Marine sues MoD for £236k after overheating during notorious training exercise
A young soldier whose military career ended after he overheated during a notorious Royal Marines training exercise is suing the Ministry of Defense for £236,000.
Newcomer Charlie Gould, 23, collapsed during a five-hour “yomp” in full gear while taking part in the “challenging” Hunters Moonhill Exercise on Dartmoor in June 2020.
Mr Gould was overloaded with equipment and fell ill when he overheated during the multi-day training exercise, which was “strongly verbally encouraged” by superiors.
His lawyers claim he suffered “heatstroke” and because he was not treated properly he was immediately left permanently injured and forced to leave the Royal Marines.
He is currently suing for £236,000 in damages in the High Court, accusing his superiors of “negligence” in causing him to perform the exercise without adequate training for potential injuries, as well as delays in his treatment.
But the Ministry of Defense disputes this claim, arguing that Mr Gould was treated appropriately and did not actually suffer from heatstroke, only a “milder” form of heat exhaustion.
In papers filed at the High Court in London, Mr Gould’s lawyer Jonathan Dingle said the Ministry of Defense had “negligently exposed the claimant to a foreseeable risk of personal injury through its inadequate and delayed response to heat illness”.
At the time of the incident in June 2020, Mr Gould, now 29, was a soldier who had just joined the Royal Marines in March 2020.
The lawyer said he had passed medical examinations and grueling commando fitness tests in the first ten weeks of training and was “extremely fit”.
“On or about June 10, 2020, during the course of his duties with the defendant, the plaintiff was required to undertake a grueling training exercise, a five-hour forced route march, or ‘yomp,’ carrying a load, including Bergen. [large military backpack] “In the summer heat, high on Dartmoor, during the Hunters Lunar Exercise,” he says.
Exercise Hunter Bear is a famous multi-day training program that recruits undertake during the tenth week of basic training. It includes three fully loaded ‘yomps’ around Dartmoor, built around extended sections of navigation and survival training.
“During the five-hour yomp on the morning of June 10, 2020, the plaintiff began to feel unwell and extremely exhausted,” the lawyer said.
“He was suffering from the onset of exertional heat stroke, which led to exertional heat injury. While carrying his Bergen and other equipment, he collapsed at the top of a hill.”
He added that although emergency medical care was available about 30 minutes away by car, Mr Gould was left in a safety car to recover.
The next day, he was examined by a doctor when blood tests revealed high levels of creatine kinase, an enzyme released into the blood when muscles are damaged.
This led to him being hospitalized and staying there for five days.
Mr. Dingle said Mr. Gould suffered a “persistent exertional heatstroke injury” along with adjustment disorder and anxiety, which resulted in his discharge from the Marine Corps.
Blaming the Ministry of Defense for his injuries, the lawyer accuses him of negligence in allowing Mr Gould to remain untreated in the security van for hours at a time when delays in treating such illnesses posed a “known and serious risk of permanent injury”.
It was learned that no attention was paid to his condition when he fainted and his condition was “not evaluated adequately or at all” afterwards.
The MoD was also negligent in failing to provide appropriate training before the ‘yomp’ on the risk of “climatic injuries” in such exercises.
But Ministry of Defense lawyer Annie Brookes denies the allegations in her defense in the case, arguing that what happened to Mr Gould occurred during vital basic training.
“Yomp formed part of standard military training and it was not unreasonable for the plaintiff to undertake it,” the Ministry of Defense says in its defence.
“The defendant has a duty to train and prepare the plaintiff and members of the Army in general to be able to conduct military operations.
“To do this, the defendant must provide the plaintiff with training that is sufficiently challenging and realistic.
“The defendant maintains that a risk assessment existed for the drill and that a dynamic risk assessment was conducted throughout the drill and yomp.”
He also denies that the ‘yomp’ was done in the summer heat, when temperatures did not exceed 14 degrees during the walk, and that Mr Gould did not actually suffer heatstroke but the less dangerous ‘exertional heat exhaustion’.
“The defendant’s response to the plaintiff’s collapse due to overheating was entirely appropriate and in accordance with clinical and operational standards,” it says.
“The claimant was intervened in the field by appropriate personnel. The claimant was removed from the heat and rehydration was provided.
“In mild cases, such as heat exhaustion, cooling can be achieved by moving the person to a cool recovery area.
“The plaintiff was transported to a rescue vehicle and given fluids. The defendant’s actions were in accordance with best practices.”
The case reached court last month for a brief hearing focusing on the evidence to be heard at the final hearing on Mr Gould’s claim.
Unless resolved out of court, it will return for a full hearing in 2027.
