Rishi is supporting efforts to establish a permanent memorial for those who lost their lives in the Catterick Bridge explosion of 1944.
On 4 February 1944, an explosion at the railway sidings of Catterick Bridge station claimed the lives of 12 individuals, including military personnel and local civilians, and left over 100 others injured.
The explosion occurred during the Second World War, as munitions were being loaded for transport in preparation for the D-Day landings.
The disaster was a devastating event for the small community of Catterick Bridge, with the blast scattering debris across miles and causing significant damage to the surrounding area.
Among the victims were four soldiers from the Royal Pioneer Corps and Royal Army Ordnance Corps, whose remains were eventually buried in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Hornby, near the site of the explosion.
Although some victims are commemorated at the Brompton-on-Swale War Memorial, there has been a growing call for a dedicated memorial at the site of the explosion.
Mr Stephen, a Service veteran, of Brompton on Swale, wrote to Mr Sunak seeking his help and Mr Sunak enlisted the help of North Yorkshire Council to identify a site for the memorial close to where the old railway station stood.
A memorial stone is now being made that will honour the lives lost and ensure that future generations remember this significant event in local history.
Mr Sunak, the MP for Richmond and Northallerton, said: “I have been pleased to help Mr Irvine in his quest and I am delighted that with the assistance of North Yorkshire Council the memorial will be erected close to where this terrible incident took place.
“The fact there was once a railway station at this spot and that so many people, some of them Servicemen, lost their lives there is almost lost in the mists of time. I think it is most appropriate that the people who died that day are commemorated and I applaud Mr Irvine’s initiative.”
