A soldier whose army career was cut short by serious injury in Iraq was put in fear of becoming homeless when he was given less than 30 days to leave the army house where he lives with his wife and three children.

Carl Tarry is still awaiting compensation more than three years after his leg was shattered during a clash with insurgents in Basra.

Last week he received a letter from the Ministry of Defence informing him that the family had until November 23 to move out or he would become liable for damages.

The former chef with the 6th Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers had expected at least three months’ notice after being medically discharged four weeks ago.

Unable to afford a mortgage or rent in the private sector until his compensation comes through, Mr Tarry feared that his family would be homeless over Christmas if they were evicted from the four-bedroom house in Tidworth, Wiltshire.

He said that the order to leave their home, which is in a street filled with empty army houses, was the final insult after 18 years of dedicated service.

Mr Tarry, 35, who spent a year on crutches and now lives in constant pain, told The Times: “I feel depressed, let down and stabbed in the back by those who promised to protect me. It’s easy living with the scars and you can put up with the pain, but it is the continuing mental stress that is difficult.”

When The Times informed the Ministry of Defence of the letter threatening Mr Tarry with eviction, a spokeswoman said that it had been sent in error. She said that the family would be notified that they would not have to move out until January 2.

“We regret the misunderstanding regarding Corporal Tarry’s accommodation, and apologise for any distress we might have caused.”

Another spokesman apologised for the delay in the compensation claim and said that, three years after the injury, it was now being treated as a high priority.

Mr Tarry’s case is far from an isolated one. According to the Royal British Legion, the number of soldiers under the age of 35 requesting support has risen to 80,000 a year - a threefold increase since the start of the Iraq war.

Robert Lee, of the Legion, blamed lack of funding from the Treasury for what he claims is a twofold failure in the duty of care.

“There is a systematic failure in the infrastructure, for example, with delayed compensation, and there are also the ad hoc failures in duty of care towards individuals,” he said. “It is a lack of political will to make resources available, rather than the lack of loyalty from the Army.”

That is little comfort to Mr Tarry, who complains of a chronic lack of support for former soldiers like himself. He said: “I fought for Queen and country for 18 years. It is not an easy job. It takes guts and a lot of personal sacrifices, and it’s not my fault I’m in the situation I’m in. But then you come back and they just wash their hands of you. They say: tough s***.

“If I were single, I would curl up in a ball and just give up, but I’ve got a wife and three children to think about.”

He and his wife, Sarah, and their three children, aged 18, 14 and 8, are worried about having nowhere to go. They have no extended family in the area, and local authority housing there is already heavily oversubscribed.“I’m in a hole and I just don’t know what to do,” he said.

Deborah Hodge, a neighbour who also faces eviction after her husband, Simon, was medically discharged after having a bipolar condition diagnosed on his return from Iraq in 2005, said: “It is horrendous, not knowing whether you will be living on the streets with three young children. Rent is sky high, there are no council houses and we could have nowhere to live. All because my husband wanted to go out and fight for his country.

“There is no duty of care whatsoever. Once you’re no longer of any use to them, the Army just don’t want to know.”

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• What makes the perfect mum?
• To keep me stress-free, no more awareness days, please
• What do lottery winners buy?