Karl John Fairfax Ley, GM is a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

soldier and a

bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous Explosive device, explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functi ...

expert. As a

staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...

in the

11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment RLC 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search Regiment RLC is a specialist regiment of the British Army's Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) responsible for counter terrorist Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), the safe recovery or disposal of conventional ...

, he was awarded the

George Medal The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...

for

duties in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, where he defused more roadside IEDs than anyone else during his six-month tour of duty.

Personal life

Born in Sheffield Ley is married and has three children. As a child, Ley attended the Ecclesfield School."Bomb expert hailed a hero"
Sheffield Telegraph, 4 March 2010

Career

Ley joined the British Army as an Ammunition Technician in the Royal Logistic Corps.

Afghanistan

Ley was sent on active service with the British Army in 2010 as part of the task force engaged on Operation Herrick. During this period, Ley was a

engaged in

Operation Moshtarak Operation Moshtarak (Dari for ''Together'' or ''Joint''), also known as the Battle of Marjah, was an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) pacification offensive in the town of Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It involved a combi ...

as part of the 15,000 troops involved in the operation. He was posted to the Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) Task Force, responsible for providing IEDD operations to the task force. During the operation, Ley was interviewed and commented that, "We were on MOSHTARAK before MOSHTARAK started. We had to make sure that the routes were clear of devices so that the infantry guys could pass through safely." Ley recovered 139 devices during his tour in Helmand Province. This was "twice as many as any other bomb disposal expert." Ley was classified as a "high threat operator", once having to deactivate 42 bombs in a single village. Upon his return from his tour of duty, Ley was awarded the

on 24 September 2010 for "conspicuous gallantry whilst serving". The medal was presented by

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

on 17 December 2010.Sheffield bomb expert Karl Ley receives George Medal – BBC News, 17 December 2010
/ref> He also, along with his unit, received service medals from Tim Stevenson, the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ley, Karl Living people Recipients of the George Medal Bomb disposal personnel British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) People from Ecclesfield Royal Logistic Corps soldiers Year of birth missing (living people) Military personnel from Sheffield