Wayne Edwards (British Army soldier)

Wayne Edwards
Nickname(s)Eddie
Born1966
Cefn Mawr, Wales
Died13 January 1993 (aged 26)[1]
Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, Bosnia
Buried
Rhosymedre, Wales
AllegianceUnited Kingdom United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
United Nations Protection Force
Years of service1984–93
RankLance corporal
UnitRoyal Welch Fusiliers
1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (attached)
Battles / warsThe Troubles (Operation Banner)
Bosnian War (Operation Grapple)

Lance Corporal Wayne John Edwards (1966 – 13 January 1993) was a British soldier who served in the Royal Welch Fusiliers. He was the first British serviceman to be killed in Bosnia-Herzegovina.[2][3] At the time of his death he was attached to the Cheshire Regiment as part of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) during Operation Grapple 1.[4] The following day Malcolm Rifkind, the defence secretary, announced that a Royal Navy task force would be sent to the Adriatic and that any future attacks on British troops could lead to the immediate deployment of artillery and strike aircraft to counter them.[5] This was the first carrier task force to leave British shores on a military operation since the Falklands War 11 years earlier.[6]

  1. ^ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
  2. ^ Penman, Danny (29 May 1995). "Community Praying for a Safe Homecoming". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014 – via HighBeam.
  3. ^ "Operations in the Balkans: British Fatalities". Ministry of Defence. 10 June 2006. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Sniper 'not told to shoot UK soldier in Bosnia': First British soldier was unlawfully killed". The Independent. London. 16 June 1993. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. ^ "UK signals readiness to defend troops". The Times. London. 15 January 1993.
  6. ^ "Comment: Bosnia". The Times. London. 17 January 1993.