Army’s failings over soldier who lay dead for 3 weeks

THE widow of a bullied soldier who lay dead in his barracks for three weeks is furious after a report revealed 45 errors in the Army’s care of him.

Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan’s decomposing body was found in his room at Catterick Barracks, North Yorkshire, on January 23 last year.

Classed as vulnerable, he had been missing over the Christmas period with no one at work noticing.

The Army’s Service Inquiry Report on his unexplained death found there was no proper investigation of the bullying complaints by Mr Mongan, pictured, and duty officers failed to check on him. His widow Beth, 31, said: ‘He felt bullied. This was not investigated properly. He was not checked properly in the days before he died.’

Yesterday, the Army apologised for ‘clear failings in our duty of care’. According to the report, the failures date back to 2007.

In 2016, it was reported the 33-year-old had made ‘an attempt on his own life’.

Brigadier Edward Chamberlain, head of the Army Personnel Services Group, said: ‘The delay in discovering he was deceased was unacceptable and profoundly regrettable.

ON the day of the clash that claimed their lives, Corporal Matthew Stenton, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was commanding an armoured vehicle which was part of an operation to clear improvised explosive devices. Stephen Monkhouse was the gunner on another armoured vehicle. After insurgents shot and wounded a member of the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, the two men attempted to move their vehicles and fire on the terrorists while the injured person was rescued, but both were shot dead. It is believed that their act of bravery saved 13 lives.

Mr Monkhouse’s family said they were touched to be approached at a Remembrance service by someone involved in the action, who said: ‘If Stephen hadn’t done what he did, we would have been a gonner. But he stood up there with the big gun and provided cover and fire until we had managed to get out. He gave his life so 13 of us could live.’

In 2012, the family was invited to a private ceremony with the Queen at Buckingham Palace so his posthumous Military Cross could be presented.

They said they were ‘delighted’ that his bravery was recognised.