A FORMER soldier who hit the bottle while struggling to return to civilian life after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan says “doodling” has helped heal his emotional wounds.

Dave Kaye, from Thornton, Bradford, is hoping the doodling that reignited his passion for art will now help him make his fortune by selling his work.

The former Thornton Grammar School pupil was just 19 when he signed up for the Royal Dragoon Guards and less than 12 months later found himself on tour in Iraq based “in the middle of nowhere” and under mortar fire.

His next tour of duty involved a stint in Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he helped the local police guard government officials and VIPs.

Once again, he found himself turning to pen and paper, using the doodling he had loved at school and had used in Iraq as a weapon against his own nerves.

“It helped me relax. I’ve still got some of the pictures I drew on tour,” he said.

But he added: “When I came out of the army I wasn’t the ideal partner. I hit the bottle quite a bit. I felt lost. It wasn’t the army I missed as such, it was the people and the good friends who never came home. The loss of them hit me hard,” he added.

“It was a scary time. I desperately needed something to focus on but I hadn’t wanted to stay in the Army. I didn’t want to go back out to Afghanistan because of all the friends I’d lost. I had a little one on the way and I didn’t want to risk my child growing up not knowing his or her father.”

But life away from the Army was not glitch-free and finding work was not easy. He said: “I thought I’d get a normal job quickly and just settle down and get things back to normal but that didn’t happen.”

He got private security work in the Gulf near Somalia ensuring ships could pass safely through pirate territories. “The pirates didn’t look like most people would imagine. They all had Manchester United shirts on.”

After a time adventuring on the High Seas, he came back to find work in Bradford again, making a home with his partner Charlotte Japhet and their daughter Kahlen, now aged four.

Odd jobs, including washing people’s cars, eventually progressed into full-time work as an engineer. But, inspired by trending Manchester artist Davo Haworth who is known for his colour blending and pixellated-effect canvas portraits of celebrities, Mr Kaye has now set up his own website, is taking commissions and uses Instagram to get his paintings seen and hopefully sold.

“My art has helped heal me and find myself again. I’m not lost anymore. I’ve got direction and a future for me and my family. I’m getting my work out there using social media. I’m just waiting for that big bite to get me known. I’ve had quite a lot on interest so far so fingers-crossed,” he said. Go to davekaye.bigcartel.com or Instagram (wavey_dave_kaye).