Exclusive: Defence minister reveals his army veteran uncle killed himself, and calls for better mental health support for soldiers

The defence minister Tobias Ellwood has revealed his army veteran uncle killed himself, having suffered depression in silence, as he says soldiers' mental illness has too long been “left in the shadows”.

It comes as new figures have shown the numbers and rates of mental health disorder among UK armed forces have increased over the past decade.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, the defence minister opens up about the veteran’s suicide for the first time.

Mr Ellwood’s uncle, John Clarke, found it “impossible to battle his demons” and was eventually “defeated” by them, the minister, who was four years old at the time, writes.

He warns that mental illness has for too long been “burdened by stigma” even though “a third of us are likely to experience some form of it during our lifetimes.”

Mr Ellwood served in the Royal Green Jackets regiment of the Army between 1991 and 1996, rising to the rank of Captain. He was posted to Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Kuwait, Germany, Gibraltar and Bosnia, and is now a reservist.

He said: “During my military service soldiers were happy to declare a knee injury and step back from duties to recover, but voicing a problem with the mind was taboo, considered (wrongly) a sign of weakness.

“Today we know that if mental illness is left unaddressed it can incubate into a downward spiral, leading in extreme cases to homelessness and suicide.”

On Thursday, the defence minister led the first ever European conference on veterans’ mental health, which gathered representatives from the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and the Netherlands.

During the summit, the minister outlined the Ministry of Defence’s new approach to tackling mental health. As part of it, local councils will soon have in place a veterans’ champion to support former soldiers.

The government will also be introducing veterans’ ID cards, enabling swifter recognition of their past service.

Rates of mental disorder amongst serving armed forces personnel have risen over the past decade to 3.1 per cent - although they remain slightly below those of the general population, which are at 3.5 per cent, new figures from the Ministry of Defence have shown.

Mr Ellwood wrote: “As a young boy, I knew two things about my uncle: that he was a veteran, and that he committed suicide. Today I’m aware he suffered from depression. Our family knew he was not himself but he found it impossible to battle his demons and, in the end, they defeated him.”

The recent deaths of Kate Spade, the designer, and Anthony Bourdain, the chef, turned Mr Ellwood’s thoughts to his uncle.

“I was reminded of him when visiting the US last week, for two reasons,” he writes. “The first was the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain –two talented people who seemingly had it all but hid their depression until they could no longer cope. The second was a sight common in the US: complete strangers at an airport approaching a man in uniform and thanking him for his service. I wonder, did anyone ever thank my uncle?

He urges people in the UK to take more time to thank veterans for their service. “We are all immensely proud of our Armed Forces, and as society becomes more comfortable talking about mental health, we can all play our part to support them. Perhaps Armed Forces Day on Saturday June 30 is an opportunity for all of us to express our personal thanks to those who have served. That is something I’d like to have told my uncle.”