THE family of an ex-soldier were told at an inquest yesterday that there was nothing they could have done to prevent him taking his own life.
Ashley Clarkson, 23, was found dead at his Mansfield home by his ex-girlfriend on March 10 last year.
He had been a private with 43 Logistics Support (Royal Army Ordnance Corps) and served in Iraq.
The inquest heard that Ashley, of Clifford Street, had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2009, but had shown signs of improvement when he left the Army in 2011.
While serving in Iraq in 2007, he saw two young children die in an explosion.
In a statement read to the inquest, Ashley's mother Mary Feels said her son felt responsibile.
"He kept saying that it was his fault and that he was supposed to be there to protect them," she said. "When he returned home in June 2008 he didn't look his usual self and didn't speak one word on the drive back."
She said Ashley also saw two close friends die, one in service and the other to cancer.
Before he left the Army Ashley trained as a plasterer and met his girlfriend Chloe Thompson, althought the relationship faltered.
The inquest heard that Ashley took his own life after a night out with friends. He had been drinking.
Ashley's sister Natasha Clarkson raised the alarm when he stopped texting her. Chloe, who still had a key, went to the house and found him hanged.
A statement from Ashley's father Wayne Clarkson said: "This was, and still is, my worst nightmare."
The inquest heard that it is only in the last six months that veterans suffering mental health problems at the time of discharge have been given continuing medical support.
However, Deputy Coroner Mrs Heidi Connor stressed that this would not have made a difference in Ashley's case as he had not been diagnosed with PTSD since 2009, and more than one medical professional gave evidence to show he had shown signs of improvement.
She concluded: "Very often, the people who take their own lives will hide it from those closest to them.
"There is nothing else you, as Ashley's family, could have done. You could not have predicted this and you did not let him down."