Mother who devoted her life to bereaved service families commits suicide over the death of her own soldier son

A mother devastated by the loss of her soldier son in Afghanistan committed suicide after her grief became too much to bear.
Gill Atherton, 47, killed herself five years after her son, Guardsman David ‘Jaffa’ Atherton, 25, died in a battle with the Taliban.
She is believed to be the first mother of a UK serviceman killed in recent conflicts to take her own life because she couldn’t live with the loss.

Gill Atherton took her own life because her grief from the loss of her soldier son David became too much to bear. She was buried in the same plot

David Atherton served with the 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards and was killed in fighting in Helmand Province

In a tragic irony, after her son’s death Mrs Atherton had devoted her life to helping other bereaved service families, drawing on her personal experiences to provide emotional support and legal advice.
Her daughter Kelly, 27, said: ‘My mother was never the same person after David died.
'She put on a face for us as best she could but she could not mention his name without crying. It was impossible for her to move on.
‘The grief became too much and in the end my mother could not cope with losing David. It is clear to us all that is why she took her life.
‘She also got into money troubles after giving away £18,000 from David’s estate to services charities. Half of that was to Help For Heroes.
'She didn’t want the money, she said it was “dirty money”, as if she had profited from his death. That money could have paid for the help she desperately needed.
‘My mother tried to get counselling over David’s death but it was difficult. She needed help but she was proud and didn’t want to be a charity case. Mothers of soldiers killed in Afghanistan need a lot more support than they receive.’
Kelly, from Eccles, Greater Manchester, found her mother’s body in the flat above Jaff’s, the cafe she had opened in nearby Stretford in 2009 and named in his honour – he was nicknamed ‘Jaff’ or ‘Jaffa’ because of his orange-coloured hair.
Her mother’s funeral was held in the same church as the service for David. She was buried in the same plot and her name has been added to his headstone.
Guardsman Atherton, of 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards, was killed in fierce fighting in Mirmandab, Helmand province, in July 2007. Running from cover to launch rockets towards Taliban positions, he exposed himself to enemy fire and was fatally shot.

Kelly Atherton found her mother's body in the flat above the cafe she opened in her late son's memory

One of the people Mrs Atherton helped after her son’s death was Mandy Clarke, 48, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, who lost her son Lance Sergeant David Greenhalgh, 25, in 2010 when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Helmand.
Mrs Clarke said: ‘I would be dead today if it wasn’t for Gill. I was drinking myself to death. She stopped that.
'She was a very special person who wasn’t receiving the medical and professional help she so badly needed.
'People need to realise how difficult life is for mothers of soldiers who have died.’
The Ministry of Defence said: ‘The military is acutely aware of its moral obligation to support the families of personnel who have died in service, which is why the Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre is available to bereaved families 24 hours a day.’
An inquest into Mrs Atherton’s death will take place later this year.