The Ministry of Defence has accepted a formal health and safety censure after a 23-year-old soldier died during an Army training exercise on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.
Private Jethro Watson-Pickering, of the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, was killed on 15 October 2021 while driving a Scimitar armoured reconnaissance vehicle during Exercise Iron Storm. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced the Crown Censure on 3 November 2026 after finding serious failings in the way risks were assessed and controlled.
How did the Salisbury Plain accident happen?
According to the HSE investigation, Private Watson-Pickering was driving a Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked), or CVR(T), Scimitar during an exercise in which his unit was acting as an opposing force.
At around 11.50am, the vehicle was moving away from a simulated attack when its gun barrel, which extended beyond the side of the vehicle, hit a tree. The impact caused the turret to rotate rapidly. A storage bin fitted to the rear of the turret struck the soldier’s head, inflicting fatal injuries. He died at the scene.
What safety failures did inspectors identify?
HSE inspectors found that there was no safe system of work for driving the Scimitar in those circumstances. Risk assessments had failed to recognise that an unexpected turret rotation could put a driver in danger of being hit by the storage bin.
The regulator also found that similar incidents in previous years had not led to proper reviews of the risk assessments. Training and instructions were inadequate, particularly concerning unintended turret movement and driving with the driver’s head raised above the vehicle.
HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said military training needed to be realistic, but that did not remove the Army’s responsibility to manage risks to its personnel. She said the MOD had failed to take the necessary precautions, with fatal consequences.
Army chief apologises and accepts responsibility
General Sir Roly Walker, Chief of the General Staff, accepted the censure on behalf of the Army and apologised to Private Watson-Pickering’s family and friends.
He acknowledged failures in risk assessment, training and instruction, as well as the provision of a safe vehicle, saying: “Jethro should never have died. We failed him and those who loved him.”
Sir Roly said the Army had made significant changes since the death to prevent a similar tragedy. His statement did not itemise those changes or provide evidence of their effectiveness.
What is a Crown Censure?
A Crown Censure is the most serious sanction the HSE can issue against a Crown body. It is a formal public reprimand and records a failure to meet legal duties, but it does not carry a fine.
By accepting the censure, the MOD admitted breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the duty on employers to protect employees’ health and safety so far as reasonably practicable.
What happened after the death?
The Ministry of Defence separately conducted a Service Inquiry into the incident. The 256-page inquiry report was published on 23 November 2023 to inform the chain of command and support improvements in military safety.
The HSE’s 2026 announcement confirms that the MOD has formally admitted a health and safety breach. The material published with the censure does not establish precisely when all promised safety changes were introduced or whether independent follow-up testing has confirmed their effectiveness.
Featured illustration: Fish 4 News. The composite does not depict the 2021 incident.
