Army bomb disposal expert Michael Watkins suffocated to death after being buried alive in a First World War trench.

Lt Col Watkins, 51, of Standlake, near Witney, was part of a crack team surveying tunnels at Vimy Ridge, near Arras, in northern France, on August 11.

The married father-of-one was standing in a pit to investigate the opening of a tunnel near the Canadian Military Cemetery when there was a mud-slide and he was buried underneath. His colleagues tried desperately to rescue to save him but by the time they reached him, it was too late.

Yesterday, (THURS) at Oxford Coroner's Court, an inquest into his death was opened and adjourned until a date to be fixed.

Staff Sgt Neil Smith, of the Royal Military Police, who is based at Vauxhall Barracks, told the hearing that he accompanied Mr Watkins' body on a flight back from France to Brize Norton on Wednesday.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner said: "He was taking part in a multi-international exercise in a World War One battlefield on August 11.

"He was at the top of an underground tunnel that had been used as an ammo dump when a trench collapsed on him.

"The French emergency services attended and a post mortem was conducted in Lens. The cause of death was asphyxia."

He added that a death certificate has now been issued to allow a funeral to take place.

Lt Col Watkins, was head of safety at the Directorate of Land Service Ammunition in Didcot and was one of Britain's leading bomb disposal experts.

He was taking part in a joint British and Canadian operation called Operation Deep Charge Five, which was being filmed by a BBC documentary.

He had lived in Standlake with his wife Rowena and son Robin, six, for about five years in the village's High Street.

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