THE hunt is on to solve the long-running mystery of 64 soldiers who died in a Catterick Garrison hospital during the First World War.

Members of support organisation A1 Community Works has launched the Lost 64 project after being awarded £9,900 as part of the Heritage Lottery Fund's First World War: Then and Now programme.

“We were inspired to find out more about the Lost 64 when we discovered they were buried in Hipswell military churchyard – but that the reasons for their deaths are unknown and none of them were from the local area," said Director of A1 Community Works, Tanya Cook.

“We found out that people coming to the hospital in Catterick Garrison would have been expected to survive – any soldier badly wounded at the Front would have gone to a hospital on the south coast because there was often no point in sending them north if they were likely to die.

“Therefore soldiers who did make the journey were usually convalescing and recovering, so we want to find out what happened to them.

“We have also found out that none of the 64 had links to the Catterick Garrison area – why didn’t their families bring them home for burial?

“It is a mystery and we want to find out as much as we can about the Lost 64 to bring their stories to life.

“We cannot allow these 64 people who fought for our country to be forgotten.”

The group, based in Colburn, which helps people gain skills to help them into work, were inspired to take on their own history project after helping Catterick Garrison History Society, which was compiling a book on the garrison’s history.

Volunteers will now be trained as part of the Lost 64 project and will collect, collate and present information and any photographs uncovered before producing a project e-book.

Ms Cook added: “We are all very excited to have received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund to make this project possible.”

Any volunteers interested in supporting the project can contact Ms Cook on tanya@a1communityworks.co.uk, 01748-831953, or 11 Innovate, Chartermark Way, Colburn Business Park, North Yorkshire, DL94QJ, by November 28.