“In six months I saw the brutality of war, dead bodies, civilians being killed and ethnic cleansing. I saw horrors that nobody should see in a lifetime.”

These are the words of Steven Wade – a former army medic who is now one of many homeless people in Bath.

The 43-year-old, who says he was once known as Corporal Wade, says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, as a result of his time in the Bosnian War and also has epilepsy.

He receives no benefits, the mother of his youngest child died recently and he was left with two broken ribs and penniless after some thugs stole the £4.12 he had when he was sleeping.

But Cpl Wade, whose army number was 25016305, tries not to dwell on that.

“I have to get on with it and not think about what might have been because life keeps on going,” he said.

What is his story?

He was born to parents Mervyn and Sue Wade in Swindon and went onto grow up with siblings Chris and Debbie in Cirencester.

After successfully earning 13 GCSEs, all of which were C and above, he joined the army at the age of 16.

(Image: Richard Mills)

“I joined the army because both my parents were in the army. My brother was in the navy too. It was like I was born with a regiment number,” laughed Cpl Wade.

He started out in Harrogate in the Royal Signals, a combat support arm that provides communication and information systems to the British Army.

After a year or so he says he transferred over to take up a medical role in Aldershot as he found that the role he was in was not for him.

He completed his training and became a combat medical technician, an ‘army equivalent of a paramedic’ as Cpl Wade put it.

“I enjoyed it much more than at the Signals but then the Bosnian War came along and my life was changed forever,” he said.

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In short, the war was fought between 1992-95.

It involved the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Croat entities that were backed by Serbia and Croatia, respectively.

The war was part of the breakup of Yugoslavia. More than 100,000 people died. Millions were displaced, leading to a gargantuan refugee crisis.

“Every day I saw death, people killing each other, ethnic cleansing was taking place – it was just horrible,” he said.

“I was there for six months but it scarred me for life. Seeing so much death and destruction is not something you can forget, it gives you endless nightmares. That is where my PTSD comes from.

"People do not understand what hate is. People do not realise how lucky they are.

(Image: Richard Mills)

“Until you have seen a war with all the pain and suffering, you cannot appreciate how hard life can be. We don’t see that conflict here.

“I saw things you should not see in a lifetime. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

Cpl Wade said his time in Bosnia was even more dangerous because of the United Nations’ rules of engagement, known as the United Nations Protection Force.

“There was this agreement called UNPROFOR that was established in 1992. We could not do anything under these rules,” he said.

This was an interim arrangement to create the conditions of peace and security required for the negotiation of an overall settlement of the Yugoslavian crisis.

UN troops had to ensure that all UN Protected Areas became and remained demilitarized and that all people in these areas were protected from armed attacks.

They worked with local police forces and assisted the humanitarian agencies of the UN in the return of all displaced persons who so desired.

“If someone came up to you with a gun, you were not supposed to engage. It was so dangerous, but we had to stick to the rules,” said Cpl Wade.

The 18-year-old that left for Bosnia, was a very different person than the one that returned.

He says he then spent three years apiece in Tidworth, Sennelager in Germany and Aldershot as an army medic, but Cpl Wade was never quite the same.

“It just stays with you really. You cannot escape it, no matter how hard you try,” he said.

(Image: Richard Mills)

In his late 20’s, he was diagnosed with epilepsy. Devastated, he says he was medically discharged from the army.

“The doctors were not sure how I got epilepsy as I had no family history of it and I had suffered no head injuries either,” he said.

“It finished my career for good. I couldn’t carry a gun around whilst having fits. I was gutted by I understood. It was one of those things I guess.

“The doctors then said they thought it could have been brought on by my PTSD. I was hoping to be an officer. I was a smart guy but that is the way it goes.”

His epilepsy began to worse into the noughties and at the time of the recession, he started receiving benefits after the Swindon firm he did paving work for made him redundant.

In 2012, he moved to Bath and he has been here ever since.

But he still had a roof above his head and life was manageable. By 2014, he had three children: Archie in 2001, Haydn in 2005 and Alfie in 2014.

In 2016, however, Cpl Wade endured more brutal hardships.

“I was living with this woman in Twerton with Alfie and we were a good team,” he said.

“But then she left me for her childhood sweetheart and I was made homeless. I was then sanctioned by Universal Credit because they sent a letter to my old address.

“I ended up not going to the appointment as I didn’t know about it and they cut off my benefits. It was awful. For over a year I have had zero income.”

Cpl Wade sees his family, bar his sister who is in America, every few months but he says it is hard seeing them, and in particular his children, because of his current plight.

He recently learned that Alfie’s mother died a short while ago too.

(Image: Richard Mills)

“It has been really tough for me,” he said.

“I had it in my head that Alfie’s mum would come back to Bath and to me. I am not sure what I am going to do now.

“Getting through life every day can be very difficult. I got mugged one time. Around a year ago I was lying in a sleeping bag and I then got stamped on.

“These guys attacked me, took my £4.12 and ended up breaking two of my ribs, it was ridiculous.

“But it is not always bad.”

Cpl Wade says that he is always touched by the people of Bath’s generosity and he is very fond of the city itself.

“I love it in Bath. The people, on the whole, are great. Some nasty people spit on you occasionally but many others give me some change, sometimes up to £20 a go,” he said.

“Bath is a very good place to be homeless in comparison to other places. You cannot go hungry. They have soup runs every night, people come here because is better.

“You can get 70p-£70 a day, it varies massively.”

He is often seen reading a book, perhaps his greatest passion, in Stall Street in the city centre.

The book he is currently reading is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

“It is alright, but I have read better,” he remarked.

“I read a lot of books. I probably go through one every two days or so. People give me books or I get them from charity books – it makes the day go quicker.”

One of the many things that separate him from other homeless people, he says, is that he never asks for money – not once.

“It is funny but I never like looking up and trying to ask for change. I am too ashamed to look and beg,” he said.

“Some people go up to people asking for money but I just keep my head down, have my cardboard here and hope people can help me out.

“I get on with a lot of people. I do not do drugs and you never see me drunk. I don’t want to go down that route.”

(Image: Richard Mills)

In the not too distant future, Cpl Wade hopes to get off the streets and get a roof above his head.

“In about a month I can sign up for benefits again as the sanction is over but I need to get some form of ID,” he said.

“I cannot get a driving licence one, which is the cheapest and easiest one to get, because of my epilepsy so I will try for a passport but that is quite expensive.

“Hopefully I can move into Julian House homeless hostel or somewhere else maybe. I don’t want to have to endure another Beast from the East – that was savage.

“I usually sleep in toilets or other places under shelter in the city. I have friends who help me out.

“When it rains, that is when you are in trouble. The cold is more manageable but the wet is awful.”

Cpl Wade said he agreed with the adage that for every year you spend on the street, it takes 10 years off your life.

“I definitely agree with that. I had no grey hair in my beard two years ago and now I do,” he said.

“I hope I can get off the streets one day. I hope.”

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