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Tribute to WW2 station blast victims unveiled

Hayley Coyle
BBC News, Yorkshire
Supplied An exterior shot of the former Railway Hotel in Catterick, North Yorkshire, after an ammunition explosion in 1944. The roof is destroyed and there is a large hole on the right hand side wall. Parked outside is a fire engine. Supplied
Twelve people died and more than 100 were injured in the explosion

A memorial dedicated to 12 people who died and 102 who were injured in a World War Two munitions explosion in North Yorkshire has been unveiled.

The 1944 blast at Catterick Bridge railway station happened as explosives were being transferred ahead of the D-Day landings.

Five serviceman and seven civilians were killed, with the blast scattering debris across miles and causing significant damage to the surrounding area.

Veteran Stephen Irvine, who spearheaded a campaign for the memorial, said he wanted a place for people to "tip their hat" to those who lost their lives to "give us our freedom".

Martin Reynolds A stone plinth with a plaque on top with some written history of a munitions WW2 disaster and the names of the 12 victims who died from the explosion. Martin Reynolds
The plaque marks the first time all the victims have been named together

Houses, a cafe and the railway hotel were obliterated and a lorry driver who was in a hut more than 30ft (9.1m) away was reportedly blown off his feet in the explosion on 4 February.

Among the victims were five soldiers from the the Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps.

Some of those killed are commemorated at the Brompton-on-Swale War Memorial, but this is the first time 12 will be remembered together.

Supplied Four people looking at a decimated building after an ammunitions explosion. The building was the former Railway Hotel in Catterick and photo was taken in 1944. Supplied
The youngest victim was reported to be the 19-year-old station assistant

Mr Irvine said most residents were not even aware the station had existed and had it had happened today it would be "international news".

"I hope it will be a lasting memory for the Brompton-on-Swale community and for future generations to remember the fallen", he said.

Mr Irvine, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, said he felt compelled to organise the tribute because he "put himself in the soldiers' shoes and fully immersed himself into what was going through their minds".

"There was nothing left of them, just pieces of clothes with their names on them...and the innocent staff and passers-by caught up in it," he said.

"It really hit home what the lasting effect of losing loved ones is."

Supplied A group of people clearing debris following an ammunitions explosion at Catterick, North Yorkshire, in 1944. Supplied
The blast happened as explosives were being transferred ahead of the D-Day landings

Martin Reynolds, from the Brompton-on-Swale parish council, said: "What happened is a very much unknown part of the history of the village, so it's very important to bring it into focus and remember it for the people that are still alive, who had had relatives who were affected by that explosion as well."

Richmond and Northallerton MP and former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the event alongside senior personnel from Catterick Garrison and residents.

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