Lochnagar Crater | Richard Cartwright

Rich In History

The Lochnagar Crater is located in the village of La Boisselle in France’s Picardie region.

It is the site where one of the first explosions of the Battle of the Somme took place on 1 July 1916. Set off by British forces at 7:28am, the mine which created the Lochnagar Crater was one of the biggest ever detonated at that time and Lochnagar Crater itself is 91 metres (300 feet) in diameter and 21 metres (70 feet) deep.

Work on the mine was started on 11 November 1915 by 185th Tunnelling Company.  It was completed by 179th Tunnelling Company.

The mine was packed with two charges of 24,000 and 36,000 pounds of ammonal.

Lochnagar was one of 17 mines detonated at 07:28 along the front on 1 July 1916.  Debris rose 4,000 ft into the air, and as it settled the attack began.

The explosion was then the loudest man-made sound in history.

The mine failed in its objective of destroying the opposition - the attacking battalions of the Tyneside Scottish followed by the Tyneside Irish were reduced to small parties of survivors.

More details of the memorial, which is privately owned and non-profit making,can be found on the website http://www.lochnagarcrater.org/