The Forres school boys killed in 1955 by an unexploded mine

Hello, my name is Seb and I attended Forres prep school in Swanage from '88-93, before it merged with Sandle Manor prep school , in Fordingbridge, becoming Forres Sandle Manor (FSM). While at Forres I learnt of the incredibly sad story of how five Forres school boys were killed on Swanage beach in 1955 by an unexploded WW2 mine.

Although, there is a memorial plaque (as per photo) at the old school, it is not seen by the public and I feel it is very important that this tragic loss of life is remembered in a more prominent way.

Therefore, I have been liaising with the Swanage mayor and her team to find a suitable location for a new plaque and I'm very pleased to say that they have granted me a fabulous spot over looking Swanage bay next to the war memorial that is already in place. This is also very close to where the boys died and just along the grassy embankment from the Trevor Chadwick (OF) memorial.

The next step is to have the memorial plaque created and the local Purbeck stone quarry Haysom's have quoted just over £1,300. With the additional fitting charge also required, the target amount to make this happen is £1,500.

If all goes according to plan, it would be amazing to get this all done by May 2025, so that we can have a significant gathering and unveiling upon the 70th anniversary of this terrible event.

Thank you to everyone for all their support and creating an everlasting memory for Robin Ardagh, Jeremy Dennis, Richard Birch, David North-Lewis and Jason Oliver.