ACOMB War Memorial is to be restored to its former glory by York Civic Trust in an £18,000 project.

The move has delighted the sister of a York man whose name is on the memorial after being killed in the Second World War.

Estra Eastwood, 91, of Strensall, was 14 when her brother Kenneth Woodall died in December, 1941, aged just 18.

He was serving as a wireman on HMS Stanley, which was sunk by a U-boat, with the loss of all but 25 of her crew.

Mrs Eastwood said she still visited the memorial regularly and had been becoming increasingly concerned about its deteriorating condition.

She even wrote to the War Graves Commission but was told it could not do anything, and so she was delighted when she heard there was to be a restoration project.

“I was over the moon,” she said. “These men have a right to be remembered.”

The memorial was unveiled in May 1922 with the aim of commemorating local men who lost their lives in the First World War.

Subsequently, the names of those who died in the Second World War were added on a stone in the shape of an open book and these are set to be re-carved as part of the scheme.

Nick Beilby, projects manager for the trust, said that as well as the re-carving, some of the lead letters spelling out the names of those who died in the First World War also needed to be replaced after disappearing.

He said the re-carving would be carried out by stonemason Matthias Garn, of Fulford, who is from Germany and has said it would be an honour to do the work.

He said City of York Council, which was contributing towards the cost, had asked for the work to be completed by November 11, when the centenary of the Armistice would be marked.