PLANS are afoot to create a memorial garden in a Darlington cul-de-sac that was once home to two World War I soldiers who died in battle.

Darlington Central Ward councillor Malcolm Wright wants to create a garden in homage to Privates Wilfrid Lancaster and Patrick McVay who both lived in Middleton Street.

It would be sited on a small area of council-owned land at the junction of Middleton Street with Borough Road.

The land is currently a bare grass verge and Cllr Wright is keen to recruit community groups and local residents to help bring the memorial garden idea to life.

He said: “I think it is a good community project and a chance to bring together children, the old, the local residents and others to recognise two ordinary Darlington men – one married, one single – who went away to war and didn’t come back.

“It is nice sometimes to honour the lower ranks for their contribution and I just found it remarkable that in such a tiny cul-de-sac two men who lived two doors away from each other died in that same war.”

Cllr Wright said that as well as bringing the community together, there were other benefits to the project.

He said it would save Darlington Council money as the project group would maintain and source everything needed to create the garden which in turn would contribute to the development of Darlington's Cultural Quarter.

As well as needing to recruit people to help build and maintain the garden, Cllr Wright is also trying to trace any living relatives or existing photographs of the two soldiers.

He has discovered that Pte Lancaster lived at number 17 Middleton Street and was 19-years-old when he died in September 1917.

In 1911 his family lived in Hargreave Terrace and he was employed as a cleaner on North Eastern Railways.

He was formerly of the Durham Light Infantry but was with the Prince of Wales's West Yorkshire Regiment when he died.

His mother was a charwoman, Elizabeth E. Lancaster.

Pte McVay was 32 and living with his wife Ella and two children at 20 Middleton Street.

He was with the Borders Regiment and died on the seventh day of the Battle of the Somme on July 7, 1916.

Anyone who is related to either soldier, or who wants to get involved with the garden project, can contact Cllr Wright on 01325-484374.