THE search is on for a missing plaque which graced the halls of Essex County Hospital in Colchester.

The brass plaque was to commemorate the building of the outpatient department as part of the borough’s war memorial to those who died during the First World War.

Medical historian Dr Fabrizio Casale said it was put at the entrance of the department when it opened in 1926 but was partially demolished in the late 1960s to make way for extensions to the pharmacy and X-ray department.

Dr Casale, who curates a Medical Museum for the town, explained the plaque must have been a casualty of this work.

“The plaque was thrown into the rubbish skip from where it was rescued by Ken Free, the hospital pharmacist who kept it in his office and left it there when he moved as area pharmacist and has not seen it since.”

“He remembers it as being darkened with age but in good condition apart from a dent on the left side.

Despite asking past pharmacists and searching through items left in the Nurses’ Home, its whereabouts is still unknown and Dr Casale is appealing for anyone who has any information to contact him at casale.fab@gmail.com or the newsroom on 01206 508186.