THE names of a dozen brave men who were killed while serving their country could finally be added to Dunbar’s war memorial.

Research has been ongoing for a number of months into the connections the men had with the town and surrounding area.

Now, the names could be added to the memorial, off the town’s Marine Road, this summer.

Herbert Coutts, who is a member of the Dunbar War Memorial working group, said it was important that each person’s efforts were recognised.

He said: “Behind each name, there is a story.

“Each person could have been a brother, son, uncle, husband or dad and has a story to tell.

“There are quotations being sought for a plaque, which will hopefully be created before the quarries close and will be made of the same stone as the plaques which were added after the Second World War.”

The working group is made up of representatives from the town’s history society and community council, as well as the Dunbar branch of the Royal British Legion.

Mr Coutts, who is also a community councillor, was unable to explain why some names had been left off the memorial in the first place.

He added: “Some of them you cannot explain but parents died before the individual who was killed in the war did.

“There would not necessarily be many relatives around but others it is not possible to say.”

Among those who could be added to the war memorial is Alfred Edward Turnbull, who was born at Pinkerton, to the south-east of Dunbar, in 1882.

He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh and served as a residential gynaecologist, as a clinical assistant in the university surgical wards, and as a resident house-surgeon in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

He moved to Berkshire, where he was in practice when the First World War broke out.

Turnbull enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a surgeon in 1912 and he was serving on the cruiser HMS Cressy when, along with HMS Aboukir and HMS Hogue, it was torpedoed by a lone German submarine off Ostend, Belgium, on September 22, 1914.

The major disaster saw the sinking of three Royal Navy ships and the deaths of 62 officers and 1,397 men, including Turnbull. His daughter, Isabella Alfreda Myrtle, was born less than two months later.

Although he is remembered at the Chatham Naval Memorial and on the Turnbull family memorial in Dunbar Parish Church, he is not named on the town’s war memorial.

Each name to be added must fulfil certain criteria – listed as a casualty by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, not listed on any local war memorial and had a demonstrable connection with Dunbar Burgh and Parish.

The town’s community council approved the 12 names at a meeting last month.

Last year, Army Captain George William Ryland Griffin – known as Bill – was finally added to the memorial, off the town’s Marine Road.

His widow, Amore Radcliffe, had been waiting more than 70 years to see her late husband’s name appear on the memorial.

The memorial currently has about 200 names, including two women: Violet Fraser and Agnes Johnstone.

The 12 men whose names are set to be added are:

FIRST WORLD WAR

James Burns: Born May 9, 1898, Stevenson Mains Farm, Haddington. Originating from a family of farm workers, he was a blacksmith in West Barns before enlisting. Private, 4th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders, Service No. S/16912. Killed in action, July 20, 1918, France/Flanders.

Henry George Congdon: Born February 7, 1867, Army Barracks, Dunbar. Brought up in the town, he joined the Royal Engineers at Edinburgh in 1884. His first period of service ended in 1905 when he was discharged, with a pension. He re-enlisted at the outbreak of the First World War. As Regimental Sergeant Major, Royal Engineers, Service No. 44469, was mentioned in the dispatches and awarded among other medals a Belgian Croix de Guerre. Died of wounds, May 28, 1918, Varennes, France.

Thomas Fairbairn Frater: Born October 21, 1878, Victoria Street, Dunbar. His family were part of the town’s fishing community. He joined the Royal Navy in 1903, Service No. 303083. Served as a stoker on a succession of cruisers and battleships, and latterly was 1st Stoker at HMS Actaeon. Died by accidental drowning, September 25, 1919, England.

Louis Frederick Kerridge: Born April 14, 1880, St George District, Edinburgh. His parents ran Kerridge’s Hotel, Bayswell Park, Dunbar, where he was a waiter, and was well known in the town as a player for Dunbar Football Club. Private, 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, Service No. 3/6258. Killed in action, January 27, 1915, France/Flanders.

John Mellis Macdonald: Born October 11, 1892, Port Lodge, Dunbar. His father was a highly regarded local medical practitioner. He joined the Officer Training Corps when at Edinburgh University. Captain, 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). Killed in action, July 20, 1916, the Somme, France.

Frederick Cecil Reed: Born December 22, 1854, Woolwich, Kent. Had a long connection with Dunbar Barracks, where he began as an apprentice, and subsequently enlisted as a clerk with the Royal Garrison Artillery at age 18, Service No. 23593. A career soldier, he rose to the rank of Captain, (Adjutant) 3rd/7th Battalions, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Died April 28, 1915, Scotland.

Percival Sudworth: Born August 1878, Wigan, Lancashire. A career soldier, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal during the South African Campaign, and the Meritorious Service Medal in the First World War. As Regimental Sergeant Major, Royal Scots Greys, Service No. D/20758, he set up his family home in Belhaven. Died January 16, 1919, Northern Ireland.

David James Thomson: Born September 11, 1893, Shore Street, Dunbar. From a family of farm workers. Private 1st/8th Battalion, 51st Division, Pioneers Brigade, Royal Scots, Service No. 325184. Died of wounds, July 12, 1917, France.

Alfred Edward Turnbull: Born March 10, 1882, Pinkerton, Dunbar Parish. Son of a farmer, he was raised in the local area and studied medicine at Edinburgh University. Surgeon, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. Died when HMS Cressy was torpedoed by a German submarine, North Sea, September 22, 1914.

SECOND WORLD WAR

William Edward Davies: Born c 1919, Manchester. Married on April 14, 1943, Margaret Millar Marr, of Castle Cottage, New Harbour, Dunbar, whose father was a fisherman. Private, 5th Battalion, Kings Own Scottish Borderers, Service 3193742. Died by accidental drowning, June 24, 1944, Scotland.

William David Gillespie: Born January 13, 1913, Castle Place, Dunbar. Raised in the town, he took up a post in a rubber plantation in Malaya. Private, 21st Federated Malay States Volunteer Force, 1st Perak Battalion, Service No. 6637. Was captured by Japanese forces on, or about, the fall of Singapore. Died October 9, 1943, Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, Thailand.

John Henry Evershed Wright: Born March 6, 1916, West Port, Dunbar. His father was a private in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and mother hailed from a family of farm workers. Joined army in Dunbar in 1938. Gunner, Royal Artillery, Service No. 1567661. Died April 13, 1943, United Kingdom.