In November 1875, five fishing boats, (two from Cellardyke and three from St Monans) were sunk during a storm of the coast of Norfolk while they were returning home following the East Anglian herring season.
The three boats from St Monans were the Beautiful Star (KY.1298), the Thane (KY.1071), and the Quest (KY.221) and their sinking resulted in the lives of all 21 fishermen on board them to be lost. When some of the bodies were recovered, they were laid to rest in Hardwick Cemetery in King's Lynn with a memorial in the form of a stone fishing boat. However, there has never been any permanent memorial in St Monans and we as a community would like to change this.