At 7:28 AM on July 1st, 1916, men sprang from their starting positions. They did not know they were rushing towards imminent death.
A few hours before the assault, several explosions intended to break the first German line dug deep craters.
It was the case with the one at La Boisselle, 91 meters in diameter and 21 meters deep, caused by 30 tons of explosives!
Lochnagar has now become a place of remembrance. Thanks to its British owner Richard Dunning and the Lochnagar Friends Association, the site is very well preserved.
Walk around the crater, discover the cross that marks the place of the remains of soldier George Nugent of the Tyneside Scottish regiment, who disappeared on July 1st, 1916, and whose body was found on October 31st, 1998.
Information panels around the crater pay tribute to people such as Vera Brittain, nurses, and executed soldiers...
Lay a poppy or a poppy wreath in memory of all these soldiers.
Every July 1st, a moving ceremony takes place at 7:28 AM.
For more information, contact the Friends of Lochnagar
Rebecca Prissette: rebecca.prissette@gmail.com
Address :
Lochnagar Crater
Route de la Grande Mine
80300 OVILLERS-LA-BOISSELLE