Gulf War veteran who lived in cemetery is among thousands of forgotten heroes betrayed by our country after years of service
Private Toby Southgate is one of a staggering 9,000 men and women to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan who are now homeless
A GULF War veteran ended up sleeping in a cemetery — one of thousands of former troops betrayed by our country after years of heroic service.
Private Toby Southgate, who fought in the first Gulf War, said: “I would bed down among the gravestones wondering if I’d be the next to die.”
He is one of a staggering 9,000 men and women to serve in Iraq and Afghanistan who are now homeless. Another 6,000 are in prison.
As The Sun revealed last week, a poll by military charity SSAFA found half of veterans are jobless and 70 per cent are battling physical or mental health problems.
The study — The New Frontline: Voices of Veterans in Need — also showed many are relying on foodbanks.
SSAFA chief exec Air Vice-Marshal David Murray said: “Veterans quickly disappear. Their problems multiply and they reach crisis point.”
I wasn’t prepared for return to civilian life’
Toby, who spent four years as a Private in the Royal Corps of Transport, hit rock bottom when he spent months sleeping in the graveyard in Worthing, West Sussex.
He has 17-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a stepdaughter aged 16. His relationships with their mothers collapsed and he ended up living on the streets.
The 43-year-old, who was in Iraq in 1991, said: “Things did not seem to work out for me in the Army after I came back from the Gulf.
“My kidneys packed up. I went to doctors, but no one wanted to know.
“Twenty years after leaving the military I’m still homeless.
“I was at such a low ebb I ended up sleeping in a graveyard for months on end.
“As I get older sleeping outdoors is taking its toll.
“Now I sleep in cars or I sofa surf at people’s houses, anywhere that’s dry. Everything I own is in plastic bags.”
Like many veterans who are struggling he has been in prison, jailed for eight months in 2013 for supplying cannabis.
When he came out he got a £2,000 loan and set up a business renting out stock cars for clients to race on a track at nearby Angmering.
But, as revealed in last week’s SSAFA report — which interviewed 1,000 veterans aged 16 to 65 — many veterans who have found work are still living in poverty.
Many live off less than £14,000 a year.
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Toby said: “I turned over £12,000 last year but it’s not enough money to keep my business afloat and afford somewhere to live.
“I sleep where I can but I can’t grow the business because I have to keep all my records in carrier bags and take them around with me.
“Some of the things I saw in Iraq were horrific but at the time it seemed normal.
“I wasn’t prepared for returning to civilian life. When you come out, the system seems designed to undermine you as a veteran.”
Last October chiefs at SSAFA set up a pilot scheme using mentors to help 40 vulnerable veterans, starting three months before they left.
Today The Sun asks for your help to create a national network of mentors to help ex-servicemen and women when they quit.
General Lord Richard Dannatt, former head of our Armed Forces, said: “Too many of our veterans are falling through the cracks.
“One of the great military strengths is pride — pride in the uniform, pride in the regiment and pride in doing a difficult job well.
“But pride can get in the way of asking for help when you need it.”
Air Vice-Marshal Murray added: “Veterans are unaware of where to turn or too embarrassed to ask for help.
“We must identify these vulnerable service leavers before they walk out of the barracks to stop them ending up in desperate circumstances.”
'I couldn't change that I was injured'
JANINA Sweeney was forced to leave the Navy after a car accident put her in a wheelchair, and she soon suffered depression and bulimia.
The rating, 38, went to college but did not complete the course because of her illness.
Janina, of Portsmouth, had served eight years of a planned 22-year career. She said: “In the Navy you have plenty of people around then the next thing you are on your own.
“My depression and anxiety got worse. I couldn’t change the fact that I was injured but bulimia was my way of punishing myself.
“Civilian life and military life are complete opposites. There’s no one to guide you and reassure you.”
'It all spiralled out of control'
DAVE Swift went from being one of the Army’s top rugby league players to downing a bottle of whisky a night.
The private, 40, served six years in the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment and was in the Army and Infantry teams.
His marriage collapsed after he left and within a year he was living on a park bench.
He said: “Things spiralled out of control. The Army build you up to be a soldier but you’re not rebuilt again to be a civilian.”
SSAFA found Dave, of St Helens, Merseyside, a place in a YMCA and helped him get a job at a care home for young people. He said: “Without help I would not be here. I’d have ended it.”
'Service seems to count for nothing'
JOE Walker suffered terrible stomach injuries in Iraq in a roadside bomb but returned to his regiment.
After 20 years’ service the corporal, 39, was given just 48 hours notice he was out after being made redundant.
Joe had the job of caring for the Royal Highland Fusiliers’ Shetland pony mascot and regularly met the Queen. He said: “Even Her Majesty didn’t know I was leaving.”
The dad of one, who cannot work due to his injuries, ended up sleeping outside.
He finally got a council flat in Glasgow but his £285-a-month pension does not cover his rent and council tax. He said: “I’m struggling to survive. My service counts for nothing.”
Weston help
FALKLANDS hero Simon Weston runs Care after Combat, a charity that helps veterans who end up in jail.
He wants all local councils to have a staff member to assist military families.
He said: “Veterans aren’t asking for preferential treatment — just to be given respect and help to get a home and a decent school for their kids.
“People who have been in the military for a long time can feel they have lost their relevance when they leave.
“They have often been in charge of huge projects and they come into civvy street and their skills are not required, or so they think.”
How can you help?
THE SSAFA needs your help to support our forgotten heroes.
To donate £5, text ‘HELP45 £5’ to 70070, call the hotline on 020 7463 9225 from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, or go online at