Deaths of Stoke Poges Middle School pupils at Land's End
rasu...@yahoo.com
tragedy I have posted this. I knew one of these dead pupils and I
think they should be remembered.
Edition 1TUE 16 JUL 1985
Children were left unattended at foot of cliffs, inquest told /
Investigation
into deaths of Stoke Poges Middle School pupils at Land's End
Four children swept to their deaths while on a school outing to Land's
End had
been playing at the foot of dangerous cliffs for half an hour without
any adult
supervision, an inquest was told yesterday.
Grieving parents wept as the hearing in Penzance was told how the
children
were carried out to sea by 'an exceptionally large wave.'
Their sorrow was tinged with anger, most of it directed at Mr Alec
Askew, the
headmaster who led the school party.
The father of one of the boys who died said he would never have taken
his
family to the rocky area at the foot of the cliffs, which the local
coastguard
officer described as 'not safe at all'.
Mrs Rita Lamden, whose son Ricci Lamden also died on the outing on May
6 said:
'I would like to know why they were going rock climbing and why there
was no
supervision.'
She said Mr Askew had given her a 'jumble' of accounts about the
accident.
Heather Price, aged 12, who survived after being swept off the rocks
along
with the four boys who died, said that although there were three staff
members
and two parents accompanying the party of 51 from Stoke Poges Middle
School,
none accompanied the children to the foot of the cliffs.
She said that they were 'let loose' on arrival at Land's End.
The girl, who saved herself by grabbing hold of a rock needle, tried
to rescue
one of the boys who died, Ricci Lamden, but as she was pulling him to
land
another big wave separated them.
The inquest was told that another of the boys who drowned, Nicolas
Hurst, died
trying to rescue his struggleing schoolmates.
Leigh Collins, aged 10, told the inquest that he saw Nicholas Hurst,
on the
rocks and James Holloway and Robert Ankers in the sea.
'Nicholas Hurst was holding their hands and trying to pull them out.
Another
wave came up and took Nicholas in from the rock.'
The boy added that he slid down the cliff but did not go all the way
because
the sea looked very rough.
Andrew Emmanuel, aged 11, said the children were not told what to do
or not to
do.
He climbed down with ease to about 15 feet above the water. Seven or
eight
children were then soaked by an incoming wave. 'I couldn't see much
because of
the spray and when I looked I could see two in the water. I started to
climb
back up and when I looked down I saw one person - James Holloway - in
the
water', he said.
The children who died on the trip, were Nicholas Hurst, aged 10, of
Freeman's
Close; James Holloway, aged 11, of Elizabeth Way; Ricci Lamden, aged
11, of
Stoke Court Drive; and Robert Ankers, aged 12, of Edersfield Road, all
in Stoke
Poges.
Their parents accompanied the coroner and jurors to Land's End
peninsular, the
scene of the accident.
Earlier Mr Don Buckfield, the coastguard sector officer for Land's
End, said
he would not expect 11 to 12-year-old children to go down on to the
rocks. He
regarded the area as 'not safe at all'.
It was disclosed yesterday that Buckinghamshire education authority is
to hold
a departmental inquiry into the accident.
The parents of the four boys who died have called for the suspension
while an
inquiry is held of Mr A Askew.
A memorial fund for the boys has raised more than pounds 8,000.
(c) Times Newspapers Limited
anotherpersonthere
was such a tragedy and Mr Askew should have been prosecuted.
All the kids that were there have had to cope with what happened without any
assistance. Many have suffered in numerous ways! Such a sad sad event for
all.
adamrich...@googlemail.com
Jeff
> On Monday, 10 December 2007 18:52:52 UTC, rasu...@yahoo.com wrote:
>> Because there is no record existing on the internet of this terrible
>> tragedy I have posted this. I knew one of these dead pupils and I
>> think they should be remembered.
>>
memorial charity.
Jeff
missyp...@gmail.com
wroland...@hotmail.com
Myself and my colleague John Olds attended that day. We happened to be on patrol in the Lands End sector Land Rover nearby (at The Minnack when we heard the call). We got there very quickly, and witnessed the RN helicopter lifting two from the base of the cliff, at the same time a distraught visitor to Lands End conveyed to me that 'there were more people in the water' (exact words). I relayed the information to the Helicopter and asked him drop the casualties to the ambulance which had arrived at the cliff top, and continue the search. This was most difficult decision I ever had to make in seven years service with Lands End coastguard, as I had no idea of the condition of the survivors (Often casualties were flown directly to Hospital). We continued the search, RNLI, RN helicopter, at least one local fishing boat and the coastguard cliff rescue team, but to no avail. I was involved with many incidents, but this, involving the four children, was the saddest of all.
Tony Johnson
luke.p....@gmail.com
mr.ian...@gmail.com
Nicholas was in the Slough Dolphins swimming club whilst Jamie, Robert and Ricci were football fans at school.
Their loss still pulls a heart string, especially as we all had such fun together on the trip the days before.
Rest assured, there are many who still treasure the memory of young lives lost too soon.
tonib...@btinternet.com
anna...@gmail.com
> Hello I’m am the career of the bus driver that drive these children on this tragic story he tells a very different story and would like to tell it he is now 85 years old .
azzg...@gmail.com
jayco...@gmail.com
Lindsey Paynton
> I was so pleased to find this it seemed as if I'd imagined it i was 12 when life as I knew it changed and everything went dark it took me nearly 30 yrs to recover my name is heather Price they were my friends that were lost they deserved to be remembered thank you