Lieutenant General Sir James Bevan Edwards KCB, KCMG (5 November 1834 – 8 July 1922) was a senior British Army officer and politician.

[2] He transferred to the Indian Staff Corps in 1882,[3] and, during the Mahdist War, became Commanding Royal Engineer for the Suakin Expeditionary Force in 1885.

[5] On return to the United Kingdom, Edwards became Commandant of the Royal School of Military Engineering.

[7] Edwards was also selected by the British Government to inspect the forces of the Australian colonies in 1889 and to advise on their organisation.

He recommended a structure to enable the colonies to combine for mutual defence, uniform organisation and armament, a common Defence Act, a military college to train officers and a uniform gauge for railways.