Bernard's Story
“From the people on the Helpline, the receptionists when you arrive, to the team who look after you – everybody cares.”
Army veteran Bernard’s life was changed when his good friend died in a tank accident. After living with his memories for half a century, our specialist mental health treatment helped Bernard to finally put the past behind him.
Bernard joined the Army in 1964 after leaving school at 15 and threw himself into initial training with Junior Leaders Regiment in the Royal Armoured Corps. He thrived in the physical environment, excelling at anything fitness related. Upon completing his training and achieving top grades in gunnery, he joined the 13th/18th Royal Hussars in 1966 as a gunner and radio operator on centurion tanks.
During his 10 years in the Army, Bernard was posted to Aden, Yemen for three months on active service and spent three years with the Parachute Squadron Royal Armoured Corps before becoming a tank commander. However, a night-time tank exercise at Soltau training area in Germany would affect Bernard for the next 50 years.
During the exercise, the tank accidentally moved into a cesspit at a difficult angle and started to flood. While Bernard and two of the tank crew managed to escape, his friend George* was trapped. Despite Bernard’s best efforts to rescue him, he couldn’t and George died in the rising water. “I could hear him constantly revving the tank as I tried to dive down into the water,” Bernard remembers. “But then the revving stopped, and I knew he’d gone.”
Bernard was taken for medical care as he’d injured his legs trying to save George– injuries that persist to this day. He was later sent to empty George’s locker, a task he found almost impossible. “Why was I the one sent to do it when they could have found someone else?” he says. “I made my mind up there and then to come out of the Army.”
Within a month, Bernard was back on Civvy Street, but life was far from easy. “I couldn’t get that night out of my mind,” he says. “I had nightmares and flashbacks of what had happened. Even in the day, I could be having a cup of tea or walking down the road, something would come into my head.”
Bernard threw himself into charity work to keep busy. For decades he fundraised for local people in need and welcomed the distraction from his thoughts. But in 2007 Bernard approached his GP for help, who referred him to Combat Stress more than 30 years after leaving the Army. Bernard completed treatment and his life continued, but after a while he felt he needed support again. “I was starting to get flashbacks again,” he says. “I’d be feeling down and then something would just hit me. So, I called Combat Stress again.”
In 2023 Bernard took part in our intensive treatment programme at our England South hub. As part of his treatment, he took part in pyrography sessions, where wood or paper are decorated with burn marks, which Bernard found therapeutic. “It pulls you out of yourself,” he says. “Whatever is troubling you, you’re not just thinking about it – you’re doing something about it. I drew a tank for George, and we put it in the charity’s garden of remembrance. It really helped me as it’s there now for all time.”
Bernard is now discharged from our services and he can’t speak highly enough of the treatment he received.
“Combat Stress is a fantastic place,” he says. “The team are excellent, and they care for you. From the people on the Helpline, the receptionists when you arrive, to the team who look after you – everybody cares. It’s such a calming influence on you and everyone does their best for you.”
*George is not his real name
May 2024
