurdler who participated in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics and held the world record for the 440-yards hurdles.
[1] Twiggy Anderson was born in Twickenham, then a village and parish in Brentford district, Middlesex county in Greater London, England.
[6][7] On 16 July 1910 at the Crystal Palace, Anderson set the IAAF world record in the 440-yards hurdles with a time of 56.8 seconds.
He saw action with this unit in France and Belgium[2][7][9][10] On 7 November, Anderson was shot and mortally wounded in the heart, aged 25, at Hooge, near Ypres.
Anderson's unit successfully repelled a German attack and captured twenty-five enemy troops.