Lainey Hunt and Nathan Hunt are pictured on their wedding day in 2009 at Lake Garda, Italy. Mrs Hunt has accused defence chiefs of failing to provide him with the help that could have stopped him taking his own life
The heartbroken widow of a soldier who fought alongside Prince Harry has accused defence chiefs of failing to provide him with the help that could have stopped him taking his own life.
Lainey Hunt’s powerful words will put renewed pressure on top brass to set up a 24-hour helpline to combat suicides among troops – a move the Ministry of Defence has rejected as too expensive.
Her husband, Royal Engineer Nathan Hunt, 39, was decorated for his courage after saving the lives of hundreds of comrades in Afghanistan by successfully identifying roadside Taliban bombs. But his nerve-racking battlefield experiences took their toll on his mental health and, after failing to get the care he needed, he hanged himself at home on New Year’s Day.
Mrs Hunt, 41, told The Mail on Sunday last night: ‘He sought help but said the Army’s mental health services were useless.’
Warrant Officer Hunt protected Prince Harry as part of a desert reconnaissance unit in Helmand province in 2008, and was later mentioned in despatches.
Last Wednesday, more than 500 family, friends and comrades –including several high-ranking officers and one general – filled Lincoln Cathedral for his funeral.
The couple’s daughter Megan, nine, reduced mourners to tears by reading a poem she had written: ‘Close together or far apart, my daddy will always be in my heart. My daddy was the best.’
Royal Engineer Nathan Hunt, 39, was decorated for his courage after saving the lives of hundreds of comrades in Afghanistan by successfully identifying roadside Taliban bombs
Afterwards Mrs Hunt, herself a serving soldier, backed the campaign launched by The Mail on Sunday and General Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, for round-the-clock care to prevent suicides among service personnel, including a 24/7 helpline giving direct access to clinical experts.
‘If there was a dedicated hotline for troops I am 100 per cent sure Nathan would have used it and might still be with us today,’ said Mrs Hunt. She spoke out as:
- The chairman of the Commons Defence Committee backed our campaign and announced an inquiry;
- A bishop called on the MoD to provide better mental healthcare ‘as a matter of urgency’;
- Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson faced blistering criticism from WO Hunt’s parents.
Former generals, MPs with Army backgrounds and the charity Help For Heroes have all backed our campaign, but Ministers have resisted calls for a helpline, arguing it would not be ‘cost effective’.
Mrs Hunt, a Warrant Officer with 32 Engineer Regiment, like her husband, said: ‘Nathan felt like the system let him down and he didn’t know who to turn to.
Nathan Hunt is pictured with his daughter Megan on Christmas Day, just a week before he took his own life
‘I hope that by pointing out where things don’t work and where there needs to be change, it will help other soldiers and families going through what we went through.
‘Nathan was sick of the fact that every time he moved to a new regiment he was given a doctor and he would have to start from scratch and relive the nightmare all over again. I agree with what he said. I’ve been through this with him for years and what he said is true.’
Criticising the ‘tick box’ culture of the Armed Forces over mental healthcare, she said: ‘When I came back from Afghanistan I was made to watch a video which basically said I might feel a bit stressed and that it was normal. Afterwards, a junior officer said, “That’s that box ticked” and made us fill out a form. It is simply not good enough.’
WO Hunt suffered depression and mood swings that caused his marriage to end in divorce in 2014.
‘He wanted to protect us,’ said Mrs Hunt. ‘He said he had put us through enough.
‘We broke up but we never separated. He was still my best friend. I still loved him very much and I always will.’
Maria and Derek Hunt, the parents of Nathan Hunt, are pictured. WO Hunt’s mother Maria, 64, said her son had not been looked after when he came home
The family spent last Christmas together, Mrs Hunt said. ‘It was lovely. There was no indication of what was going to happen.
‘But the depression would come on very fast and Nathan told me as long ago as 2015 that in his darkest moments he wanted to end it all. So I’m shocked but I’m not surprised.’
At his funeral, Mrs Hunt gave the eulogy and spoke of ‘the best soldier I have ever known’, adding: ‘We will always be Team Hunt. I hope the nightmares have stopped now.’
Speaking at the family home in County Durham, she added: ‘I feel absolutely heartbroken for Megan. Having to sit her down and tell her that her daddy is gone was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But she has been so brave.
‘We came home after the funeral and she lay on my bed. She said, “What do I tell people when they ask about my daddy?” I told her, “You say, daddy was a soldier and he was very brave, but he died.” She loved Nathan so much and he always said his greatest achievement in life was being Megan’s daddy. It’s just so hard on her but she has held it together better than all of us.’
Mrs Hunt, herself a serving soldier, is pictured with her daughter Megan at the funeral
WO Hunt’s father Derek, 66, a retired soldier, blamed Government cuts and MoD mismanagement, saying: ‘The MoD let Nathan down. Nathan came back from war and he did not receive the help he needed.’
He added that the Army had its priorities wrong, after The Mail on Sunday revealed in December that £1.5 million was spent on a planned rebrand to ditch its ‘Be The Best’ slogan and its historic crest, depicting a set of crossed swords, which was deemed ‘non-inclusive’.
Of the Defence Secretary, he added: ‘Why do they appoint these Ministers who have no expertise in the job they are doing?’
WO Hunt’s mother Maria, 64, added: ‘How can they send our Nathan into these dreadful situations and not look after him when he is home?’
The MoD said millions was being invested in mental health, adding: ‘We take the mental health of our Armed Forces very seriously, and work tirelessly to ensure our troops and veterans receive the care they deserve. We are committed to tackling the stigma of mental illness.’
But a spokesman said a 24-hour hotline would make it slower for people to get the care they need, adding: ‘Personnel already have 24-hour access to effective services they need in an emergency.’