Patrick Howse’s poem NBH offers up a reflection on how the experience of witnessing war endures long after leaving the battlefield.

A growing tide of British veterans, suffering from cancers, psychiatric injuries, and chronic disabilities they link to toxic exposures and neglect during service, are challenging what they see as a Ministry of Defence culture of denial, delay and silence that has left them injured twice – first by their duty, and then by their government.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed it pays over £1 million each month to compensate military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Since 2007, nearly 5,000 claims have been settled, amounting to £277 million—funds that could have supported 650 additional soldiers’ annual wages.