Alan Robert Williams, 35, was deeply loved by his family (Image: Stephanie Boyce-Williams)
The wife of a British father who volunteered to fight for Ukraine despite lacking any military background has learned that he was killed by a Russian drone during his first mission.
Alan Robert Williams, 35, from Wirral, Merseyside, has officially been declared Missing In Action as his body remains unrecovered. His wife, Stephanie, 40, has opened up about her anguish and disclosed how she begged Alan, with who she shares a 12-year-old daughter, not to travel to Ukraine.
She also unveiled the tragic circumstances that drove him to enter the war zone, following losing his job as a site manager at a school earlier this year.
According to what she has been informed by members of Alan’s unit, he perished in the Kharkiv region on July 14 while attempting to rescue some foreign officers. They were overwhelmed by four drones and the lethal machines dropped a mortar eight metres from the squad.
Alan had his back turned to it and became unresponsive immediately. His comrades were then forced to escape whilst under attack during the continuing Russian invasion.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help Stephanie and her family (Image: Stephanie Boyce-Williams)
Speaking publicly for the first time, she told the Echo: “He only signed his contract with the unit on the 10th of June. He had only been there a month. He had no frontline military experience at all.
“Even though I can’t dispute the accounts I’ve been given from numerous people I have spoken to out there, it still doesn’t feel real.
“I have been sending him messages on his phone giving him updates as to what has been going on. Even though he has not picked up his phone and all the lads I have spoken to are not going to tell me he is gone if he is not because they are all going through their own pain as well.”
Alan and Stephanie’s romance blossomed 14 years ago in a local Wirral pub, culminating in their marriage in 2017.
They had been married for eight years (Image: Stephanie Boyce-Williams)
However, Alan has battled with mental health issues for some time, and earlier this year, he attempted suicide. Following his release from hospital, he defied his family’s wishes and volunteered to fight in Ukraine.
Stephanie shed light on his possible motivations: “We all believed initially he applied because of his mental health, a case of, ‘If I can’t die at my own hands, I will die at the hands of another man.’ That was our initial feeling.
“But since he has gone and I have been able to access his device, he was telling his friends that it was because he couldn’t sit by and watch what was happening to the civilians, especially the children.
“When it came to children he had a massive heart. It gave him purpose. That is what a few of the lads out there said, he finally felt that he wasn’t failing people. That was his biggest issue you see – he always felt like he was failing people.”
Stephanie said Alan was always interested in joining the army every since he was 16, and had done security jobs in the past (Image: Stephanie Williams)
Alan departed for Ukraine on May 7 and underwent training; early conversations with Stephanie showed improvement in his spirits, although she admitted to having grave concerns from the outset.
However, while his mental health improved, Stephanie’s declined, and she felt as though they had switched places. The last time Stephanie spoke to Alan was on July 2 when he mentioned embarking on his first mission.
“I could tell by the way he was talking to me it was a dangerous mission,” she disclosed. “I noticed the difference in his tone and behaviour and it heightened my senses and I would literally wake up at five in the morning, check my phone, I would check it every hour, checking if he was online.
“I was constantly checking to see if there was any sign of life.”
They share a daughter together who is just 12 (Image: Stephanie Boyce-Williams)
The tension continued for an excruciating two weeks until a Ukrainian sergeant reached out to Stephanie on July 15 with a brief but devastating update.
“She told me in three minutes they had lost contact with him and all the evidence showed he was killed in action,” Stephanie said.
Then, on July 30, a man who had been with Alan from his arrival in Ukraine to the mission itself made a heart-wrenching call to her.
He confirmed unequivocally that Alan had fallen on the battlefield and despite their best efforts to save him, the ambush conditions made it too perilous.
Stephanie, trapped in a state of limbo ever since and unable to mourn properly, expressed that it won’t feel real until he is officially declared Killed In Action.
However, for this to occur, his body needs to be recovered for DNA verification, or after six months, she can petition the Ukrainian courts to officially declare him deceased.
This process would have to take place in Ukraine, with all documentation completed in Ukrainian, making it a complex and potentially costly procedure.
Stephanie, who works as a civil servant during the day and a call handler in the evening, expressed her financial concerns: “We have lost Alan’s wage completely which was half of our bills. I can’t claim anything with regards to being a widow until he is officially declared.
Alan Robert Williams is believed to have died on his first mission (Image: Stephanie Boyce-Williams)
“I am not entitled to anything. I earn too much to claim any single person benefit and I have two adult children who count towards people in my house so I can’t claim anything at all.
“At the moment I have a tiny buffer but once that finishes I will not be able to afford bills or rent or anything like that.”
In response to Stephanie’s predicament, her mother Lynne has set up a GoFundMe page to assist her daughter. In a message on the page, Lynne wrote: “We want to help take some of the stress away by raising money towards rent, bills, food and also any possible legal expenses she may have due to him being overseas. Any donation big or small is greatly appreciated at this difficult time.”
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who is missing in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”
To make a GoFundMe donation to Stephanie and her loved ones, you can do so here
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.