Not entirely sure Ridgeway, but the Don is not navigable past the weir by Forge Island, so must have  happened upstream from there, my guess would be in the Holmes area

Oh dear god!

How awful.

That's a thankfully rare tragedy, with all those young boys.

Heartbreaking.

Some of those poor parents can't ever have smiled again.

Nothing like local history and not enough is taught of it in our local schools. I remember to this day 30yrs ago doing the great Sheffield flood, bodies were carried as far as Kilnhurst and some victims are buried in the church there. A horrendous but largely unknown local tragedy. Ask anyone under the age of 25 about it and i'll bet they won't have the foggiest what you're talking about - a real shame

Thanks for the input on this.  Forge Lane, eh?  I remember 40 years ago being in the Bridge Inn and this came up and the landlord pointed upstream past the Odeon and said it occurred "just up there."  He was pretty vague but - and I tell no lies - he reckoned his beer cellar was haunted by some of the victims' ghosts.  I shall make further inquiries.

Thanks for all the help on this.  The landlord of the Bridge Inn was partly right, I think.  What threw me was thinking the accident took place on the river itself.  In fact the boat was being launched into the Don Navigation Canal which flows alongside the Don.  Forge Lane is just opposite Greasborough Road by the Bridge Inn and the site must have been close to being opposite Central Railway Station, perhaps where Tesco was built?

I think that must be the spot RK, at that point I suppose technically its still the R. Don with the navigation or canal starting the other side of the lock gates. Incidently, that recess in the wall on the right is where a small swing bridge was located that carried the railway into Don Forge. Perhaps it would be worth considering starting a small fund to a plaque in remembrance of these lost in the tragedy.

ridgeway kid wrote:

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Towdlad wrote:

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I think that must be the spot RK, at that point I suppose technically its still the R. Don with the navigation or canal starting the other side of the lock gates. Incidently, that recess in the wall on the right is where a small swing bridge was located that carried the railway into Don Forge. Perhaps it would be worth considering starting a small fund to a plaque in remembrance of these lost in the tragedy.

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 I'm pretty sure I read that there are two monuments in existence.  Will have to check but one is somewhere in Masbrough and the other in the Minster (I think?)

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 Yes, according to Wikipedia there is a memorial tablet in the church and another (now in disrepair) next to the Walker mausoleum in Masbrough.

Towdlad wrote:

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I think that must be the spot RK, at that point I suppose technically its still the R. Don with the navigation or canal starting the other side of the lock gates. Incidently, that recess in the wall on the right is where a small swing bridge was located that carried the railway into Don Forge. Perhaps it would be worth considering starting a small fund to a plaque in remembrance of these lost in the tragedy.

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 Accounts are a little confusing, some mention "river" but the inquest report states the boat "...was being launched on the canal at Forge Lane...sank in the 8ft cut."  The memorial at Masbrough Chapel by the Walker Mausoleum was completely different to the parish church one and seems to have been to several specific local children who died.  I fear it may have been destroyed in the 2012 Allied Carpets arson attack.