'We failed him': Army chief apologises to family of soldier killed when tank turret struck his head on Salisbury Plain

From the Newshound archive · first published 3 November 2026.

Private Jethro Watson-Pickering, 23, of the 1st Battalion of the Yorkshire Regiment, died in October 2021 when the gun barrel of his Scimitar light tank struck a tree, causing the turret to spin violently and the rear storage bin to hit his head, killing him instantly on Salisbury Plain.

The Health and Safety Executive found there was 'no safe system' of driving the vehicle after earlier modifications created a barrel-collision risk.

General Sir Roly Walker apologised in person to Watson-Pickering's mother, Moira, at Army Headquarters in Andover, accepting the Crown Censure — the maximum sanction the MoD can face.

Two other soldiers were seriously injured in the same exercise; investigators found identical risks from previous incidents had never been acted upon.