News
Inquest concludes a tank barrel flaw was responsible for deaths
A CORONER has reached the conclusion that a fatal explosion in a British Army tank was the result of a design flaw in the gun barrel, allowing highly unstable gases to escape into a tank crew’s turret.
The incident at Castlemartin Range on June 14, 2017, resulted in the deaths of Royal Tank Regiment corporals Matthew Hatfield, 27, and Darren Neilson, 31.
Two others were injured in the blast involving a Challenger 2 tank.
Louise Hunt, the Senior Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, said the ‘main cause’ was that the gun could still be fired even when a key component, the bolt vent axial (BVA), which prevents 3,000C explosive gases from entering the crew turret, was missing.
She said: “The main cause of this incident was the tank being able to fire without the BVA assembly being present.
“During production and manufacture of the gun, this hazard was not adequately considered or investigated and therefore the ability of the gun to fire without the BVA present … went undetected.”
Ms Hunt went on to add that there were ‘other issues which contributed to the incident’, citing a lack of written procedures regarding equipment drills and communication, specifically the handing over of vehicles to new crews and the handling of the BVA.
These conclusions were reached following a lengthy inquest detailing the events.
It had previously been heard how the air-tight BVA was not in place at the time of the fatal blast. The inquest also found that there had not been a set procedure to check for said equipment, as well as an unknown flaw in the system which allowed the gun to fire without the BVA in place. Four high explosive ammunition bags, referred to as ‘bag charges’, which are used to propel the shell when firing, were found to be ‘incorrectly stowed’.
The Coroner concluded: “Failure to correctly stow charges caused a secondary explosion following failure of the breech block due to the absence of the BVA assembly, and the practice of un-stowed charges was routine.”
Ms Hunt heard several soldiers provide evidence that charges were sometimes stored outside of the heat-proof storage bins within the turret, notably referring to storage ‘on a soldier’s lap’.
Tank Commander that day was Cpl Darren Neilson, a father-of-one from Preston, Lancashire. He was thrown from the turret during the blast, while Cpl Hatfield, also a father, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, was loading ammunition. Both were evacuated from the scene of the blast, but died later of the injuries sustained.
The other two passengers, Warrant Officer Stuart Lawson and Trooper Michael Warren, were injured but survived.
Cpls Neilson and Hatfield were both highly-trained gunnery instructors that had served with the Royal Tank Regiment in Tidworth, Wiltshire, as well as seeing active combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. They had taken WO Lawson for a ‘guest shoot’, as he had asked permission to go out and fire a tank.
Yet the inquest heard, that according to Army rules, the Royal Tank Regiment Commanding Officer Lt Col Simon Ridgway was supposed to have written authorisation from a more senior officer for the guest shoot, but he told the coroner that he ‘had not appreciated that at the time’.
Lt Col Ridgway also ‘failed’ to recognise a culture incorrectly storing high explosive charges in the tank turrets. When asked if the incident represented a failure of his leadership during his evidence, Lt Col Ridgway, a veteran of Iraq, said: “I think I failed to identify it was happening. I’m not sure it’s a failure of leadership.
“I have to admit I sort of felt physically sick when I heard people were stowing them out of the bins.
“If for one moment I suspected they were storing them incorrectly, I would have been furious.”
The inquest went on to hear that Lt Col Ridgway didn’t know that the ‘guest shoot’ was happening that day, and so had not passed down his order for WO Lawson to ‘sit on his hands’, and make sure to leave firing to the tank commander.
The inquest found that a basic whiteboard was used to assign crews and tank activities, but it was not routinely updated. The Army said that drill sand training procedure has been updated since the blast.
A report containing three recommendations has been sent out to the Ministry of Defence and BAE Systems, which had designed and constructed the main battle tank of the Army, with the aim of preventing further accidents.
PARAMEDICS across the UK are warning that patients are dying because ambulances are unable to offload them into overcrowded A&E departments — a situation tragically echoed in the death of a Pembrokeshire mother whose ambulance never arrived.
