Soldier died trapped in tank after live bullets halted rescuers
Yorkshire Regiment confirms death of Pte Jethro Watson-pickering on Salisbury Plain
A SOLDIER who died after a tank “overturned” on Salisbury Plain could not be freed by firefighters because the armoured vehicle was packed with live ammunition, sources have suggested.
Private Jethro Watson-pickering, 23, of the 1st Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, was part of a crew operating an armoured vehicle in a training area when the incident happened on Friday.
The vehicle overturned near the village of Enford, Wilts, and hit a tree, trapping several soldiers inside, a source told the BBC.
The presence of live ammunition meant firefighters could not use cutting equipment, so Army engineers rescued those inside, the source said, adding that it took several hours for the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers to free the soldiers.
Wiltshire Police said a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive and the Army has been launched. Meanwhile, friends took to social media to pay tribute to the young soldier whom they described as “such a good lad” who “will be dearly missed”.
In a statement, the regiment said its thoughts were with the family of Pte Watson-pickering, who hailed from the village of Boosbeck, in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorks.
The statement said: “The Yorkshire Regiment very much regrets to announce the death on Friday October 15 of Pte Jethro Watson-pickering… The thoughts and prayers of the regimental family are with his family.”
A Wiltshire Police spokesman added: “We are investigating the circumstances following the death of a 23-yearold soldier at midday on October 15. He was part of a crew operating an armoured vehicle and was taking part in a military exercise on Salisbury Plain Training Area near the village of Enford.
“Our thoughts are with the soldier’s family and friends at this difficult time, and we would ask that their privacy is respected.”
The British Army has about 76,500 soldiers, with about 15,000 based around the West Country.
There have been 150 deaths of UK Armed Forces members in military exercises from January 2000 to August 2021, according to Ministry of Defence statistics.
Fewer than 6 per cent of all Armed Forces deaths occur during training. The data includes disease-related deaths, deaths caused by injuries, or where the cause was not known.
Wiltshire Today reported that Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance and other specialist paramedics were scrambled to the incident on a public byway in Enford shortly before midday on Friday. It understood a tank rolled over in the incident, leaving a soldier with significant injuries, and who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed it sent two fire engines, from Pewsey and Ludgershall, and a heavy rescue unit from Trowbridge to the scene.
Among those to pay tribute to Pte Watson-pickering on the Yorkshire Regiment Facebook page were Lynn Forrest, who wrote: “Such sad news, my son is on this exercise and was a very close friend to him, condolences to all his family and friends.”
Dale Hopper wrote: “Gutted to hear this. Watson-pickering was a cadet in my Company before joining the Army, there’s a lot of people that will miss him dearly.”