Army veteran, 30, crippled by PTSD after seeing comrades killed in front of him took his own life when he was told he couldn't rejoin the military

dailymail.co.uk

Jul 6, 2020 6:23 PM

An Army veteran crippled by PTSD was found dead just days after receiving the 'soul destroying' news he was told he couldn't rejoin the forces, an inquest heard on Monday. 

Jamie Davis was so 'riddled with guilt' about the deaths and injuries of fellow soldiers he screamed military call signs including 'foxtrot' and 'mandown' in his sleep. 

The 30-year-old father of two was haunted by the death of his best friend, who was killed by an explosive, and told his wife 'that should have been me'. 



Jamie Davis was so 'riddled with guilt' about the deaths and injuries of fellow soldiers he screamed military call signs including 'foxtrot' and 'mandown' in his sleep

Despite the trauma leaving him living a 'walking nightmare' he was deemed 'low-risk' and discharged from an NHS support service, the inquest was told. 

Mr Davis had dreams of rejoining the Army through Special Forces selection but a knee injury from a gunshot wound and his fear of disclosing his PTSD made him doubt he would be allowed. 

Just four days before his death he was told he couldn't join the Territorial Army. 

Mr Davis, a forward for East Dorset RFC, went missing from his home in Christchurch, Dorset, on January 10 this year and his disappearance sparked a huge search, with his rugby teammates and Dorset Police out all night looking for him. 



The hearing was told his PTSD had grown so bad he had to move out of his family home where he lived with Alicia (above) and their two boys.

His body was found in a park in Totton, Hants, around 25 miles from his home, at 1am by friend Sam Anstey. He had hanged himself. 

From the age of 19, Mr Davis served in the 4 Rifles Batallion in Afghanistan and Iraq as a rifleman, experiencing the horrors of war on the front line as he scanned the ground for explosives. 

His tearful wife Alicia told the inquest: 'He would hide his PTSD, he split his life into so many segments it just fell apart. 

'While in the army he was worried that if he said he had PTSD it would be the end of his career, it was not until after that he really knew. 

'I knew it too, he was screaming in the middle of the night - even his children knew he had it.' 

It was heard Mr Davis screamed 'foxtrot', 'alpha' and 'man down' after leaving the Army in 2015 but hoped to rejoin through Special Forces selection or as part of the Territorial Army. 

But, Mrs Davis said: 'The shrapnel in his knee always caused him pain and he was worried about people knowing about his PTSD so he gave up. 

'One night in bed he was smacking me so I turned to him and said 'you need to get help', then he opened up a bit more and had massive guilt about serving. 

'One of his best mates was doing his position [while Mr Davis was on a break] and he got the radio call that he had been killed. 

'Jamie said 'that should have been me', he asked why it happened to his best mate instead of him. He said 'it should have been me that lost my legs, it should have been me'. 

'He was riddled with guilt and every time he talked about it he would break down and would hurt mentally so much he would be punching walls because he could not handle the stress. It was a walking nightmare for him all the time. 

'Our eldest son started realising things that he was doing in the night... he said "why are you screaming daddy? Are you in pain?" and that hit Jamie hard.' 

The hearing was told his PTSD had grown so bad he had to move out of his family home where he lived with Alicia and their two boys. 

Before his body was found, Mr Davis had confessed his love to another woman, Sian Millins, and messaged rugby teammates 'I love you all my rugby brothers'. 

In 2018 Mr Davis reached out to his GP for PTSD help and was referred to Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust. 

Winchester Coroner's Court, Hants, heard that NHS assessments determined he was suffering with symptoms of PTSD and was given priority access to a course of appointments to help him as a veteran. 

Mr Davis missed appointments due to work, only turning up to one 35 minutes late. 

He was discharged from the support service and deemed 'low risk' however a doctor report read by Coroner Jason Pegg said he had considered other ways of taking his life. 

It also noted while 'out on the ranges with a weapon he considered he could kill himself' but did not desire to because of his children. 



Winchester Coroner's Court, Hants, heard that NHS assessments determined he was suffering with symptoms of PTSD and was given priority access to a course of appointments to help him as a veteran. Mr Davis missed appointments due to work, only turning up to one 35 minutes late. Mr Davis is pictured with wife Alicia

Mrs Davis explained he could not make mental health support appointments because he could not take time off work and that the family couldn't afford for him to miss work. 

She added: 'He called up to reschedule and a week later a letter came through the post that said they cancelled him.... he gave up as soon as that letter came through the door, he said 'what's the point?' 

Sian Millins met Mr Davis in March 2018 and they became 'slightly more than friends' after initially chatting about his PTSD. 

Days before his death Mr Davis turned up unannounced at Miss Millins' home for the first time, repeatedly called her and on January 10 she saw him following her in his van. 

His dying message to her said that he was 'madly in love' with her and said 'everything in my life is just f****d'. 

Mr Pegg, giving a verdict of suicide, said: 'The Army was one of the key focuses of his life, from the age of four he had expressed an interest in the military. 

'He was someone who suffered from PTSD and was someone insightful enough to know he had it but was sadly ashamed of having it. 

'It's very sad as it's an honourable consequence of his service to his country. Mrs Davis, 34, has campaigned to have better support for veterans struggling with mental health issues, warning that the Army's support was not good enough. 

She described her husband as a loving father 'with a huge heart'. She said that since his death she knew of four other veterans who had come forward to say they were suffering from PTSD.

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