Catterick Garrison: British Army's head accepts formal censure following death of 51-year-old reservist
The head of the British Army has formally accepted a censure following an investigation into the death of a reservist five years ago during training at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire.
Staff Sergeant John McKelvie of Drongan in Ayr, died after the Jackal vehicle he was driving rolled multiple times down a steep hill at Catterick Training Area on January 29 2019.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the Army had “failed to see what could go wrong” despite numerous previous “rollover events”. General Sir Roly Walker, the Chief of the General Staff, formally received a Crown Censure on Wednesday at at the Army HQ in Andover and acknowledged the offences and deficiencies that led to the death of Staff Sergeant McKelvie.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) can’t be prosecuted in the same way as non-Government bodies and a Crown Censure is the maximum sanction for a government body that HSE can bring.
The MoD won’t face a financial penalty, but the censure will enter the official record as a failing to meet the standards set out in law.
At the time of the accident, Staff Sergeant McKelvie, 51, was taking part in Jackal driver training with five other Army reservists.
They were off-road in an area known as "The Land of Nod” which has a number of ascents and descents of steep inclines on either side of a valley.
While going up one of the steep slopes the Jackal lost traction and rolled backwards, throwing one of the course leaders from the vehicle as it did so.
Staff Sergeant McKelvie stayed in the vehicle suffering serious injuries as it rolled. Despite being airlifted to hospital, he died six days later.
The investigation found there’d been a “failure in oversight” with course trainees progressing too quickly and not having enough time to develop the necessary skills before attempting more challenging obstacles on the off-road element of the course.
The risk assessments were not suitable and sufficient, and despite a number of previous accidents, the Army failed to foresee what could go wrong.
The investigation also found that standing orders and directions had not been properly followed.
John’s sister Jacqueline Welsh said the 51-year-old had been a man of action and a “very outgoing person who loved spending time with his family”. She said: “He was always there for you whenever you needed him. He loved his motorbike, and he loved sport and the outdoors.
"He was full of action!”
HSE inspector Mark Slater said: “All training, including that which is required to be as realistic as possible, should be planned, risk assessed and executed in such a manner that it does not endanger those who are involved.
"Had the systems implemented by the Army been more robust, Sergeant McKelvie would probably still be alive today.”
Figures from the MoD said in 2023, that UK regular armed forces personnel were at the same risk of dying in an accident as the general public. Sixteen per cent of deaths were due to “land transport accidents”.