Warrant Officer Class 2 Lance Owens BEM

Lance joined Junior Parachute Company in 1972 at the age 15, and after passing out of Depot Para 2 years later, was posted to 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment.

In 1977 Lance was posted to The Red Devils Freefall Team and completed a tour with them, during which time he studied Drop Zone safety aspects of display jumping in addition to performing parachute display work.

He has also completed operational tours in Northern Ireland  with 2 Para and was part of the Signals Platoon.

In 1979 he qualified as a High Altitude Parachutist and was part of the Battalion Pathfinder capability as the radio operator.

On his last 2 years of regular service he was posted to 3 Para from where he joined the Long Service List and posted as Staff Assistant Sp Bn HQ ARRC, at Rheindahlen.

Lance left the Army in 2007 after some 35 years service in which time he had completed over 1,000 descents and qualified over the years for the foreign wings of the USA, Belgium, Germany and France.

For a number of years he was the main DZ Safety Officer for Pathfinder Parachute Group Europe and assisted as Administration officer on their main basic Para courses held at the Dutch National Parachute Centre in Holland.

Lance Owens sadly passed away on Friday 14 October 2016.