A COMMUNITY initiative is under way to raise about £12,000 to repair two important monuments which commemorate Musselburgh’s past.

The war memorial on High Street and the David Macbeth Moir statue at Mall Avenue are both in need of refurbishment, as the years have taken their toll on the stonework.

Musselburgh and Inveresk Community Council, the Musselburgh Area Partnership and Old Musselburgh Club have joined together to progress the projects.

Stuart Baxter, area partnership manager, said: “The cost of the work to the war memorial is estimated to be between £6,000 and £9,000, and about £3,000 for the David Macbeth Moir statue.”

The area partnership, made up of community organisations, locally-based services and East Lothian Council, is currently preparing a bid to the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund for grant funding to conserve the war memorial, which commemorates those who lost their lives in the Second World War.

It was originally a water fountain donated to the town by David Wright in the 1890s and converted to a Second World War memorial in 1999 after a public initiative led by local resident Ruth Knight and the Musselburgh War Memorial Remembrance Association.

They wanted to honour the 214 servicemen from Musselburgh, Wallyford and Whitecraig who lost their lives in the war, by displaying their names on a roll of honour, and the community rallied round with support. Listed Grade B as being historically and architecturally important, the fountain was carved by George Simpson of Leith.

Mr Baxter recently met with Allana Hughes, conservation officer with the War Memorials Trust, members of the community and officials from East Lothian Council, to prepare the funding bid, which is expected to be a maximum of 75 per cent. The shortfall will be met by the area partnership.

The proposed work will include giving the memorial a low-pressure steam clean to remove fungal growth and moss. Stonework will be repaired and bird droppings removed from the bronze plaques, which will be secured with a microcrystalline wax sealant. Repairs will also be carried out to the retaining wall on the north side of the memorial.

The area partnership is also hoping to carry out repairs to the David Macbeth Moir statue, including cleaning the weeds and vegetation at the base, and repointing the stonework.

Each year, members of the Old Musselburgh Club organise a church service in remembrance of one of Musselburgh’s most famous sons, David Macbeth Moir, physician and writer, who was born in 1798. A floral tribute is also laid at his statue in Mall Avenue on a date near his birthday on January 5.

Mr Baxter said: “The war memorial and monument to David Macbeth Moir are very important to the local communities and this work will help conserve and protect these important local monuments for future generations”

Alister Hadden, of Wallyford Community Council, said that funding was given by Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund and East Lothian Council to restore the Crookston war memorial at Inveresk cemetery.

He explained that the monument had been in danger of falling into “a state of further erosion” and he was supporting the Musselburgh area partnership in its quest for funding for the Musselburgh memorial. He added: “It is essential that we grasp the opportunity to give restoration work to any memorial that is in need of it at this time and support those who are endeavouring to preserve them for the future.”

Mr Hadden, who is also a member of the Old Musselburgh Club, added: “The club pays tribute to David Macbeth Moir for his massive contribution to Musselburgh and beyond. His name lives on in glass stained windows within St Michael’s Church at Inveresk. There is also a bust of him in the church, along with many streets named after him.

“The last thing you would wish to see is his statue suffering from erosion to the point where it become a real problem.”

Irene Tait, chairwoman of Musselburgh and Inveresk Community Council, added: “The community council will be delighted if new funding can be obtained to upgrade both Macbeth Moir and the war memorial. We owe a great deal to the men whose names are on the war memorial, so it is our duty to maintain it to the highest standard, which the community council has always strived to do.”