'Flawed' training contributed to officer's death

Published5 November 2026, 14:55 GMT

An Army officer's accidental death during a training exercise was contributed to by "flawed" training and a faulty alarm system, a coroner has concluded.

Second Lt Max George, 26, died on Salisbury Plain after struggling with a piece of "snagged" kit as he left a Warrior armoured vehicle, which then reversed into him, an inquest into his death heard.

Victoria Neale, who represented George's family, said the inquest provided his loved ones with "important answers" and provided a "degree of accountability".

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) vowed to respond to points raised during the inquest and said it had already made several safety improvements.

The inquest heard that George, from Durham, was stood by the open rear door of the Warrior on 21 June 2022 when the exercise commander gave the order to reverse the armoured vehicle.

The 26-year-old died at the scene near Everleigh from multiple traumatic injuries, Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court was told.

Recording a narrative conclusion, Coroner Ian Singleton said the training of the student commander who gave the command had been flawed.

Brigadier Giles Malec, head of the Army Safety Group, said the service recognised "the seriousness of the failures which led to Max's tragic death" and would "look to rectify any additional failures identified". He apologised to the family on the second day of the inquest.

Warrior vehicles are no longer allowed to reverse with the rear door open and visual checks are required before any movement.

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The inquest was told an alarm on the Warrior had been faulty since 2018.

Lt Col Graham Watson, who led a service inquiry into the incident, had told the inquest that if the alarm was not faulty: "The built in alarm would have alarmed because the rear doors were open, and had that gone off the driver would have almost certainly stopped."

He said George's exit from the Warrior would have created a "clunking noise", which may have led the commander to assume he was safely off the vehicle and had shut the doors.

Singleton said the alarm on the Warrior had not been repaired despite it being reported.

The coroner said there had been no effective regime for maintaining the vehicle which struck George and it was not routinely used for disembarking troops.

The MOD said it was set to replace its entire Warrior fleet from 2027.

Singleton said he would decide whether to issue a prevention of future deaths note at a later date.

'Star that burned bright'

"Whilst nothing can undo the family's loss, it is hoped that these measures, if implemented and adhered to, will reduce the risk of a similar tragedy occurring in the future," Neale, from Pepperells Solicitors, said.

Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court was told George was a well-respected officer and earned the Queen's Medal for best cadet when he passed out from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

His commanding officer, Lt Col Jim Hadfield OBE, described the recruit as "a star that burned bright" with "selfless compassion."

George had been head boy at Durham School, studied Russian at Newcastle University and obtained a Distinction in his Masters in Eastern European and Eurasian Studies with Russian at Glasgow University, the court was told.

As part of the 5 Rifles, he had been taking part in Exercise Combat Spirit on the day of the incident.

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Related internet links

Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Service

Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Service