Soldier found dead at Army base felt he was told to ‘man up’

An Army doctor has denied telling a soldier who later took his own life to “man up” when he sought help.

An inquest into the death of Nicholas Hart, 33, opened at North Yorkshire Coroner’s Court on Monday. Mr Hart was found dead at the Catterick Garrison base in February 2022.

The serviceman, from Pontypridd in Wales, had a history of mental health problems and had been drinking heavily since the suicide of another soldier, Ryan Mackenzie, at the barracks six months earlier.

The inquest heard evidence from Colonel Simon Bloodworth, a medical officer who assessed Mr Hart but did not consider that the soldier “engaged with the available support”.