The parents of a soldier who took his own life after facing the horrors of war were told to replace lost medals with FAKES.
Lynne Johnstone and her husband were grieving the loss of PTSD-stricken son Duncan when she approached top brass about replacement medals.
They wanted them as keepsakes after Duncan, known as DJ, lost his own while battling catastrophic mental ill-health. He took his own life at just 38.
A formal request to the MoD for new medals was met with a suggestion that the couple should contact a “reputable specialist medal company”.
Shattered Lynne said: “We just wanted something to remember him by. But they wouldn’t replace them.
“We just don’t understand why they can’t do this simple thing. Buying a copy from a website just wouldn’t be the same.”
A letter from the MoD told them that missing medals would only be replaced if the loss was outside the person’s control, like a burglary or house fire.
Replica medals can be bought from numerous websites, with prices ranging from around £25-£60.
DJ was traumatised after losing close friends in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Before his death last March he sent dad, Duncan Senior, a text which read: “Iraq has messed me up.”
Worried Duncan contacted Help for Heroes, which arranged counselling sessions with NHS Veterans Services.
But that support stalled when Covid forced Britain into lockdown.
Lynne said: “The meetings turned to phone calls, so that made a bad situation even worse. Lockdown definitely made things worse for him. Most of the time he was alone with his thoughts.”
Duncan said: “Professional help should be available to everyone who has served and fought for their country. We shouldn’t have to be saying, ‘They should get this’ or ‘They should get that’. They should be getting help anyway.
“My son’s help was stopped because of Covid. But now we keep reading about all these Downing Street parties. It’s a total disgrace.”
DJ, from Huncoat, Lancs, was 17 when he joined the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment, based at Catterick.
He spent nine years in the forces.
On a 2003 tour in Iraq, he wrote a letter to his mum about his unit’s role in the Allies’ operation to kill Saddam Hussein’s sons in Mosul, in 2003.
After leaving the forces, dad-of-two DJ worked for the family animal feed company and kept the mental scars of war hidden.
Duncan, 58, said: “He was always smiling, always the centre of attention. Now we know that was his way of dealing with it.
“He was a tough cookie, but kept it all bottled up. He used to turn his smile on when he walked out of his door.”
Lynne, 58, said: “When he first came home we thought everything was fine. We now know the problems came when he closed his eyes at night.
“Then there were the lads he served with. He was going to their funerals.
“The summer before he died he bought a new suit for a funeral. When he came back, that’s when he told us he was the ‘only one left’ from his call sign.”
Duncan added: “You see former squaddies sleeping rough on the streets.
“That shouldn’t be allowed. They should be a priority.
“In the Army, they want them to be tough and just get on with it. But there just isn’t the support there when they transition to a normal life. It’s like they’re just cast adrift.”
The Sunday People ’s Save Our Soldiers campaign is calling for an overhaul of the way the MoD tackles mental health in soldiers and veterans. The MoD was approached for comment.
*If you're struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
