Wayne Edwards (soldier)
| Wayne Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Eddie |
| Born | c.1966 Cefn Mawr, Wales |
| Died | 13 January 1993 Gornji Vakuf-Uskoplje, Bosnia |
| Buried | Rhosymedre, Wales |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army United Nations Protection Force
|
| Years of service | 1984–93 |
| Rank | Lance corporal |
| Unit |
Royal Welch Fusiliers 1st Battalion, Cheshire Regiment (attached) |
| Battles/wars |
The Troubles (Operation Banner) Bosnian War (Operation Grapple) |
 "Bridge named after first British soldier killed in Balkans conflict" (4 October 2011) on YouTube. British Forces News coverage of the renaming ceremony. BFBS British Forces News Official channel. (Flash Video.) |
Lance Corporal Wayne John Edwards (c1966 – 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. 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. 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. This was the first carrier task force to leave British shores on a military operation since the Falklands War 11 years earlier.
Edwards was born in Cefn Mawr, near Wrexham, Wales, the son of Barbara and John Edwards. His father was a former British soldier who had served in the Welsh Guards. Edwards joined the Army Cadet Force, a youth organisation with connections to the British Army, aged 13. His stepfather, John Manley, said that Edwards was a popular figure locally, "who used to go out of his way to help others. He would be walking along the lane here and see one of the neighbours struggling to lift something, and he would just jump over the hedge and lift it for them. He was that type of lad. Everybody was his friend in the village. Everybody knew 'Eddie' Edwards." At the age of 11, Edwards had acquired an old motorcycle and developed a passion for mechanics. After leaving school at 16 he became a trainee mechanic for a local garage, where he stayed until he was 18 when he joined the Royal Welch Fusiliers.
Edwards was promoted to Lance corporal in 1992. After serving two tours of duty with the Army in Northern Ireland, where he had seen one friend killed and another wounded, Edwards deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina in November 1992, based in Vitez as the driver of a FV510 Warrior infantry fighting vehicle. The attachment arose when the Cheshires asked for volunteers from other regiments within their division, the Prince of Wales', to train as drivers. His stepfather said "He took his army career very seriously. He was so proud to wear that uniform." When told he would be deploying with UNPROFOR "he was apprehensive, but looking forward to it. He said: 'It's my job and I've got to do it, so let's get on with it.' That was him, you know?"
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