Babbs Mill: Solihull remembers tragedy which claimed four young lives

They were the four young boys whose deaths in an icy lake next to their homes - weeks before Christmas - shocked the nation.

It is 12 months since the lives of the Babbs Mill Boys - Finlay and Samuel Butler, Thomas Stewart and Jack Johnson - were tragically taken too soon on a freezing winter day. The boys were innocently playing out - feeding ducks and skimming stones - on the frozen water in the beauty spot, which had transformed into a winter wonderland, when the unthinkable happened.

Finlay plunged through the ice first before Thomas, Samuel and Jack fell in while trying to help him. Horrified witnesses watched helplessly as the youngsters screamed out for help before they plunged under the surface in sub-zero temperatures and emergency workers went beyond the call of duty to rescue them.

The youngsters are remembered with love across the tight-knit community of Kingshurst in their hometown of Solihull in the West Midlands.

NationalWorld’s sister publication BirminghamWorld revisited the scene at Babbs Mill Lake as community leaders were once again opening their doors to offer support to the boys' families, friends and everyone who needs help as they remember the tragic events of Sunday, 11 December 2022.

The nature reserve is popular with local people who walk along the water's edge and experience the open green space - it’s a quiet neighbourhood with a strong sense of community. The heroic actions of the emergency workers have recently been honoured by the Mayor of Solihull who presented them with a plaque.

A mural in memory of the boys stands at the top of one of the footpaths leading down to the lake which is yards away from St Anthony’s Catholic School, where Jack was a pupil. 

Parish priest Fr Chris Fitzpatrick told us how a memorial mass was being planned today (Monday, 11 December 2023) to remember the four boys. He said: “It hit the community very hard, but people came together to support one another. It was an awful time. We want to remember the boys and support their families and the whole community on the first anniversary. We will hold mass with the school and the pupils so that we can all be there for one another.”

The Mayor of Solihull has recently presented the fire crews with a special award for their bravery, going beyond the call of duty, to rescue the boys. West Midlands fire service area manager Martin Ward White said: “When we pieced together what the initial crews had done, we recognised that they had gone way beyond any expectations.

“After the rescue attempt they voluntarily went to the makeshift memorial days later to lay their own tributes to the boys. Sometimes people see the uniform and think that’s sort of a blocker to any sort of emotional connection you may have to an incident. But the reality is that all emergency workers, myself and the crew, have the same feelings as everybody else.”

Emil Kerekes, senior pastor at the Connection Church in Kingshurst, told how the community had come together to help one another to heal. He said: “It was a very, very hard time. Hard for the families and hard for so many people across the community. We opened our doors and offered support and we are here again for the anniversary.”