Five school boys, who died in a post World War Two tragedy, have been remembered on the 70th anniversary of the sad event with a new memorial in Swanage, Dorset.
The boys from Forres School in Swanage, lost their lives on Friday 13th May 1955 when an old land mine denoted, which they had found buried in the sand towards the north end of the beach.
Relatives of the boys who died and former school pupils of the Forres School gathered to pay their respects
Land mine exploded
Robin Ardagh, Richard Birch, Jeremy Dennis, David North-Lewis and Jason Oliver were aged between 11 and 12 years and had been out for a walk as part of the school day when the tragedy happened.
They’d been digging in the sand when one of them found what they thought was a tin. They couldn’t open the tin, so they started throwing stones at it and then it exploded.
Five boys died, while two others including Robert Key, a bishop’s son who later served as MP for Salisbury for 27 years, were blown into the sea but luckily survived.
In 1940 there were 117 land mines laid on Swanage Beach as Britain prepared for a Nazi invasion, but 50 years later, despite extensive mine sweeping, 58 were still unaccounted for. It’s likely that many were taken out to sea by the tide.
Munitions are still occasionally found – and safely detonated by the army – along the beaches of nearby Studland Bay, which was used extensively as an armed forces training area during World War Two.
The new memorial overlooks the beach
Three of the five boys are buried in Godlingston graveyard on the outskirts of Swanage
It’s hoped the old school memorial to the boys can be rescued before being demolished
Old memorials at Forres School
Forres School – now known as the Purbeck View School site – put up two memorials to the boys, one on a school building and the other in the former school chapel, but now with plans to redevelop the five acre site just off Northbrook Road, as a housing estate, it is feared they may be lost.
A former Forres schoolboy Seb Warner, whose parents live in Studland, decided to step in to ensure that whatever happened to the old school, the five boys would always be remembered in Swanage and he raised the funds to create a lasting tribute.
On Saturday 10th May 2025, tributes to the boys were read by Seb, followed by a short ceremony conducted by the newly retired Reverend Tony Higgins, followed by a one minute silence.
The stone plaque at the Swanage war memorial was then unveiled by relatives of the children who had died.
The unveiling ceremony took place on a perfect Saturday morning
Seb Warner (left) who has been the driving force behind the memorial, liaised with Swanage town mayor Tina Foster (right) about the location in Swanage
“I only wish I had done it sooner!”
Seb Warner, who was at the school between 1988 and 1993 said:
“It’s been an amazing day. When I first started off a year ago with the idea to create a memorial to the boys, I couldn’t imagine that we would achieve this much, and to have so many relatives of the boys here is very special.
“All the arrangements began to come together as the old boys started communicating, with some of them not having seen each other since school. Now, many have returned to Swanage for the unveiling.
“As a schoolboy I remember seeing the memorials at the school to the boys and it really stuck with me. I was always the type of boy who was messing around and so it resonated with me.
“The location of the memorial plaque is totally right – I only wish I had done it sooner!”
Polio had affected one of Richard Birch’s arms but he remained cheerful
Richard’s death hit his parents hard
“A very cheerful boy”
One of the relatives attending the unveiling was Marian Griggs, the sister of Richard Birch. Marian was 15 at the time and remembers it well:
“Richard was a very cheerful boy and always very inquisitive. He’d had polio so lived with one arm in a sling. When he died, it hit my parents very hard.
“The event has brought us all together and revitalised our memories of the boys. The plaque is nice and simple and a fitting tribute.”
A portrait of David North-Lewis
The unveiling of the plaque by relatives
Overlooking Swanage Bay
Following a fundraising appeal by Seb, the money was quickly raised to cover the cost of the new memorial.
It was made from Purbeck stone by Suttles and after discussions with Swanage Town Council, it now sits to the side of the war memorial overlooking Swanage Bay.
The Forres School is destined to become a housing estate
Relatives of the boys who died, left to right: Sherley Southworth (sister of David North-Lewis), David Southworth (nephew of David North-Lewis), Isobel Atkinson (niece of David North-Lewis), Peter Hyatt (second cousin of Jason Oliver), Bryony Atkinson (sister of David North-Lewis) and Marian Griggs (sister of Richard Birch)
Search for more relatives
Seb added:
“What would be good now, is to find more of the relatives, so they can know about the memorial. While relatives of Richard Birch, David North-Lewis and Jason Oliver have been found, we still can’t trace any relatives of Robin Ardagh or Jeremy Dennis.
“If anyone knows their relatives, it would be nice to get in touch with them.”
Watch the ceremony
Further information
- Anyone who may know of any relatives of the boys can contact Seb Warner via his email seb.warner@me.com
