A Royal Navy veteran’s PTSD diagnosis has proved to be a catalyst to him becoming a published poet.
Andrew D McEvoy, 58, from Upton Cross, near Liskeard, signed on in 1984, as a marine engineer mechanic, aged just 16, and spent his 17th birthday aboard HMS Broadsword, in the Falklands.
He was also deployed to the Gulf, in 1986, on HMS Broadsword, and, in 1988, on HMS Boxer, during the Iran-Iraq War, escorting super-tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. He was medically discharged in March 1993, after nine years’ service.
Andrew was struggling with his mental health and a back injury when, in 2015, he turned to the Armed Forces charity Help for Heroes, in Devonport.
A few months later, after a referral from the Charity, he was diagnosed with PTSD, with associated anxiety and depression. He received EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) treatment but struggled with how invasive it felt, leaving him “emotionally broken”.
Andrew explained:
“In time I returned to writing poetry, just to get my emotions out from inside my head. As time went by, alongside the support I was receiving from Help for Heroes, I noticed I was feeling better.
“In 2018 I was asked by the Charity’s staff, who had read some of my poems, to compose one to help with the promotion of the ‘Tommy’ figures released to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One, with the tag line ‘There, but not there’.
“Ultimately, I narrated and appeared in the video that accompanied the campaign, alongside my children, who were then 14 and 11.”
For Remembrance 2019, Help for Heroes again commissioned him to write and read a poem, this time to guests at a service held at Endeavour Recovery Centre, now part of the Royal Navy Recovery Centre, at HMS Drake, in Plymouth.
Andrew carried on writing through lockdown, while receiving help and support from Help for Heroes, the Royal British Legion (RBL), Walking With the Wounded (WWTW), and The Not Forgotten (TNF), whom he credits for his mental health and wellbeing.
He added:
“People kept saying I should get my poetry published; however, I had no idea what to do. Being my own worst critic didn’t help, and, obviously, my mental health wasn’t the best, despite the positivity I was experiencing on my journey thus far.
“I was introduced to publisher Renford Marsden and he has helped and supported me for the past 19 months as part of a veterans’ project he wanted to support. And, recently, five proof copies were printed for me by Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI).
“They were the first books printed on its new printing equipment, so it was poignant as it was a book written by a veteran and printed and produced by veterans at RBLI. It was wonderful to be a part of it.”
Now, when the full run for the paperback of PTSD (Poetry That Speaks Deeply) is produced, in September, Andrew will donate 30 per cent of the royalties to those charities that helped him and, also, to the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, and the Veterans Foundation.
He continued:
“The money is going to several great causes that undertake tireless work within the Armed Forces community.
“There’s a lot that writing can bring into one’s life; when you’re at your lowest moments, writing it down can be very cathartic. This is very exciting because all I want to do is write poetry that people can react to, resonate with, and really ‘feel’ my words.
“And I hope it can inspire and support these people when they need it most.”
Help for Heroes champions the Armed Forces community and helps people live well after service. The Charity supports veterans and their families with their physical and mental health, as well as welfare and social needs. It has already supported tens of thousands – and won’t stop until every veteran gets the support they deserve.
The Charity supports veterans from any branch of the UK military – regulars or reserves – irrespective of length or place of service, and locally embedded civilians (and their families) who worked under the command of UK Armed Forces.
Andrew’s poetry collection, PTSD (Poetry That Speaks Deeply), costs £10 and can pre-ordered from his publisher at https://bit.ly/4lIM7E4. To get support visit helpforheroes.org.uk.
