During the Yugoslav Wars , the regiment came to attention when 33 of their men and 350 other UN servicemen part of UNPROFOR were taken hostage by Bosnian Serbs at Goražde on 28 May 1995 . The situation caused some political debate as the UN troops had been given orders only to " deter attacks " and did not have a mandate or adequate equipment to fully defend the mainly Muslim town of Goražde , which was initially declared " safe " by the UN , thus rendering them exposed when armed members of the Army of Republika Srpska ( Bosnian Serb Army ) ignored the NATO ultimatum and attacked the town without warning . The regiment managed to hold off the Bosnian Serbs until they were forced to retreat into bunkers - those who did not make it quickly enough were taken hostage - and remained trapped underground while BiH Army reinforcements arrived and fought back . The commanding officer , Lt Col Jonathon Riley ( later promoted to Lieutenant General ) , broke with protocol and directly reported to then Prime Minister John Major about the situation over the phone while in the bunker . All the men were eventually safely rescued . An unprecedented five gallantry awards , seven mentions in despatches and two Queen 's Commendations for Valuable Service were awarded to the regiment . Although the incident was largely unreported at that time , the regiment was credited in hindsight by observers for saving the town from a possible genocide - after failing to take Goražde , the Bosnian Serbs continued south to Srebrenica , where they would massacre over 8,000 Bosniaks
massacre
Srebrenica massacre
Royal Welch Fusiliers