A new bid has been launched to clarify how many people died in the Tay Bridge Disaster.
Confusion still exists as to the exact number who lost their lives on December 28, 1879, when the bridge collapsed as a train was crossing over the Tay in a violent storm.
The official figure stands at 59 but many believe up to 75 people may have been killed, with the answer likely to lie somewhere between the two.
Some of the bodies were recovered in the days after the tragedy the last being found four months later but there are thought to be victims who were never recovered.
While the true death toll may never be known, members of the Tay Rail Bridge Disaster Memorial Trust set up to create a permanent memorial to victims are trawling through records to shed some light on the subject.
Stuart Morris of Balgonie, whose ancestor died in the disaster, is chairman of the trust and is keen to ensure the planned memorial at Riverside Drive in Dundee is as comprehensive as possible.
“There is a discrepancy between the number of tickets that were found to belong to victims and the actual reports at the time,” he said.
“There could be up to 75 people but there have only ever been tickets accounted for 55 and four members of staff, bringing it up to 59.
“Indeed, there are only 59 death certificates that have stated the person was involved in the train disaster. There has always been this discrepancy so we’re keen to get to the bottom of it.”
His body washed up more than two months after the tragedy and his widow Janet buried him in an unmarked grave.
After learning this, Mr Nimmo White set out to trace Mr Mitchell’s descendants and mark his grave with an appropriate headstone, which was finally erected and dedicated at Leslie Cemetery earlier this year.
That story is just one of many, though, and the trust is raising cash to provide a tribute to all the dead.
“It’s surprising just how much people know about the disaster, how much they want to talk about it, and how supportive they are of the work of the trust.
“The disaster which followed the disaster, namely the disregard for the identity of up to 75 people whose deaths were both untimely and horrendous, can now be righted, but we need the help of the public and the businesses, industries and organisations of Tayside and Fife.”