A war hero who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan is believed to have become the 29th member of his regiment to die by suicide, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Lance Corporal Andrew Borthwick, 41, who had served with the Rifles Regiment, was found dead at his home last month.

The former soldier, who was married with two children, is one of at least 29 members of the Rifles Regiment who have taken their own lives since 2013, according to a veterans' group that collates suicide figures.

Many of those who died by suicide had fought in either Iraq or Afghanistan and were suffering from mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression.

Others developed substance abuse issues after serving in war zones where many of their friends were killed or wounded.

The dead soldiers and veterans are part of a group of at least 600 serving military personnel and veterans known to have died by suicide since 2017. The Rifles saw heavy fighting in both Iraq and Afghanistan and sustained more casualties than any other regiment.

A total of 66 soldiers were killed in both conflicts, and 344 were injured, according to official figures.

Lance Corporal Andrew Borthwick, 41, who had served with the Rifles Regiment, was found dead at his home last month

Captain Gary Case, who died from suicide in 2019

Amongst those who died is Captain Gary Case, who took his own life in 2019 just weeks after being awarded an MBE by the Queen for more than 28 years of service in the Army.

The reasons behind his death remain a mystery but former colleagues revealed that he was exposed to the horrors of the Bosnian War and narrowly escaped death during an attack in Iraq.

Lance Corporal Borthwick, from Reading, known as 'Borth' to his friends, escaped death in 2009 after being shot through the chest in a Taliban ambush in southern Afghanistan.

After being wounded, he took cover with the rest of his section, turned to his close friend and colleague Brett Campbell, and said 'man down'. When Brett asked who, LCpl Borthwick answered 'me'.

He underwent emergency surgery, which involved having part of his lung removed.

LCpl Borthwick refused the offer of a medical discharge with a war pension and worked to regain his fitness, returning to Afghanistan in 2013.

In 2020, he was part of a team from the Rifles Regiment that raised money for Combat Stress by box jumping the height of Mount Everest.

Details of the veteran's death were revealed by former colleagues on Facebook.

Rifles veteran Cpl Ricky Fergusson, who lost both legs and an eye in Afghanistan and was awarded the Military Cross, wrote: 'I'm sad and heartbroken to say that we lost another Rifleman, a soldier, and a good friend on Sunday, November 23rd, to suicide.