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Facebook deleted Fill Your Boots UK after saying content violated guidelines
Page was set up to help soldiers and veterans with Post traumatic stress disorder
But social media platform still hosted a jihadi propaganda page free to view

Published: 19:49 EDT, 30 June 2018 | Updated: 19:49 EDT, 30 June 2018

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Facebook has shut down a page used by desperate soldiers seeking support for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – leading to fears it is putting lives at risk.

The social media giant closed Fill Your Boots UK (FYB UK) after claiming its content, which included discussions with mentally ill soldiers who were considering ending their lives, breached ‘community’ guidelines.

Soldiers suffering from combat induced traumas after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan would post ‘cries for help’ on the page on an almost daily basis according to its founder, ex-paratrooper Alfie Usher.

FYB UK would then issue SOS messages, asking other veterans to rush to their aid.

But last week the page was dramatically shut down without warning after an exchange of messages between Mr Usher and a former soldier who threatened to kill himself in reaction to the deaths of two of his soldiers who were blown up by Taliban bombs in Afghanistan.

Mr Usher believes the conversation might have triggered an automatic block on the page.

He told moderators in a series of phone calls and emails that the page provided a lifeline for troops with mental and emotional disorders, but they still refused to unblock it.

Last night Mr Usher, 30, said: ‘Facebook’s actions have put soldiers’ lives at risk. Guys use the page to express feelings which are really troubling them.

'They’re desperate for help. It is very hard for them to discuss issues relating to their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan with their families.

'They’d rather talk to people they meet on FYB UK who have probably experienced the same thing.

‘I tried explaining this to Facebook but they just ignored me. I don’t think they realise the consequences this could have.’

The closure of FYB UK also coincides with an unprecedented spike in the numbers of veterans taking their lives

Facebook’s stance is even more astonishing as last night The Mail on Sunday was able to find jihadi propaganda on the site, including pictures of terrorists brandishing ISIS flags and links to an online suicide game which is thought to have claimed the lives of up to 130 youngsters in Russia.

The closure of FYB UK also coincides with an unprecedented spike in the numbers of veterans taking their lives.

Over the course of this year UK troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have killed themselves at a rate of one every 13 days – including Special Boat Service trooper Alex Tostevin, 28.

Last Sunday a distressed soldier wrote to FYB UK saying he could no longer cope with feeling responsible for the deaths of two comrades in Afghanistan.

He wrote: ‘Two of the lads in my section got blown up, my lads mate, my section, my responsibility. How do you deal with the guilt mate?

Last Sunday a distressed soldier wrote to FYB UK saying he could no longer cope with feeling responsible for the deaths of two comrades in Afghanistan. Stock image

'I can’t any more, please talk to me. I can’t sleep because of it. I’m done with feeling bad mate, I want out, I can’t deal with this.’

At the veteran’s request Mr Usher posted a public message asking followers to meet the desperate man. This message received more than 50 likes and 18 shares on Facebook.

That evening, however, Mr Usher realised his access to FYB UK had been blocked, which meant he could not reply to messages.

Fresh cries for help from other ex-troops went unanswered, including the request: ‘Hi Alfie, looking for help, I’m a vet with PTSD.

'I have lost everyone and struggling, feeling suicidal. Obviously talking about it means I’m not going to run off and top myself!’

On Monday Mr Usher told Facebook: ‘The page is a lifeline for so many. It mainly deals with guys that suffer from major PTSD from conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

'This ban leaves these messages unanswered. It is vital to get the page up and running.’

Last night a Facebook spokesperson said: ‘The page Fill Your Boots UK was deleted because its content violates our Community Standards.’

They said the standards ‘set out limits for acceptable behaviour and content’, but did not explain exactly how FYB UK did not comply.

The Facebook block comes after this newspaper revealed that veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking their own lives at a faster rate than their comrades died on the battlefield.

Earlier this year The MoS campaigned successfully for the Ministry of Defence to launch a 24/7 mental health helpline for serving troops.

Since its February launch it has received 570 calls – more than ten times the number predicted by defence chiefs who tried to block its introduction.

The spike in suicides has also led to Prince Harry expressing concerns about veterans’ welfare.

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Trooper Alex Tostevin, 28, who was decorated for bravery after saving the lives of British troops in battle against the Taliban, is feared to have killed himself at a top secret base in the UK

A special Forces hero who was honoured for his remarkable courage in Afghanistan is believed to have committed suicide, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Trooper Alex Tostevin, 28, who was decorated for bravery after saving the lives of British troops in battle against the Taliban, is feared to have killed himself at a top secret base in the UK.

He received a Mention in Dispatches (MiD) after continuing to fire his machine gun in Sangin, Helmand Province, even after he had been shot in the head.

His heroic actions in July 2010 allowed two other British troops who had been pinned down by Taliban gunmen to make their escape and his citation revealed he ‘remained steadfast at his sentry position’.

At the time Tpr Tostevin said he was ‘over the moon’ to receive the award. But the Special Boat Service (SBS) operative is now understood to have taken his life at the unit’s headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

He received a Mention in Dispatches (MiD) after continuing to fire his machine gun in Sangin, Helmand Province, even after he had been shot in the head

Last night his parents Paul and Alison Tostevin, from Guernsey, declined to comment.

Their son’s death on March 18 can be reported for the first time today. An inquest is due to take place.

Tpr Tostevin is one of 12 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans feared to have killed themselves in 2018.