Killed by his tank
Soldier died as vehicle flipped and hit a tree
A SOLDIER killed when a tank overturned during a military training exercise was yesterday named as Jethro Watson-Pickering.
The 23-year-old private died when the armoured vehicle flipped and hit a tree near the village of Enford on Salisbury Plain on Friday.
Private Watson-Pickering was part of a crew operating the vehicle in a training area when the tragedy occurred. It took several hours for specialists from the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to free the soldiers because of the live ammunition on board the tank.
Civilian fire and rescue crews and an air ambulance were dispatched but Pte WatsonPickering, from Redcar, North Yorkshire, was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a statement yesterday the Yorkshire Regiment said its ‘thoughts and prayers’ were with his family.
Wiltshire Police, the Army and the Health and Safety Executive are investigating.
Barnsley Central MP and South Yorkshire mayor Dan Jarvis, himself a former Army major, said he was ‘desperately sorry to hear this terrible news’. Devizes MP Danny
‘Risk their lives for our safety’
Kruger added: ‘While thankfully rare, it is vital that all serious accidents that take place during military training exercises are comprehensively investigated.
‘We owe so much to the young men and women who risk their lives for our safety and we must do everything we can to keep them safe as well.’
The Army is currently running Operation Ex Iron Storm on Salisbury Plain.
According to the Ministry of Defence there have been 150 deaths of Armed Forces members in military exercises since 2000, but just seven since 2018, including reservists.
An Army spokesman said: ‘It is with sadness that we can confirm the death of a soldier on Salisbury Plain Training Area. Wiltshire Police are investigating and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment further.’