{{Short description|British Army soldier}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox military person |name=Lisa Jade Head |image=Lisa Head.jpg |birth_date={{birth date|1981|11|30|df=yes}} |death_date= {{death date and age|2011|04|19|1981|11|30|df=yes}} |birth_place=Huddersfield, England |death_place=Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham |nickname= |allegiance= {{UK}} |service_years= 2006–2011 |rank= Captain |branch= {{Army|United Kingdom}} |commands= |unit= 11 Explosive Ordnance Disposal Regiment RLC |battles= |awards= |other_work= }} Captain '''Lisa Jade Head''' (30 November 1981 – 19 April 2011)<ref name="MOD">[http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/CaptainLisaJadeHeadDiesOfWoundsSustainedInAfghanistan.htm Captain Lisa Jade Head dies of wounds sustained in Afghanistan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101081532/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/MilitaryOperations/CaptainLisaJadeHeadDiesOfWoundsSustainedInAfghanistan.htm |date=1 November 2012 }}, ''MOD'', published 21 April 2011, retrieved 21 April 2011</ref> was a British Army officer. She was the first female bomb disposal officer to be killed on operations.<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/04/21/courage-of-woman-bomb-disposal-expert-killed-defusing-taliban-explosive-115875-23075836/ Courage of woman bomb disposal expert killed defusing Taliban explosive], ''The Mirror'', published 21 April 2011, retrieved 23 April 2011.</ref> She died on 19 April 2011 at the age of 29, having sustained serious injuries on active service in Afghanistan. At the time of her death, Head was the first female officer and the second British servicewoman to die in Afghanistan since 2001, after Sarah Bryant, and the 364th member of the British armed forces in total.<ref name="BBC">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13153527 Tributes paid to bomb disposal expert Capt Lisa Head], ''BBC'', published 21 April 2011, retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>
==Life== Born in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Head attended Greenhead College and studied human biology at the University of Huddersfield, her military training began whilst at University where she was part of the Leeds University Officers' Training Corps, before attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.<ref name="huddersfield-examiner" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rayment |first=Sean |date=23 April 2011 |title=Bomb disposal officer who lived life to the full |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8469871/Bomb-disposal-officer-who-lived-life-to-the-full.html |website=The Telegraph}}</ref>
She served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an air transport liaison officer with the Royal Logistic Corps before being transferred to 321 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Squadron, 11 Explosive Ordnance Department, Royal Logistic Corps, with whom she served in Northern Ireland. She was deployed to Afghanistan on 27 March 2011. She was a bomb disposal specialist and had achieved the "High Threat IED Operators" status indicating great expertise.<ref name="BBC" /><ref>[http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/tributes-to-female-army-bomb-expert-15145134.html Tribute to female army bomb expert], ''Belfast Telegraph'', published 21 April 2011, retrieved 21 April 2011.</ref>
==Death== She was mortally injured in Nahr-e-Saraj in Helmand Province on 18 April 2011, 22 days after arriving in Afghanistan for the second time, while attempting to disable a cluster of improvised explosive devices, which defence sources said had been placed to catch out a bomb disposal expert. She disabled one device, but was hit when a second device in the chain went off. She was evacuated by helicopter to Camp Bastion, northwest of Lashkar Gah, from where she was flown back to Queen Elizabeth hospital in Birmingham. She died there the following day.<ref name="MOD" /><ref>BBC: [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-17520714 Bomb expert's colleagues praised]. Published 27 March 2012, retrieved 27 March 2012.</ref>
==Funeral== Head's funeral was held on 6 May 2011 at Huddersfield Parish Church. A guard of honour from her regiment lined the steps of the church at the funeral procession and carried her coffin into the church.<ref name="telegraph0507">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/8497623/Captain-Lisa-Head-funeral-mourners-honour-female-bomb-disposal-expert.html|work=The Daily Telegraph|title=Captain Lisa Head funeral: mourners honour female bomb disposal expert|date=7 May 2011|accessdate=7 May 2011}}</ref> More than 1,000 people attended the funeral, including family, friends, military personnel and residents of Huddersfield.<ref name="huddersfield-examiner">{{cite news|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2011/05/07/huddersfield-says-farewell-to-capt-lisa-head-leave-your-tribute-hear-86081-28649790/ |title=Huddersfield says farewell to Capt Lisa Head |publisher=The Huddersfield Daily Examiner |date=7 May 2011 |accessdate=7 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927230759/http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/local-west-yorkshire-news/2011/05/07/huddersfield-says-farewell-to-capt-lisa-head-leave-your-tribute-hear-86081-28649790/ |archivedate=27 September 2012 }}</ref>
==See also== *Sarah Bryant, the first British servicewoman killed in Afghanistan
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Head, Lisa}} Category:2011 deaths Category:Royal Logistic Corps officers Category:Women in the British Army Category:British Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:British female military personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Alumni of the University of Huddersfield Category:British military personnel killed in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Category:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Category:1981 births Category:Bomb disposal personnel Category:Deaths by improvised explosive device in Afghanistan Category:Military personnel from Huddersfield