ONE of the few westerners to witness the aftermath of the killing fields in Cambodia has demanded Government action to help former service personnel suffering from stress.

John McDermott, 52, who  lives in Countess Wear, Exeter, said he was still haunted by the mass graves and devastation he saw during his time in the Asian country as part of a multi-national UN team. He says he regularly suffers  flashbacks and panic attacks.

After joining the Royal Navy as a 17-year-he old, he did three tours of the Gulf and served in Bosnia and the Falklands. But an eight-month spell in Cambodia in 1993, which also saw him captured and held at gunpoint, has left him “physically and mentally wrecked.”

John was featured on the front page of Saturday’s Echo, with veterans from all the major conflicts since the Second Wold War.

Now a full-time painter, he uses his art studio at Exeter Castle to illustrate his feelings about war and wants to raise money and awareness of post traumatic stress brought on through the experience of war zones.

He says the only provisions to help are charity organisations the Royal British Legion and Combat Stress, which  rely on donations.

He said the Government must do more to help ex-serviceman deal with stress.

He said: “I was a UN military observer and our job was to broker the cease-fire and negotiate with the fighting factions in the run up to the first Cambodian elections since the Killing Fields.

“It was a very traumatic and difficult time. Part of my job was to go up-country where very few westerners had been.

“I do suffer from post traumatic stress and I have seen some horrible things in my time. It is an accumulation of all my experiences, but mostly due to my time in Cambodia.

“There was a death threat on me. I was captured and held at gunpoint and I was lucky to get out of there. It is extremely difficult to explain to people and there is no one that can relate to it, but you shouldn’t expect anyone to.  We came across mass graves that had not been exposed to the western world. There were thousands of bodies, which were now just bones.”

He added: “I can suddenly relive the trauma and it is very difficult to get a good night’s sleep. It is important to say it affects everyone differently. I also have panic attacks and I suddenly find myself in the same situation reliving it as if it was for real.

“It takes some time to realise it was just a dream and I wake up in pools of sweat with adrenalin rushing through me.”

After Cambodia he said that any work he did with the military had to be in preventing conflict.

He subsequently went to Sierra Leone to aid in humanitarian relief during the civil war of  1997-98.

 He said: “It was a scene of total civil collapse and widespread famine and malnutrition.”

Since 2007 he has been conducting art exhibitions aimed at raising awareness of post traumatic stress.

He said: “Everyone gets affected by war and it has got to be dealt with and not left to charities and the goodwill of the British public.

“There has to be something done at Government level.

“The Royal British Legion does a fantastic job as does Combat Stress, but both are always having to struggle to raise funds and awareness.

“It is not just the military; civilians are also affected by warfare and we need to engage everyone.”

John held his first major exhibition and auction of 17 paintings in the Falklands two years ago. The event was opened by Prince Edward.

He said: “My artwork is a reflection on my own 28 years in the military and of warfare.

“Using art is a fantastic way of explaining a difficult thing and it is my way of trying to explain to others what conflict is all about.”