Hidden toll of tragic veterans
● Failure to reveal numbers taking their own lives prompts claims of a cover-up
Black Watch soldier Aaron Black, from Rattray near Blairgowrie, saw active service in Afghanistan. He killed himself in 2011 after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, just one of many military veterans to do so
The number of UK veterans who take their own lives is being overlooked by the Scottish and Westminster governments, allowing the Ministry of Defence to “turn a blind eye” to the human cost of conflict, a Johnston Press investigation has found.
Figures for former service personnel taking their own lives – available to the Scottish and Westminster governments – are withheld from scrutiny by the general public.
However, the investigation has confirmed 16 veteran suicides since January. The former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord West, is among a number of high-profile figures saying it would “make absolute sense” to collect the data.
The Crown Office and Scottish Government were unable to provide data. The vast majority of equivalent organisations across England, Wales and Northern Ireland were also unable to give meaningful data or did not reply.
Campaigners warn the ROSE GENTLE Campaigner numbers are set to rise, with the country facing a “ticking time bomb” of veterans with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mental health issues who become increasingly affected by memories of their experiences in conflicts such as Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Leading campaigner Rose Gentle, from Glasgow, whose 19-year-old son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004, told JP Investigations she believes both the Scottish Government and Westminster are “embarrassed” by the scale of the problem.
Ms Gentle said: “The situation for boys leaving the services now is just as bad as it ever was.”
Each year approximately 18,000 service personnel leave the UK armed forces, with a “significant minority” at risk of falling through the cracks.
Human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar is calling for the Scottish and Westminster governments to carry out an immediate review and release annual figures on veterans’ suicide rates.
“It is imperative the figures on veteran suicides are released so that pressure is put on the Scottish and Westminster governments,’ Mr Anwar said.
“It’s an absolute disgrace that figures which are available to governments and are kept hidden. It smacks of an official cover-up,” said Mr Anwar.
“I suspect the figures are deeply embarrassing which is why they are hiding them, being obstructive and refusing to release them.
“They know that the finger of blame would rightly be pointed at them for neglecting veterans who end up jobless, homeless and without real medical support. This neglect has been well-documented for years and years.
“I also don’t buy the official explanation that the figures are withheld for reasons of confidentiality.
“The truth is they would make shocking reading.”
The tragic case of homeless ex-soldier Darren Greenfield, who died a week before Christmas last year while sleeping rough in Edinburgh, sparked outrage among veterans’ charities.
Lee Knifton, head of Mental Health Foundation Scotland, the mental health charity, said data was key to targeting at-risk groups.
“If we were clearer about the scale of suicide among veterans and indeed other professions it would help to better inform suicide prevention strategies,” he said.
“The situation for our boys leaving the services now is just as bad as it ever was”