Many find cameraderie on the streets

There are many other factors at work, he says, including alcohol abuse - and the sheer loneliness of civilian life.

"Ex-servicemen who have nowhere to go often end up in London, spiralling down to the streets.

"One of the great ironies is that on the streets is the only place they find the cameraderie they had in the army and the company that they do not get in a nice little one bedroom flat in a suburban street.

"Social isolation is a real problem for ex-servicemen."

click here to watch our interview in full with Rick Brunwin

This morning, we've also heard from a lot of people about what it's like adjusting to civilian life

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Graham Satchell writes..

A cold night on the streets of London and Jackie and Clive are looking for what they call "clients."

It doesn't take them long.

Jackie Edmonds is part of an outreach team giving help and advice. Its no surprise to her that one in four of the people sleeping on the street has an armed services background.

She says: "Some have served in wars and been quite traumatised by it.

"I've met a couple of people who still re-live the days when they were in the Falklands or the Gulf."

Peter says the army taught him nothing

In a hostel for rough sleepers, we found Peter and Edwin - both ex army - both have been on the streets for more than 20 years.

Peter left the army almost thirty years ago and has been on the street ever since. He told me:

"I didn't know where to turn.

" I can't cook I don't know how to do shopping. You learn discipline and how to march but that's all the army's done for me."

Edwin was a Regimental Sergeant Major - he says the army simply abandoned him and many others like him.

So have things changed since Edwin left the army?

On the surface not much

I visited a military prison in Colchester.

The soldiers there have broken the rules and some will be forced to leave.

But they won't simply lose their job - they'll lose their home as well.

But the army does have a new approach here.

Daniel Docherty is getting help from the homeless charity shelter.

It's a pilot project - paid for by the Ministry of Defence.

The hope is with help from Jo - Daniel will find somewhere to live.

And on civvy street there are now some success stories - people who've been through the advice and help at Colchester like Andrew Love who left the army just nine weeks ago.

He told me: "I was homeless I'd got nowhere to live and no-one to turn to. If it hadn't been for Jo and Shelter I would have been living in a coardboard box somewhere."

Andrew has found a flat in Telford and now has a job driving a lorry. But he's still bitter about the army. "The army's done nothing for me. They didn't care about what happened to me or where I go."

So is the army doing enough ? Why did it take Shelter and other homeless charities to identify the problem and then offer their help? Questions for the commandant at Colchester.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthew van Grutten told me: "There was a time when perhaps we didn't take this as seriously as we should have done and we all know about the statistics that came out fairly recently.

"But as soon as we discovered that you know the link was made. So I guess in the past we haven't been quite as good as we should have been."

Back on the street, Jackie and Clive make their final visit of a busy night.

The pilot project in Colchester has helped just 90 people so far.

Shelter claims there are many more - possibly thousands - who leave the army every year to face housing problems.

Some still end up on benches like the ones I saw in central London, sleeping directly outside the Ministry of Defence headquarters

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