A 36-year-old Army major from Andover took his own life after fearing that seeking help for stress would harm his military career, an inquest has heard.
Nick Coles, who served with the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, was found by his wife Tabitha in the early hours of 4 August 2023 at their home in Andover.
The inquest, held at Portsmouth on 18 September 2025, heard that Mr Coles had been experiencing significant work-related stress, difficulty sleeping, and was struggling to balance his duties as a soldier and father to their young daughter.
His wife told the hearing that he had previously worked 16-hour days and was a “perfectionist” who found it difficult to switch off. She explained that he had stopped exercising, suffered panic attacks, and felt ashamed to ask for help.
Mr Coles was dyslexic, and Mrs Coles said this added to his challenges managing written work and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. She told the inquest:
“He was always trying to do as much with [our daughter] as possible… he was trying to squeeze everything in at once.”
Coroner Jason Pegg recorded a conclusion of suicide, noting that Mr Coles had not spoken of suicidal thoughts but had become withdrawn. The coroner said that he believed Mr Coles had acted impulsively and that the alcohol he had consumed that evening may have played a role.
He added:
“Nick was finding it very difficult to balance the various stresses in his life, work and also balancing being a husband and a father to a young daughter… There was a reluctance on Nick’s part to seek professional help – he felt it might blight his career.”
Mr Coles had planned to leave the Army after a planned deployment, ideally to Kenya.
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