A first glimpse of what the new sculpture of local man, Trevor Chadwick will look like when it is installed in its location near to Swanage’s seafront, has been made public.
Trevor Chadwick, who was a Swanage teacher and RNLI volunteer, is being recognised for risking his life to rescue children from Prague in 1939 from German occupation.
The position on Swanage Rec, looking towards Horsecliffe Lane
Located on the Swanage Recreation Ground
The plans were submitted to Swanage Town Council to get councillor’s approval for the Trevor Chadwick sculpture to be located on the Swanage Recreation Ground.
It will be positioned on an area next to the newly renamed Chadwick Playground and close to the Swanage Bandstand.
The position on Swanage Rec, looking towards the Chadwick Playground
Sculpted by local artist Moira Purver
The bronze statue is currently being sculpted by local artist, Moira Purver, who has been working on the project over the last year.
The architect drawings that were given the backing of the town council, reveal the size and position of the sculpture in relation to its surroundings. They also show that it will be set on a plinth and surrounded by a path and a formal planting scheme.
Trevor Chadwick moved to Swanage in 1928, when his father set up Forres School in Northbrook Road, now Purbeck View school. He worked there as a Latin teacher.
In early 1939, Trevor Chadwick became one of a handful of mainly British volunteers who rescued children in Prague most threatened by an impending German occupation.
Trevor Chadwick bronze maquette – a miniature version of the sculpture by Moira Purver
Credited with saving the lives of 669 children
The majority were Jewish but others were the sons or daughters of Czech and Slovak anti-Nazis. He is credited with saving the lives of 669 children.
Most of the volunteers who risked their lives, have gone virtually unacknowledged other than Nicholas Winton, who was knighted in 2003.
The Trevor Chadwick Memorial Trust was set up to make sure that he wasn’t forgotten and the bronze sculpture is being paid for by donations and local fundraising.
The newly refurbished children’s playground on the Swanage Rec has been renamed after Trevor Chadwick and his statue will be positioned nearby
Fundraising concert at Swanage Bandstand
As part of the fundraising effort, a concert is being planned in support of the trust at the Swanage Bandstand on 26th June 2021 from 4 pm to 10 pm. The event is being billed as ‘a veritable feast of music and fun’ and there will be a drinks bar and cream teas.
The concert will take place on the first Saturday after the government is expected to lift most of the Covid social contact restrictions on Monday 21st June 2021, so it could be one of the first social occasions in Swanage for over a year!
Further information
More about Trevor Chadwick and his amazing life can be found on the Trevor Chadwick Memorial Trust website
