SAS medic saved hundreds of lives.. but no one helped him when his own life was in danger Grieving widow tells of husband’s mental torment

diagnosed with an acute stress reaction and resigned his paramedic qualification.

“He said he didn’t want to practise medicine again because of the incident. He believed his mental health would be at risk if he continued.”

Sammi added: “The inquest had been weighing heavily on Jamie. He wanted somebody to say to him, ‘ You did everything you could, you couldn’t have done anything more.’”

Jamie volunteered to serve as a medic in the SAS and passed the Black Serpent medic aptitude course. He served with A Squadron 22 SAS for four years and took part in numerous operations. During his career, he was credited with saving the lives of hundreds of soldiers.

Jamie took part in covert operations in Afghanistan and in 2009 was involved in treating the victims of an attack by a rogue Afghan policeman who shot dead three Grenadier guards and two Royal Military policemen at a checkpoint. Six others soldiers were severely wounded.

Jamie’s last posting was as the permanent staff instructor for 205 Brigade, based in Dundee.

Sammi revealed that the workload in the SAS was very challenging for families. She said: “Jamie loved working with the SAS and would never turn down the chance of going on an operation. One year, he was only home for nine days.”

She said she thought police had misidentified her husband when they came to tell her he was dead. A tearful officer later read out a transcript of what Jamie said in his video.

Sammi said: “On the day he died, he got up at 5.30am, came into the bedroom and said, ‘Goodbye, I’ll see you later. Love you.’

“Later, two guys came to the house, who I thought were salesmen. They said, ‘ We’ve found the body of a deceased male on Leuchars military base.’ I said, ‘No, you’ve got the wrong person.’

“He said, ‘Sorry but he left his passport out.’ I couldn’t process what had happened. I still can’t. It feels as though Jamie is in the next room. Two days before he died, I told him I’ve never been more happy and content in my life. He said, ‘ Yes, me too.’”

Former colleague Paul Hartley, who won the

George Medal in Afghanistan, said: “Jamie was the epitome of a soldier and paramedic. His superiors and subordinates would listen to him and follow him into any situation. His professionalism, dedication and love for the medical profession shone through.”

Tory MP Julian Lewis, former chairman of the defence select committee, said: “Tragedies of this sort will continue until the MoD and the NHS face up to the need for a national centre for excellence for service and ex- service personnel’s mental health – just as we have a similar national centre for their physical injuries and rehabilitation.

“The NHS can’t be expected to cope with or even understand the specific mental trauma which servicemen and women on the frontline undergo.”

An Army spokesperson said: “Jamie’s regiment and Police Scotland are fully cooperating as they investigate the circumstances that led to his death. As this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.”