Hero of the Month: OM Craig Vernel (1983 – 2021)
OM Craig Vernel was a fun-loving father, outgoing husband and committed Operator Mechanic in the Royal Navy.
Craig joined the Navy at 17 and served for five years, with plans to rejoin in the future. In the years after leaving, he became a stepdad of three, and he and his wife, Emma, welcomed two more children – Archie and Jackson, who have grown up understanding the significance the military played in their dad’s life.
On the 25th of September 2021, Craig died by suicide following a long battle with his mental health. He was 38 years old. His stepchildren, Zak, Callum and grace, were 19, 16 and 13, while his two sons, Archie and Jackson, were just one and four.
OM Craig Vernel
“Craig was lively and bubbly and the life and soul of every party,” says his wife, Emma. “He loved fancy dress and was always the first one to jump on the karaoke. He could hold a tune, too. Dire Straits was his go to band, but he enjoyed all sorts of rock music. When he wasn’t singing, he loved rugby and had been playing for Leigh Rugby Union Club since he was seven years old. He was also part of the Navy rugby team while he was serving.”
The Armed Forces had been an important part of Craig’s life from a young age, with both his dad and grandparents having served in the Army. Craig had always been interested in following a similar path, but didn’t want to repeat what the previous two generations of his family had already done. As a result, at 17 years old, he decided to join the Navy instead.
Craig in uniform
“His dad was in the Army’s Royal Engineers, so it was a way for him to follow the family footsteps without following the family footsteps,” says Emma. “He absolutely loved serving in the Navy and had friends from his time there who our family is still in contact with today. He enjoyed the lifestyle and always told me how the discipline brought out the best in him. He had planned to rejoin, but because of his mental ill health he wasn’t able to. Instead, he went to the University of Bolton and graduated with a first in mechanical engineering. Things had been going in the right direction.”
However, while on the outside things were going well, on the inside, Craig’s mental health continued to deteriorate, and he died by suicide two months after graduating.
Craig and his wife, Emma
Since Craig’s death, Emma and the children have lots of ways they like to remember him and celebrate his life, from lighting candles to visiting places that were special to him, going through photos and speaking about him regularly.
“He was a very hands-on dad with all the children and always enjoyed taking them out on day trips, walking through the woods, stomping about in wellies and just generally being outdoors. Archie and Jackson have both taken after him in different ways, too. Jackson looks just like him – when you compare him to pictures of Craig as a kid they could be the same boy. Archie is too young to remember him, but he’s still taken some elements of his personality. He has a sort of cocky swagger, I call it, just like his dad.”
Craig relaxing with Archie and Jackson
One more way Emma and the family remember Craig is through rock music, which he enjoyed playing loud and proud wherever he went.
“You'd always hear music before you saw him! He pops into my head whenever a rock song comes on. He loved loud banging music – Metallica, ACDC, Evanescence and Avenged Sevenfold are few bands that he listened to a lot. It’s all a racket to me, but he loved it. The kids are the same. They’ll sometimes put on something like Bon Jovi because it reminds them so much of him.”
Craig having fun with his two boys
Additionally, every year Tryit Rugby hold a tournament called the Vernel Cup at Leigh RUFC in Craig’s honour. Last March, on what would have been his 40th birthday, Emma and the club organised a fundraiser in his memory, with proceeds being split between Scotty’s Little Soldiers and the charity Andy’s Man Club.
“We didn’t want to let such a special birthday go by without commemorating it, so we decided to hold a fundraiser at his rugby club to raise mental health awareness and turn the day into something positive. When he was here, he was always ready to help anyone who needed it, so we wanted to do the same.”
Craig, Archie and Jackson
Archie, Jackson, Grace, Callum and Zak joined Scotty’s in August 2022 and have been supported by the charity ever since, benefitting from Scotty Breaks, grants, group events and access to one-to-one emotional bereavement support. Through these activities they have been able to make happy new memories and meet lots of bereaved military children who can understand and relate to what they’ve been through.
“Attending Scotty’s Christmas party last year was a turning point for us. It was the first time I’d seen the kids smile and just have fun in 15 months. I was really apprehensive and quite scared to go, to be honest, because I didn't know what to expect, but the support was amazing and it gave me a chance to talk to other parents who had been through something similar. I came away feeling really supported.”
Archie and Jackson at Scotty's Christmas party
Emma continues: “I know for a fact Scotty’s are always at the end of the phone, and we receive weekly emails that give me an opportunity to engage with what’s going on for the kids, as well as with the military side of being a widow. For example, last night I sat on the sofa reading the email and saw there was a bit about attending Remembrance with Scotty’s. Archie and Jackson are too young for that at the moment, but it got me thinking how one day that could be a lovely thing for us all to attend as a family in memory of Craig. Scotty’s support is out of this world, but they also help keep us in that military loop.”
Archie having fun at Scotty's Christmas party
