Ex-soldier says making model planes saved him from alcoholism

By Debbie Luxon via SWNS

An ex-soldier who once guarded Queen Elizabeth II has told how he managed to combat his alcoholism - by making model boats and planes.

Eric Turner, now 75, says model-making helps take his mind off drink which has had him in its grips since he was a teenager.

The former Grenadier Guardsman has so far completed more than 60 different models, which are scattered around his home and which he calls his 'children.'

At his worst, his house in Witnesham, UK, was full of empty bottles of wine, gin and brandy after drinking his way through jobs and into early retirement.

He would drink two bottles of wine a day, drink when he woke up and drink to fall asleep.

He had struggled to adapt to civilian life and was working a high-pressure job for which he would turn up drunk.

This was until he remembered his old love for model planes two years ago.

Eric, now living in Chantry, Suffolk, said: "My lowest point was nearly committing suicide. It was after I retired.

"I felt like I had nothing. I had nothing to do, I had nowhere to go, it was a disaster in that house.

"I was sitting drinking at home and it just came over me.

"'What the hell am I doing?' I could be killing myself.

"I thought, 'what can I do to take my mind off the drink?' I went back to my childhood and remembered I used to build planes.

"I have fond memories of making planes."

The next moment he was on the phone with Airfix Models ordering a set.

He said: "I decided to get my mind off the alcohol by buying models and once I got into it I just carried on doing it.

"It got the alcohol out of my system really. I fell in love with the planes. "

Two years later, he has reduced his drinking substantially.

His house is clean and clear- except for the 60 plane models proudly on display on each available surface.

Eric said: "These are all my children. I come and look at them every day."

Eric worked at bars as a teenager where his drinking started.

Eric then enrolled in the army at 20 years old after a fight with his father.

Eric served for six years as a guard outside Buckingham Palace, the Bank of England and Tower of London and traveled to Cyprus, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates.

But when he returned home his mother died of cancer and his father moved in with another woman.

Eric's four younger siblings moved out as they got married, leaving Eric alone in a big empty house, bottle in hand.

He ended up in a job as a plant operator for building manufacturer Hanson which was too much pressure for him to handle.

He worked 12-hour shifts five days a week and would sometimes turn up to work drunk rather than face it sober.

He said: "If the plant broke down, employees wouldn't get their bonuses and the money they needed for the week.

"It might have contributed to the drinking problem I had."

The company went into liquidation when Eric was 63.

He was told there was "no point" trying to find more work by the Jobs Centre and was instructed to take early retirement.

That's when he hit rock bottom. He said: "I wonder why I didn't commit suicide there.

"There were thousands of bottles all over the place in every room, just everywhere."

He was given a number for 'Stephanie' at the ex-military charity Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen's Families Association (SSAFA).

With the help of Stephanie, Eric's brother Brian and his sister-in-law Wendy, he moved into a new flat in Chantry and away from his isolation.

It was there in 2021 he rediscovered his love of plane modeling.

He said: "I've also got boats now, the Titanic, aircraft carriers, minesweepers, sailboats and the HMS Victory."

His favorites are his Concorde, a miniature Titanic and the nine Red Arrows planes.

He now spends his days crafting.

He hopes to connect with other people about model making, find a way to display his creations and share his work for children to enjoy.