A WIDOW’S near-75-year wait for her late husband’s Second World War sacrifice to be honoured is almost over.

Army Captain George William Ryland Griffin – known as Bill – was killed during active service in France on August 10, 1944, aged just 25.

His widow, Amore Radcliffe, has been wanting to see her late husband’s name added to Dunbar War Memorial, off the town’s Marine Road, ever since.

Now, as part of a three-phase refurbishment of the memorial, his name will be added to those of more than 130 others killed during the First and Second World Wars.

Amore told the Courier: “Really, quite honestly, it is not for me but for his son Anthony, who would be delighted that when he comes to visit me he can see his father’s name on the memorial.”

Amore, 94, previously lived at Stafford House, on the town’s Bayswell Park, just yards from the memorial, and now lives near Dunglass.

She previously told the Courier: “I think he should be recognised – he died for his country.  “He is not going to have a memorial where he came from in Birmingham: his mother died when we were engaged and he only had an auntie there.

“I think these boys should be remembered. He lived here and Dunbar was his address.”

The couple met in Dunbar in 1942 when Bill was based in the former Bellevue Hotel with the Wiltshire Regiment during Second World War training.

Amore, whose dad Louis Allen ran a household and china shop on Dunbar High Street, said it was “love at first sight” and they were married in the town’s St Anne’s Church in June 1943.

Amore, who remarried, was heavily pregnant when Bill, who was buried in Tilly-Sur-Seulles War Cemetery, west of Caen, was killed.

Their son Anthony was born 12 days after his father died and followed in his footsteps, going to Sandhurst and onto the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).

Amore said: “A telegram was delivered to the house. I got up to get it but my mum, Annie, got up at the same time.

“She said she would get it and went down to the shop and phoned the gynaecologist because they were worried something would happen to the baby.

“She said to come in and suggested they did not tell me that he had been killed and to try to bring the baby on ahead of time.

“In the end, they performed a caesarean and Anthony was born 12 days after his dad died.

“I got a letter again when I was in hospital but my mum kept it all from me until Anthony was three days old. I remember my dad zig-zagging and it was seldom he came to the hospital without my mum and I immediately knew something was wrong.”

Now, Amore has praised Stephen Bunyan, chairman of Dunbar Community Council, for his efforts in seeing her late husband honoured.

She said: “I was 20 years old when I lost Bill. Therefore I have had to wait a very long time before Dunbar acknowledged his sacrifice and added his name to the memorial.

“This would never have happened if it was not for the persistence and hard work of Stephen Bunyan.”

Mr Bunyan has been “assured” that the name will be added to the memorial ahead of this year’s Armistice Day.

He said: “Amore was living here, her child was born here and she was her husband’s next of kin.

“How he was missed off at the time, I don’t know.”

The refurbishment of the war memorial has been organised by Dunbar Community Council.

Herbert Coutts, community councillor has been leading the project, and said: “What was concerning people was, because of the effects of the weather, particularly the names facing out to the sea were becoming very difficult to read.

“Also, the memorial is almost a century old – the centenary will be in 2021 – and so there is some staining on it and various other things.

“After 100 years, it was needing attention but it was the names people were getting concerned about and it needed to be conserved.”

Work, with grant aid from The War Memorials Trust and Viridor Credits, is to be carried out on the memorial and the first two phases of the project should be complete before this year’s Armistice Day.

Mr Coutts explained what work had taken place, saying: “[There has been work] on the actual war memorial, the Celtic cross, and cleaning that.

“They have also been working on the bronze crucifix on top.”

The second phase, which is due to happen this month, will look at the setting of the memorial. Red sandstone slabs will be put in place with the words ‘We will Remember Them’ and Mr Griffin’s name should also be added to the memorial at that time.

The third phase will look at the possibility of any other names being added to the memorial – a strong Dunbar connection is needed.