THE Ministry of Defence was under increasing pressure last night to hold a public inquiry into a North Yorkshire Army base after it was revealed that another young soldier has been found dead.

Derek Joseph McGregor, 21, of the 24 Medical Squadron, was discovered hanging in his barracks at Catterick Garrison, Europe's biggest Army base.

The Army medic, assigned to the 3 Close Support Medical Regiment, is the seventh soldier to have been found hanged at Catterick since 1997, The Northern Echo can reveal.

Information obtained by the newspaper has also found that a further six soldiers based at the camp have died from gunshots wounds in the past eight years.

Families of dead soldiers are concerned about the high number of deaths as well as reports of bullying and abuse among recruits.

Several soldiers have come forward to say that they have been bullied, including recruit Mark Massey, 18, who claims he was driven to attempt suicide by persistent abuse.

A high-ranking source has told The Northern Echo that North Yorkshire Police, who cover Catterick Garrison, have asked for advice in dealing with incidents at the base.

It is understood officers have contacted detectives in Surrey who are investigating the suspicious deaths of four soldiers at Deepcut barracks, including County Durham soldier Pte Geoff Gray, to voice their concerns.

Last night, Lynn Farr, mother of Private Daniel Farr, who died at Catterick Garrison in June 1997, said an immediate public inquiry must be held.

Mrs Farr, who is spearheading the campaign, recently met Army chiefs to demand action for bereaved relatives.

She said: "These figures obtained by The Northern Echo make for shocking reading. Why are so many young people dying at Catterick Garrison?

"Why have seven soldiers been found hanged and another six died from gunshot wounds? That is 13 young people's lives that have been lost and only a public inquiry will reveal why it has happened and put procedures in place to stop it happening again."

North Yorkshire Police and Army chiefs have investigated the death of Mr McGregor, who is from Blackpool, and have submitted reports to the North Yorkshire coroner, Geoff Fell.

A full inquest into his death on July 7 has yet to be held but the cause of death is understood to be asphyxia due to hanging.

Leading military lawyer Justin Hugheston-Roberts has taken up the Catterick families' case and will press for a public inquiry on their behalf, a move backed by The Northern Echo.

Mr Hugheston-Roberts, who works for Forces Law, a nationwide group of 22 law firms, said: "At the very least I will get the families a public inquiry, which I hope will be held next year.

"It is terrifying to hear what's going on. The quantity of deaths that have taken place needs to be looked at. Were so many to happen in a small town, people would raise concerns.

"For soldiers to get that depressed and wanting to take their own lives, something is going terribly wrong. And what is going wrong? That is what we need to know."

Mrs Farr has concerns about why an inquest into her son Daniel's death was never held, despite the primary cause of death never being discovered.

She has visited Catterick Garrison to voice her concerns to an Army padre, major and brigadier. She said: "The Army can be very insensitive when dealing with families.

"Daniel's belongings came home to me in a cardboard box months later. There was no warning from the Army, it was very distressing."

Three Catterick soldiers, Pte William Beckley-Lines, Signaller Steven Pollitt and Rifleman Jonathan McKenzie died after jogging, Pte M D Meredith died after collapsing of chest pains and Pte Farr's main cause of death is unknown but the secondary cause was pneumonia.

"I believe it could be linked to chemical training," said Mrs Farr.

A spokesman for Catterick Garrison said: "We have taken on board that the system used is insensitive. We will undertake to try to look at better ways of returning personal effects."

When questioned about the seven soldiers who had been found hanged, he said there were duty-of-care procedures in place.

The MoD has declined to comment on a public inquiry while police investigations continue into the Deepcut deaths.