A RETIRED army officer is walking from a Peeblesshire village to London to raise awareness of military and veteran suicide in memory of a West Linton major.
Andrew Marriott, 70, will travel 420 miles, from West Linton to the Cenotaph in the capital to gather money for the National Memorial Arboretum.
He will embark on the 22-day journey, taking off from the village on August 29 with the aim to finish on September 19.
Andrew chose West Linton as the starting point as it was the home of Major Cameron Quinn, who took his own life almost 20 years ago.
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Speaking to the Border Telegraph, he said: “I thought this was a way of drawing people's attention to the matter by putting myself through a little bit of physical effort and struggle to memorialise those that have committed suicide.
“It's a taboo subject. What we've got with military suicide is their memory and everything that should be supporting the next of kin and friends is effectively abandoned in what I call a remembrance no man's land.
“I'm trying to draw people's attention to that and to somehow mark the service that these people gave because they're not memorialised in any other way.
“There's a much wider debate to be had about this. As a retired army officer, I still feel that I'm part of the system.”
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There is currently no dedicated place where military suicides are marked, but a venue for remembering exists at the 150-acre arboretum in Staffordshire.
Andrew, who served in the army for 35 years, would like to see a specific memorial for those in military service and veterans who have taken their own lives.
He said: “That would be that would be superb if both military serving and veteran suicide could have a memorial, a garden, a site or something where they could go and grieve.”
Supporters, including Cameron’s mother, will see Andrew off on his walk as he starts by going through the Borders, firstly heading to Peebles and then on to Innerleithen and Hawick before heading south.
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Cameron’s wife Jane, now a professor of veterinary science at an Australian university, is aiming to join Andrew at the Cenotaph.
Andrew has been campaigning on the issue for a number of years and in particular against the use of anti-malaria drug Lariam being prescribed to the armed forces.
Lariam has been the source of controversy in recent years over claims of physical and psychological side effects, with some reportedly experiencing nightmares, change in personality and suicidal thoughts.
The use of the drug was subject to a legal case brought against the Ministry of Defence.
Andrew explained: “I'm sort of bringing years of campaigning to a close.
“The remaining aspect of this project is to draw people's attention to the fact that there are many damaged veterans who still don't know what it is that is causing them to be suicidal or to have other psychiatric long-term injuries.”
His fundraiser, which has already raised more than £4,500, can be found at his JustGiving page.
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