Mother feels soldier son 'forgotten by army' after suicide

THE mother of a soldier who took his own life has said she feels "as if he has been forgotten" by the British Army, following the settlement of a legal claim.

- DANNY HALPIN

Lance Corporal Charlie Owen was serving in the Welsh Guards when he was found to have died by suicide aged 25 on September 11, 2023.

Lawyers for his mother, Tracy Evans, said he had been struggling with mental health issues through a combination of a relationship breakdown, friends leaving the Army, and others dying by suicide.

The Carmarthenshire soldier, who received a King's Coronation Medal and a Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal and who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, was in the Army since he was 17.

Ms Evans said: "Charlie dedicated his life to fighting on the front line for Wales and was a decorated soldier for a reason.

"Yet, since he has passed away, we feel as if he has been forgotten by his superiors and the organisation he once cherished.

"Disappointed, angry, and upset do not cover what we feel as a family.

"We have now washed our hands of the Army we want nothing more to do with them."