Charlotte Burston, 40, from Llanteg, began experiencing severe chest pains on Christmas Day 2023. Her teenage daughter called 999 twice, but was told it would be an hour and a half before help could arrive.
No ambulance was dispatched in time, not because of a lack of willingness, but because so many vehicles were already stuck in hospital bays, unable to hand over patients due to chronic delays and lack of space inside emergency departments.
With no other option, Charlotte’s stepfather drove her towards Withybush Hospital. She suffered a heart attack on the way and later died at Morriston Hospital on New Year’s Eve.
An expert report presented at a recent pre-inquest hearing concluded that had ambulance staff been present at her home, she would “on the balance of probabilities” have survived.
The case comes as a new report by Unison highlights the scale of the crisis facing ambulance services. A survey of almost 600 ambulance workers found that two-thirds had witnessed patients deteriorate during prolonged waits outside hospitals, and one in 20 had seen patients die in their care due to delays in handover.
More than half of respondents reported delays of over six hours, and one in seven had waited 12 hours or more outside emergency departments.
Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: “Ambulance workers want the best for their patients. But this is no longer the reality. Ambulances and hospital corridors have become makeshift treatment rooms. The pressure on the NHS is unsustainable.”
Unison is calling for urgent action to increase staffing levels across ambulance, hospital and community services, improve GP access, and expand social care capacity to free up hospital beds.
Pembrokeshire Coroner Mark Layton, who is overseeing the Burston inquest, said that had the 999 call been prioritised properly, paramedics would have been sent and the tragic outcome may have been avoided.
Carmarthenshire politician among those elevated to House of Lords
FORMER Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire MP Simon Hart has been appointed to the House of Lords in Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list.
Mr Hart, who previously served as Secretary of State for Wales under Boris Johnson and later as Chief Whip for Mr Sunak, lost his seat at the general election in July 2024. The Conservatives were wiped out in Wales during that election.
Several other former ministers were also recognised. Michael Gove, who served as education secretary and housing secretary under different administrations, was granted a peerage. He is currently editor of The Spectator magazine.
Knighthoods were awarded to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, former foreign secretary James Cleverly, former defence secretary Grant Shapps, and former work and pensions secretary Mel Stride.
Outside politics, former England cricketer James Anderson was knighted after retiring from Test cricket in July. He holds the record for most wickets by a fast bowler in Test history.
Filmmaker Matthew Vaughn also received a knighthood for services to the creative industries. His credits include Layer Cake, Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, and the Kingsman films.
CARDIGAN will be the place to be on Saturday, June 15, as entries continue to flood in for this year’s Welsh National Tractor Road Run (WNTRR).
The popular event is being organised by the North Pembrokeshire Tractor Enthusiasts – a group of like-minded friends led by Dai Rees of Cilgerran.
The Run will begin at Awenfryn, Glanrhyd – the farm of Keith and Kevin Evans – and take in stunning views across Cardigan Bay before heading inland towards Cwm Gwaun and the Preseli Mountains. The route will then return to Awenfryn.
This year’s event will raise money for three charities: the Wales Air Ambulance, Crymych First Responders, and Cardigan First Responders.
Entry is £20 until the closing date of Monday, May 20. Early entries will be listed in the official programme and guaranteed a commemorative souvenir. Entries will also be accepted on the day for £25, but late entrants will not be guaranteed a souvenir – a decision made by organisers to reduce disruption caused by last-minute arrivals.
Entry forms can be obtained from members of the local organising team – Dai Rees, Alun Owens, Keith Evans, Kevin Evans, Sion Morgan, and Peter Lewis – at various tractor events. Alternatively, forms can be requested by email from the WNTRR secretary at anne.trials@btinternet.com, or downloaded from the WNTRR Facebook page.
Online entry is also available:
Anyone interested in sponsoring the event or advertising in the souvenir programme should contact the WNTRR secretary or Sion Morgan via sion@pantygarn.co.uk.
Spectators are welcome at the starting point and along the route. More details will be released closer to the date.
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