THE mystery of the whereabouts of a wartime hospital during the First World War in Okehampton has been solved thanks to a Times reader. In an issue of the Okehampton Times an article contributed by local historians Mike and Hilary Wreford showed an ornate certificate that the town received in October 1920 from the War Office. It was sent as a public thank you for providing a temporary hospital in the town for the sick and wounded. It was accompanied by a certificate signed by Winston Churchill. However, where the hospital was actually situated was not known so the historians appealed to Times readers. Shortly after Kevin Ross said: 'Okehampton Red Cross VAD [Voluntary Aid Detachment] Hospital was located at Dartmoor House, Belstone near Okehampton. There was also a hospital in Okehampton Artillery Camp which during the war was operated as a VAD Hospital.' In a news article from February 3, 1915, submitted to the Times by a reader, it is said that the military hospital was 'situated in a fine healthy position on Station Road, and contains four wards accommodating 16 beds, with nurses' room, bath and orderlies' rooms, with an isolation ward for suspected cases'. The hospital was started with a grant of £10 from the Red Cross Headquarters at Exeter but had been supplemented by local subscriptions. At the end of the article it read: 'The Okehampton Voluntary Aid Hospital stands forth as a bright example of what well directed public benevolence can accomplish and is deserving of increased and continuous support.'