The former head of the Royal Marines died by suicide after experiencing “substantial stress”, an inquest has concluded. Major General Matthew Holmes, 54, was found in a bedroom at his home in Winchester, Hampshire, on October 2, 2021, the inquest heard.
The hearing was told that in the months before his death Maj Gen Holmes had lost his position as leader of the Royal Marines in a management restructuring, faced the collapse of his marriage, and had been left “angry” at the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. During the inquest, his widow Lea gave evidence.
She said that Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Jerry Kydd had told Maj Gen Holmes to agree to the restructuring, in which he would lose his role, or resign. “He was told he had to sign or agree to resign,” she said, adding that her husband found the experience “hugely humiliating”.
